The Auberge d'Allemagne ( mt, Auberge d'Allemagne) was an auberge in

Birgu Birgu ( mt, Il-Birgu , it, Vittoriosa), also known by its title Città Vittoriosa ("''Victorious City''"), is an old fortified city on the south side of the Grand Harbour in the South Eastern Region of Malta. The city occupies a promontory of ...

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. It was built in the 16th century to house knights of the

Order of Saint John The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headq ...

from the langue of

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

History

Built and used as an auberge in the 16th century, by the German knights, the langue of Germany moved to a new Auberge d'Allemagne in

Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an administrative unit and capital of Malta. Located on the main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, its population within administrative limits in 2014 wa ...

in the 1570s. The Birgu auberge was initially used as a private residence, before being converted into a ''casa bottega''. The building was included on the Antiquities List of 1925, together with the other auberges in Birgu. The auberge was heavily damaged by aerial bombardment during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, and only some inner rooms survived the bombing. The site was rebuilt as a four-storey apartment block between 1961 and 1963, incorporating the remains of the auberge into the new building. An original marker still sits in front of the building marking the beginning of the collachio, an area that was reserved for the knights. The initial letter ‘C’ is visible on the top of it.

Architecture and remains

The auberge was a two-storey building constructed in the traditional Maltese style, and the rear of the building was linked to Auberge d'Angleterre. It had a Maltese-style staircase, with mouldings on the façade. The remains were scheduled as a Grade 3 property on 22 December 2009, and they are also listed on the

National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands The National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands (NICPMI) is a heritage register listing the cultural property of Malta. The inventory includes properties such as archaeological sites, fortifications, religious buildings, mo ...

References

External links

National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands
Palaces in Birgu Buildings and structures in Malta destroyed during World War II Limestone buildings in Malta National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands {{Malta-stub