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Lascaris Towers
The Lascaris Towers () are a series of mostly small coastal watchtowers built in Malta by the Order of Saint John between 1637 and 1652. The first seven towers were built around the coast of mainland Malta in 1637 and 1638. Between 1647 and 1652, a large tower was also built on mainland Malta, and two smaller ones were built on Gozo. History Commissioning and construction The Italian knight Giovanni Paolo Lascaris was elected Grand Master of the Order of St. John on 16 June 1636. Unlike the earlier Wignacourt towers which were personally funded by the Grand Master, the cost of the Lascaris towers was paid by the Università. Construction of the first tower, located at ta' Lippija near Ġnejna, began in 1637. Another six towers were built within the following year. Six of the seven original towers were coastal watchtowers, built on or near the sites of medieval watch posts. The only Lascaris tower which is located inland is the Nadur Tower at Binġemma Gap, which was buil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 official languages are Maltese language, Maltese and English language, English. The country's capital is Valletta, which is the smallest capital city in the EU by both area and population. It was also the first World Heritage Site, World Heritage City in Europe to become a European Capital of Culture in 2018. With a population of about 542,000 over an area of , Malta is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, tenth-smallest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population density, ninth-most densely populated. Various sources consider the country to consist of a single urban region, for which it is often described as a city-state. Malta has been inhabited since at least 6500 BC, during the Mesolith ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mdina
Mdina ( ; ), also known by its Italian epithets ("Old City") and ("Notable City"), is a fortifications of Mdina, fortified city in the Western Region, Malta, Western Region of Malta which served as the island's former capital, from antiquity to the medieval period. The city is still confined within its walls, and has a population of 250. A natural redoubt, the area of the city has been inhabited since prehistory. A Phoenician Phoenician colonization, colony known as Ann (, ) was established around the sharing its name with the island and presumably acting as its capital. During the Punic Wars, the town was acquired by the Roman Republic, Romans and renamed Melita (ancient city), Melita (, ) after the Greek and Latin language, Latin name for the island, probably taken from the Punic port at Cospicua on the Grand Harbour. Greco-Roman Melite was larger than present-day Mdina. It was reduced to its present size during the period of Byzantine Malta, Byzantine or History of Islam ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Għajn Tuffieħa Tower
Għajn Tuffieħa Tower () is a small watchtower in Għajn Tuffieħa, limits of Mġarr, Malta. It was completed in 1637 as the second of the Lascaris towers. The tower is mostly intact although it is threatened by coastal erosion and was damaged during a storm in 2023. History Għajn Tuffieħa Tower was built in 1637 on the cliffs overlooking Għajn Tuffieħa Bay close to Mellieħa and Mġarr on the northwest coast of Malta. The tower has Lippija and Nadur Towers in its line of sight. The tower was designed by the Italian architect Vincenzo Maculani. It is almost identical to Lippija Tower, having a square plan and two floors topped by a flat roof with a parapet. Each floor has a single room, and access to the upper floor was originally by a wooden ladder. Għajn Tuffieħa Tower was built on the site of a medieval watch post. It was originally armed with a ½-pounder gun, and its garrison consisted of a captain and three men, who were paid by the Università, the government ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saint George's Tower
Saint George's Tower (; ) is a small watchtower in St. Julian's, Malta. It was built in 1638 and is one of the 10 Lascaris towers built between 1637 and 1652. Today, it is located in the grounds of a hotel. History Saint George's Tower is located at St. George's Bay, St. Julian's. Its site was originally occupied by a medieval watch post. It appears in maps of the period of the Knights at Cala S. Giorgio (St Georeg’s Point). The tower remained in use during the British period but was converted to a Fire Control Station once Fort Pembroke was built. The tower served as a radio communications post in World War II. The tower appears in a 1916 painting with the British additions. It was listed by MEPA as a Grade I National Monument in 1995, and in 1997 the fire control tower added by the British was demolished, which restored the tower to its original state. The tower is now incorporated within the grounds of the Corinthia Hotel St George's Bay. See also *Lascaris towers Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 world's countries participated, with many nations mobilising all resources in pursuit of total war. Tanks in World War II, Tanks and Air warfare of World War II, aircraft played major roles, enabling the strategic bombing of cities and delivery of the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, first and only nuclear weapons ever used in war. World War II is the List of wars by death toll, deadliest conflict in history, causing World War II casualties, the death of 70 to 85 million people, more than half of whom were civilians. Millions died in genocides, including the Holocaust, and by massacres, starvation, and disease. After the Allied victory, Allied-occupied Germany, Germany, Allied-occupied Austria, Austria, Occupation of Japan, Japan, a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blat Mogħża Tower
Blat Mogħża Tower (), also known as Ta' Capra Tower (), was a small watchtower in Fomm ir-Riħ, limits of Mġarr, Malta. It was one of the Lascaris towers, which were mainly coastal watchtowers built in Malta between 1637 and 1652. Blat Mogħża Tower was built sometime during the reign of Giovanni Paolo Lascaris on the site of a medieval watch post. Its design was probably similar to Lippija and Għajn Tuffieħa Towers, which were built in 1637. It would have had Lippija and Nadur Towers in its line of sight. The tower was built on the edge of a cliff face, which began to subside. According to 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 ...'s engineer Charles François de Mondion, the tower was in ruins by 1730. It was never rebuilt. References ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coastal Artillery
Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications. From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form of cannons were highly important to military affairs and generally represented the areas of highest technology and capital cost among materiel. The advent of 20th-century technologies, especially military aviation, naval aviation, jet aircraft, and guided missiles, reduced the primacy of cannons, battleships, and coastal artillery. In countries where coastal artillery has not been disbanded, these forces have acquired amphibious capabilities. In littoral warfare, mobile coastal artillery armed with surface-to-surface missiles can still be used to deny the use of sea lanes. It was long held as a rule of thumb that one shore-based gun equaled three naval guns of the same caliber, due to the steadiness of the coastal gun which allowed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Qawra Tower
Qawra Tower (), also known as Qawra Point Tower () or Fra Ben Tower (), is a small watchtower in Qawra, limits of St. Paul's Bay, Malta. It was completed in 1638 as the fourth of the Lascaris towers. An artillery battery was built around the tower in 1715. Today, the tower and battery are a restaurant. History Qawra Tower was built in 1638 near the tip of Qawra Point, commanding the entrance to St. Paul's Bay to the west and Salina Bay to the east. It was built on or near the site of a medieval watch post. Since 1659, it has Għallis Tower in its line of sight. This linked Qawra Tower with the De Redin towers that allowed communication from Gozo to Valletta. The tower's design is similar to the other Lascaris towers, with two floors each having a single room. Access to the upper floor was originally by a wooden ladder or ''scala di corda''. In 1715, a semi-circular gun battery was built around the seaward side of the tower. The battery had a low parapet, with guns being m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sciuta Tower
Sciuta Tower (), also known as Sciutu Tower (, the name preferred by Żurrieq residents) or Wied iż-Żurrieq Tower (), is a small watchtower in Qrendi, Malta. It was completed in 1638 as the fifth of the Lascaris towers. The tower was restored by Din l-Art Ħelwa. History Sciutu Tower (aka locally as Torri ta’ Xutu and Torri Sciuto) was built in 1637–1638 in Wied iż-Żurrieq, located within the Qrendi boundaries, on the site of a medieval watch post. It served as the prototype for the De Redin towers, which were built between 1658 and . After the British took over Malta in 1800, Sciutu Tower remained in use and was manned by the Royal Malta Fencible Regiment and later the Royal Malta Fencible Artillery. It was abandoned in 1873 but was manned by the Coast Police once again during World War II. The tower subsequently used as a police station until 2002. An original cannon dating back to the Order's rule can still be found on the tower's roof. Present day In March 2013, D ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
De Redin Towers
The De Redin Towers () are a series of small coastal watchtowers built in Malta by the Knights Hospitaller, Order of Saint John between 1658 and 1659. Thirteen towers were built around the coast of Malta (island), mainland Malta to act as watchtowers. Eight of the towers still survive. The Mġarr ix-Xini Tower, which was built on Gozo in 1661 after the death of de Redin, has a design similar to the De Redin towers. History Background and construction The Spanish knight Martin de Redin was elected List of Grand Masters of the Knights Hospitaller, Grand Master of the Order of St. John on 17 August 1657. In March 1658, he contributed 6428 Maltese scudo, scudi for the construction of 13 new watchtowers to strengthen the existing coastal defence system, which consisted mainly of the Wignacourt towers, Wignacourt and Lascaris towers. The design of the new towers was based on the Sciuta Tower, one of the Lascaris towers, which had been built in Wied iż-Żurrieq in 1638. Each tower ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Martin De Redin
Fra' Martin de Redin (Pamplona, 1579 – Malta, 6 February 1660) was a Spanish military and political figure, and the 58th Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta. He became Grand Prior of the Order of Malta of Navarra in 1641, and Viceroy of Sicily in 1656. He was elected Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller in 1657 after the death of Giovanni Paolo Lascaris. During his rule, he commissioned the building of 13 de Redin watch towers around the coast of Malta. These towers created a line of communication around the island to give warning of the approach of corsairs and pirates. De Redin also created a corps of 4,000 musketeer A musketeer ( ) was a type of soldier equipped with a musket. Musketeers were an important part of early modern warfare, particularly in Europe, as they normally comprised the majority of their infantry. The musketeer was a precursor to the rifl ...s, and brought in food and supplies from Sicily when Malta suffered a shortage during his re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Din L-Art Ħelwa
() is a non-governmental and non-profit, voluntary organisation founded in 1965 by Maltese Judge Maurice Caruana Curran to safeguard Malta's cultural heritage and natural environment. Since its foundation, Din l-Art Ħelwa has restored numerous cultural sites of historic and environmental importance and currently has the guardianship of a number of them. Many of the sites are open to visitors and for events, thanks to an army of dedicated volunteers. The organisation promotes the preservation and protection of historic buildings and monuments, the character of Malta's towns and villages, and places of natural beauty. It is very active in campaigning against proposed construction which infringes planning laws or policies, and regularly objects to planning applications, taking legal action to halt development in some cases. The NGO stimulates the enforcement of existing laws and the enactment of new ones for the protection of Malta's natural and built heritage. Name and offices Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
