Do you have any suggestions on how to improve the content of this article? Let others be part of your knowledge:
Cottonera (Three Cities) - the ‘three cities‘: Vittoriosa, Cospicua and Senglea

The word Cottonera describes the three cities: Vittoriosa (Birgu), Senglea (L‘Isla) and Cospicua (Bormla). The peninsula in the middle, Vittoriosa, was the only peninsula of the three peninsulas which was inhabited at the arrival of the Knights of St. John. In the past the city was called ‘Borgo del Castello‘. That‘s where the name Birgu comes from. Valletta didn‘t exist at that time.
The new name, Vittoriosa, is after the Great Siege of the Turkish. Vittoriosa means ‘the victory‘ and is still the honored name of the city. In 1552 the Grand Master Claude de la Sengle started the fortification of the neighboring peninsula. The Knight Order gave many people work and soon both of the peninsulas were overpopulated. The consequence was that many people settled down between those two peninsulas. The Knights of St. John called this city Cospicua, or today Bormla.
These cities are known as the ‘Three Cities‘. They are all older than Valletta. In 1571 the Order moved to Valletta. In 1638 the Margerita Lines and in (1670-80) the Cottonera Lines were completed. This fortification still exists today.
The three bays between the peninsulas are known as Kalkara, Dockyard Creek (between Vittoriosa and Senglea) and French Creek (today the seat of the harbor).
During the Second World War the cities were strongly bombed, because of the harbor which is located in this area. Huge areas of the residential areas and the dockyard were destroyed.
Is this information helpful for you? (10 is the largest value on the scale, 1 the lowest.)
The worth reading value is:
Malta Board Community
Gozo |
Re: Mates in Malta |
Re: nightlife |
Peters pool
Peters pool is a small sheltered bay in the south of Malta. Reaching this bay is not very easy. No buses go through; even with a car its not straight forward. On one hand the way to reach the bay is not signaled very well and on the other hand the road is very narrow. In some places almost too narrow for just one car to pass through and traffic passes both ways!
Bugibba
What can Bugibba offer and how to get there? Both cities, Bugibba and Qawra, are directly linked to each other. The cities developed together into one another. One can hardly recognize where Qawra begins and Bugibba ends. The bay hardly offers sandy beaches, on the contrary is very rocky.
Cottonera (Three Cities) - the ‘three cities‘: Vittoriosa, Cospicua and Senglea
The word Cottonera describes the three cities: Vittoriosa (Birgu), Senglea (L‘Isla) and Cospicua (Bormla). The peninsula in the middle, Vittoriosa, was the only peninsula of the three peninsulas which was inhabited at the arrival of the Knights of St. John. In the past the city was called ‘Borgo del Castello‘. That‘s where the name Birgu comes from. Valletta didn‘t exist at that time.
◊Valletta Harbor Cruise ◊Ghar Lapsi ◊Plaza Shopping Mall ◊Prices, insurance and minimum age to hire a car in Malta ◊Cost of living in Malta
