Victoria Lines, Malta

The Victoria Lines is an approximately 10.25 km long fortification in Malta.

History and development

From Fomm ir - Rih to Fort Madliena runs through the Mediterranean island of a small geological fault. The year 1530 ruling on the archipelago of Malta, built around 1722 along this line some Spähtürme and shelters for soldiers. When the British occupied Malta in 1800, these investments came first into oblivion. In the second half of the 19th century, the Englishman then began building large-scale defense systems.

After initially in 1875 Three forts were built along the ridge fault, you started later to connect it to a wall, which was completed in 1890. After the wall was expanded by gun batteries and barracks and built a fourth fort. In 1897 this work was completed and the bulwark was named in honor of Queen Victoria, which was then celebrating its 60th jubilee, called Victoria Lines.

The wall was intended as a defense against hostile attacks, but could never distinguish themselves as never was by the British naval superiority a serious attack risk.

As of 1907, they completely lost their meaning. The Victoria Lines disintegrated with time. On August 27, 1998, she was - be provisionally - was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Tourism

The majority of tourists and even many Maltese knew a long time not that this wall exists. Those who knew the building often held for a field wall, as they are built by farmers as a demarcation of their fields. Only by several TV reports in the 1990s and those of the UNESCO most people realized the historical significance of Lines. Since then, the stronghold was completely exposed and partly restored. In some places it is possible to walk on the crest of the wall.