Mġarr is a harbour town in south-eastern

Gozo Gozo ( ), known in classical antiquity, antiquity as Gaulos, is an island in the Malta#The Maltese archipelago, Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After the Malta Island, island of Malta ...

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 ...

Etymology

The name Mġarr may have originated from the Arabic word "mġar", meaning "port".

History

The town of Mġarr grew around the shallow harbour which shares its name. Ferry services to Malta were in operation by 1241, and fishing was already established. Whilst the area around the harbour was developed over the following centuries, there was little development of the harbour itself until 1841, when a breakwater was constructed to provide more shelter to the port. This breakwater was strengthened and extended several times up to 1906. A larger breakwater was constructed between 1929 and 1935, and two more in 1969; on the completion of the latter, the area of the port was expanded to 121,400 square metres. The ferry terminal was rebuilt at a cost of €9.3 million in the early 21st century. Work began in 2001 and took seven years, with the terminal opening in February 2008. The harbour now has facilities for around 600 passengers and 200 cars. The design of the new harbour was changed during the construction process to reduce its visual impact on the surrounding landscape.

Economy and facilities

Mġarr is the largest fishing village on

. In addition to the ferry terminal, a yacht marina is also located in the town. Mġarr is overlooked by

Fort Chambray Fort Chambray or Fort Chambrai () is a bastioned fort located in the precincts of Għajnsielem, on the island of Gozo, Malta. It was built in the mid-18th century by the Knights Hospitaller, Order of Saint John, in an area known as Ras it-Tafal, ...

, constructed in 1749 by the Knights of St. John. In May 2010, it was announced that the marina would be privatised. Operation transferred to the Harbour Management Company Limited, which intended to develop and modernise the marina. The Gleneagles Bar, which stands next to the original jetty in the harbour, was constructed as a cabin for ferry passengers in 1732 and has a unique sloping roof.

Transport

Mġarr is linked by ferry services to

Ċirkewwa Ċirkewwa () is a harbour and zone situated at the northernmost point of Malta, part of the locality of Mellieħa. It is the site of the Ċirkewwa Ferry Terminal, from where regular car ferries operate to the port of Mġarr in Gozo. In the sum ...

and

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 ...

on Malta and to the island of

Comino Comino () is a small island of the Maltese archipelago between the islands of Malta (island), Malta and Gozo in the Mediterranean Sea, measuring in area. Named after the cumin seed, the island has a permanent population of only two residents a ...

. Buses run to

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

and

Marsalforn Marsalforn (Pronounced: ''Mars al-Forn, , '' Maltese language, Maltese: ''Marsalforn''), also written as M'Forn for shortcut purposes, is a town on the north coast of Gozo, the second largest island of the Malta, Maltese archipelago. The t ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mgarr (Gozo) Towns in Malta Geography of Malta Gozo Għajnsielem Ports and harbours of Malta