The Auberge d'Allemagne () was an auberge in

Birgu Birgu ( , ), also known by its title Città Vittoriosa ('Victorious City'), is an old Fortifications of Birgu, fortified city on the south side of the Grand Harbour in the Port Region, Malta, Port Region of Malta. The city occupies a promontory ...

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

. 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, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic Church, Catholic Military order (religious society), military order. It was founded in the Crusader states, crusader K ...

from the langue of

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

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 ( ; , ) is the capital city of Malta and one of its 68 Local councils of Malta, council areas. Located between the Grand Harbour to the east and Marsamxett Harbour to the west, its population as of 2021 was 5,157. As Malta’s capital ...

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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, 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 Auberge d'Angleterre () is an auberge in Birgu, Malta. It was built around 1534 (incorporating an earlier building) to house knights of the Knights Hospitaller, Order of Saint John from the Langue (Knights Hospitaller), langue of Kingdom of En ...

, which housed knights of the

from the langue of

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. 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, mon ...

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