The Grand Harbour (; ), also known as the Port of Marsa, is a

natural harbour A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be moored. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is ...

on the island of

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 has been substantially modified over the years with extensive

docks The word dock () in American English refers to one or a group of human-made structures that are involved in the handling of boats or ships (usually on or near a shore). In British English, the term is not used the same way as in American Engli ...

(

Malta Dockyard Malta Dockyard was an important naval base in the Grand Harbour in Malta in the Mediterranean Sea. The infrastructure which is still in operation is now operated by Palumbo Shipyards. History Pre-1800 The Knights of Malta established dockyard ...

wharves A wharf ( or wharfs), quay ( , also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more berths ( ...

, and

fortification A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...

Description

The harbour mouth faces north-east and is bounded to the north by Saint Elmo Point and further sheltered by an isolated

breakwater Breakwater may refer to: * Breakwater (structure), a structure for protecting a beach or harbour Places * Breakwater, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia * Breakwater Island, Antarctica * Breakwater Islands, Nunavut, Canada * ...

and is bounded to the south by Ricasoli Point. Its north-western shore is formed by the

Sciberras Peninsula The Sciberras Peninsula is a peninsula in the South Eastern Region of Malta, between the Grand Harbour in the south and Marsamxett Harbour in the north. At its end stands the Mount Sciberras, which gave its name to the peninsula. During the Ar ...

, which is largely covered by the city of

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 ...

and its

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

Floriana Floriana ( or ''Il-Floriana''), also known by its title Borgo Vilhena, is a Floriana Lines, fortified town in the Port Region, Malta, Port Region area of Malta, just outside the capital city Valletta. It has a population of 2,205 as of March 2014 ...

. This peninsula also divides Grand Harbour from a second parallel natural harbour,

Marsamxett Harbour Marsamxett Harbour (), historically also referred to as Marsamuscetto, is a natural harbour on the island of Malta. It is located to the north of the larger Grand Harbour. The harbour is generally more dedicated to leisure use than the Grand Ha ...

. The main waterway of Grand Harbour continues inland almost to Marsa. The southeastern shore of the harbour is formed by a number of inlets and headlands, principally Rinella Creek, Kalkara Creek, Dockyard Creek, and French Creek, which are covered by

Kalkara Kalkara () is a village in the Port Region of Malta, with a population of 3,014 as of March 2014. The name is derived from the Latin word for lime (Calce), and it is believed that there was a lime kiln present there since Roman times. Kalkara ...

and the Three Cities:

Cospicua Cospicua (Italian language, Italian) or Bormla (Maltese language, Maltese, ), occasionally also known by the Latin language, Latin name Cottonera, is a double-fortified harbour city in the Port Region, Malta, Port Region of Malta. It served as th ...

Vittoriosa 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 ...

, and

Senglea Senglea ( ), also known by its title Città Invicta (or Civitas Invicta), is a fortified city in the Port Region of Malta. It is one of the Three Cities in the Grand Harbour area, the other two being Cospicua and Vittoriosa, and has a popu ...

. The harbour has been described as Malta's greatest geographic asset. With its partner harbour of Marsamxett, Grand Harbour lies at the centre of gently rising ground. Settlements have grown all around the twin harbours and up the slopes so that the whole bowl is effectively one large

conurbation A conurbation is a region consisting of a number of metropolises, cities, large towns, and other urban areas which, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban or industrially developed area. In most ...

. Much of Malta's population lives within a three kilometer radius of Floriana. This is now one of the most densely populated areas in Europe. The harbours and the surrounding areas make up Malta's

Northern Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating ...

and

Southern Harbour District Malta is for non-local government purposes divided into districts as opposed to the local government regions at the same level. The three main types of such districts – statistical, electoral at national level, and policing – have no ...

s. Together, these districts contain 27 of the 68 local councils. They have a population of 213,722 which is over 47% of the total population of the Maltese islands.

History

The Maltese islands have a long history, mainly due to their strategic location and natural harbours, mainly the Grand Harbour as well as Marsamxett. The Grand Harbour has been used since prehistoric times. Megalithic remains have been found on the shores of the Grand Harbour. The

Kordin Temples The Kordin Temples are a group of megalithic temples on Corradino Heights in Paola, Malta. The temples were inhabited from pre-history, by Phoenicians and then by the Greeks and Roman periods.MacGill, Thomas (1839)"A handbook, or guide, for stra ...

, the earliest of which date back to around 3700 BC, overlooked the harbour from Corradino Heights. Another megalithic structure possibly existed underwater off Fort Saint Angelo, but this can no longer be seen. Punic and Roman remains were also found on the shores of the harbour, with the main

Carthaginian The term Carthaginian ( ) usually refers to the civilisation of ancient Carthage. It may also refer to: * Punic people, the Semitic-speaking people of Carthage * Punic language The Punic language, also called Phoenicio-Punic or Carthaginian, i ...

port at

possibly having been the original namesake of the island in

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

and

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

. By the 12th and 13th centuries, the ''

Castrum Maris Fort St. Angelo ( or ) is a bastioned fort in Birgu, Malta, located at the centre of the Grand Harbour. It was originally built in the medieval period as a castle called the (; ). It was rebuilt by the Order of Saint John as a bastioned fort ca ...

'' had been built in what is now

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 ...

. It might have been built instead of ancient buildings, possibly Phoenician or Roman temples, or an Arab fortress. In 1283, the

Battle of Malta The Battle of Malta took place on 8 July 1283 in the entrance to the Grand Harbour, the principal harbour of Malta, as part of the War of the Sicilian Vespers. An Aragonese fleet of galleys, commanded by Roger of Lauria, attacked and defeate ...

was fought at the entrance of the Grand Harbour. Aragonese forces defeated a larger Angevin force and captured 10 galleys. The Grand Harbour was the base for 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 ...

for 268 years, from 1530 to 1798. They settled in the city of

and improved its fortifications, including rebuilding the ''Castrum Maris'' as

Fort Saint Angelo Fort St. Angelo ( or ) is a bastioned fort in Birgu, Malta, located at the centre of the Grand Harbour. It was originally built in the medieval period as a castle called the (; ). It was rebuilt by the Order of Saint John as a bastioned fort ca ...

. In July 1551, Barbary corsairs and Ottoman forces raided Malta. They landed at Marsamxett and marched upon the Grand Harbour, but did not attack as they found the town of Birgu too well fortified to attack. Although this attempt was unsuccessful, the Ottoman force later managed to sack Gozo and conquer Tripoli within the same campaign. After the attack,

Fort Saint Elmo Fort Saint Elmo () is a star fort in Valletta, Malta. It stands on the seaward shore of the Sciberras Peninsula that divides Marsamxett Harbour from Grand Harbour, and commands the entrances to both harbours along with Fort Tigné and Fort Ri ...

and

Fort Saint Michael Fort Saint Michael () was a small fort in the land front of the city of Senglea, Malta. It was originally built in the 1552 and played a significant role in the Great Siege of Malta of 1565. Following the siege, it was rebuilt as Saint Michael Ca ...

were built to better protect the harbour in any future attacks. The city of

was also founded soon afterwards. Later on in the 1550s, a

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...

struck the Grand Harbour, killing 600 people and destroying a shipping armada. The area was the scene of much of the fighting in the

Great Siege of Malta The Great Siege of Malta (Maltese language, Maltese: ''L-Assedju l-Kbir'') occurred in 1565 when the Ottoman Empire attempted to conquer the island of Malta, then held by the Knights Hospitaller. The siege lasted nearly four months, from 18 May t ...

of 1565 when the Ottomans attempted to eject the Order of St John but were ultimately defeated. After the siege, the capital city of

was built on the Sciberras peninsula on the north west shore of the harbour. Over the years, more fortifications and settlements were founded within the Grand Harbour, including

Fort Ricasoli Fort Ricasoli () is a bastioned fort in Kalkara, Malta, which was built by the Order of Saint John between 1670 and 1698. The fort occupies a promontory known as Gallows' Point and the north shore of Rinella Bay, commanding the entrance to the G ...

and the towns of

and

. During the

French occupation of Malta The island of Malta was occupied by France from 1798 to 1800. The Knights Hospitaller surrendered to Napoleon Bonaparte following the French landing in June 1798. In Malta, the French established a constitutional tradition in Maltese history (as ...

, the harbour area was blockaded by Maltese rebels on land and the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

at sea. The French eventually capitulated in September 1800 and Malta became a

British protectorate British protectorates were protectorates under the jurisdiction of the British government. Many territories which became British protectorates already had local rulers with whom the Crown negotiated through treaty, acknowledging their status wh ...

, later a

colony A colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule, which rules the territory and its indigenous peoples separated from the foreign rulers, the colonizer, and their ''metropole'' (or "mother country"). This separated rule was often orga ...

. During the British colonial rule, the harbour became a strategic base for the Royal Navy and the base of the

Mediterranean Fleet The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vital sea link between ...

The whole area was savagely bombed during the Second Siege of Malta 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 ...

, as the docks and military installations around the

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

became targets for

Axis An axis (: axes) may refer to: Mathematics *A specific line (often a directed line) that plays an important role in some contexts. In particular: ** Coordinate axis of a coordinate system *** ''x''-axis, ''y''-axis, ''z''-axis, common names ...

bombers A bomber is a military combat aircraft that utilizes air-to-ground weaponry to drop bombs, launch torpedoes, or deploy air-launched cruise missiles. There are two major classifications of bomber: strategic and tactical. Strategic bombing is ...

. However

collateral damage "Collateral damage" is a term for any incidental and undesired death, injury or other damage inflicted, especially on civilians, as the result of an activity. Originally coined to describe military operations, it is now also used in non-milit ...

wrecked much of Valletta and The Three Cities, and caused large numbers of

civilian casualties A civilian casualty occurs when a civilian is killed or injured by non-civilians, mostly law enforcement officers, military personnel, rebel group forces, or terrorists. Under the law of war, it refers to civilians who perish or suffer wounds ...

. An Italian naval raid on the harbour was repelled on the early of 26 July 1941. HMS Victorious Malta 1967

is still active but with the departure of the

British Military The British Armed Forces are the unified military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, support international peacekeeping e ...

the harbour lost much of its military significance. A considerable part of Malta's

commercial Commercial may refer to: * (adjective for) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and services ** (adjective for) trade, the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information or money * a dose of advertising ...

shipping Freight transport, also referred to as freight forwarding, is the physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo. The term shipping originally referred to transport by sea but in American English, it has been ...

is now handled by the new

free port A free-trade zone (FTZ) is a class of special economic zone. It is a geographic area where goods may be imported, stored, handled, manufactured, or reconfigured and re-exported under specific customs regulation and generally not subject to ...

at Kalafrana, so the harbour is much quieter than it was in the first half of the 20th century. In September 2007, the

Maltese Government The Government of Malta () is the executive branch of the Republic of Malta. It is made up of the Cabinet and the Parliamentary Secretaries. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President of Malta, with the President making their decision base ...

unveiled 20 proposed regeneration projects that would revamp the area while respecting its historic value. As of May 2021 the harbour is undergoing renovation works initiated by Infrastructure Malta and sponsored by the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

with the goals of electrifying the harbour to produce a 90% decrease in harmful emissions from ships.

Shorepower Shore power or shore supply is the provision of shoreside electrical power to a ship at berth while its main and auxiliary engines are shut down.fossil fuel A fossil fuel is a flammable carbon compound- or hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the buried remains of prehistoric organisms (animals, plants or microplanktons), a process that occurs within geolog ...

-powered engines to run while ships are docked.

Coordinates In geometry, a coordinate system is a system that uses one or more numbers, or coordinates, to uniquely determine and standardize the Position (geometry), position of the Point (geometry), points or other geometric elements on a manifold such as ...

Around the Grand Harbour from Fort Ricasoli to Fort St. Elmo

Giuseppe Caloriti - View of Valletta and the Three Cities

* Rinella Bay * Bighi *

Creek **Marina Road,

**Kalkara Strand, Kalkara **Mandraġġ Strand,

* Fort St. Angelo * Dockyard Creek or Cottonera Marina **St. Angelo Strand, Birgu **Xatt il-Forn, Birgu **Xatt ir-Risq, Birgu **Xatt San Lawrenz, Birgu ** Dock No. 1,

Bormla Cospicua (Italian) or Bormla ( Maltese, ), occasionally also known by the Latin name Cottonera, is a double-fortified harbour city in the Port Region of Malta. It served as the principal port of Phoenician Malta and, through Greek, Latin, and A ...

**Xatt Juan B. Azzopardi,

* French Creek **Dock No. 2 **Ghajn Dwieli Road ** Corradino **Dock No. 6 *Ras Ħanżir Point * New Port **Shipwrights Wharf,

Paola Paola is a female given name, the Italian form of the name Paula. In Greek it is Polina. Notable people with the name include: People In arts and entertainment * Paola Del Medico (born 1950), Swiss singer *Paola e Chiara, pop music duo consist ...

**Dock No. 7 **Xatt il-Mollijiet, Albert Town **Church Wharf, Marsa * Il-Menqa **Bridge Wharf, Marsa **Flagstone Wharf / Moll iċ-Ċangatura, Marsa **Lighters Wharf / il-Moll tal-Braken, Marsa **Timber Wharf / il-Moll tal-Ħatab, Marsa **Xatt l-Għassara tal-Għeneb, Marsa *

Valletta Waterfront The Valletta Waterfront, is a promenade in Floriana, Malta, mainly featuring three prominent buildings: a church in the middle, the Pinto Stores or the ''Pinto Wharf'' on the left, and the Forni Stores or the ''Forni Shopping Complex'' on the rig ...

or Pinto Wharf,

*Lascaris Wharf,

*Xatt il-Barriera, Valletta *Taħt iż-Żiemel * Fort St. Elmo

Gallery

File:Malta - Valletta - Valletta Breakwater + Kalkara - Ricasoli Breakwater (MSTHC) 03 ies.jpg, Ricasoli Breakwater
Kalkara File:Sudika Fort Ricasoli.jpg,

Kalkara File:Sudika Kalkara Bighi.jpg, Bighi
Kalkara File:Malta - Birgu + Kalkara + Kalkara Creek + election celebration (Lower Barrakka Gardens) 01 ies.jpg, Kalkara Creek
Kalkara and Birgu File:Malta - Birgu - Fort Saint Angelo (Upper Barrakka Gardens) 01 ies.jpg,

Birgu File:Malta - Senglea + The Spur (Herbert Ganado Gardens) 01 ies.jpg, The Spur
Senglea File:Malta - Senglea + French Creek (Herbert Ganado Gardens) 01 ies.jpg, French Creek
Senglea, Cospicua and Paola File:Malta - Cospicua - Dock No. 4 (MSTHC) 01 ies.jpg, Dock No. 4
Cospicua File:Malta, Dry Dock.jpg, Dock No. 6 (China Dock)
Cospicua File:Malta - Marsa - Il-Moll tax-Shipwrights (MSTHC) 01 ies.jpg, Shipwrights Wharf
Paola and Marsa File:Marsa Power Station 2009.jpg, Bridge Wharf and Marsa Power Station
Marsa File:Malta - Marsa - Il-Moll tal-Braken (MSTHC) 02 ies.jpg, Braken Wharf
Marsa File:Malta - Valletta - Xatt Lascaris+SS Peter and Paul Bastion+custom house+Upper Barrakka Gardens (MSTHC) 01 ies.jpg, Xatt Lascaris
Valletta File:Fort St. Elmo; Valletta, Malta.jpg,

Valletta File:Malta - Valletta - Triq il-Lanca - St. Elmo Bridge (MSTHC) 07 ies.jpg, St. Elmo Bridge
Valletta File:Malta - Valletta - Triq il-Lanca - Valletta Breakwater (Siege Bell) 01 ies.jpg, Valletta Breakwater
Valletta

References

External links