Explorations of a Maltese town with colorful balconies and a history of torture.
Birgu, Malta, is an adorable little old, fortified town across the Grand Harbor from the capitol city of Valletta. The origins of city date back to medieval times, which you can definitely see in the winding streets of the town. Birgu served as the first capitol of Malta under the Order of St. John (i.e., the Knights of Malta), from 1530 to 1571 when it was moved across the harbor to Valletta.
Fort Saint Angelo built by the Knights of Malta, with the town of Birgu to the right of it.
The new Knights of Malta chose Birgu for its capitol when they moved to Malta due to its excellent access to the Grand Harbor (something they will enjoy in Valletta as well), unlike the ancient/medieval capitol of Mdina which is in inland. Birgu was also small and defenseless at the time, and in a pretty rundown state, very easy to change to their liking. The city was then fortified in preparations of an attack from the Ottomans. Birgu barely survived that escapade. In 1571, the capitol was moved to the newly constructed Valletta. However, the Knights of Malta continued to leave their mark on the town.
Victory Square was also damaged during WWII, but some buildings from before the war still survive.
Maltese balconies must never match the building next door.
While Valletta was a bustling city, Birgu was very quiet. It being very early on a Saturday morning probably didn’t help.
Even without seeing many people walking around, you did hear them yelling between balconies.
Sudden flash of blue.
The streets are extremely narrow. That doesn’t stop people from driving their cars here, though.
The Norman House was built in the 13th century and still has the Gothic windows and Norman style friezes along the facade. Pretty cool. (Sorry for the weird angle, the street was narrow.)
What also is cool is that you can go inside! A little museum is dedicated to the building. There would have been a cellar on the right and a room in the back, with stairs to go up.
There is a large room upstairs with artifacts. There is another staircase that goes to another floor as well, blocked off though.
My favorite part was this little carved face that still survives in the window frame. It’s amazing.
I just love how colorful a town can be with sandstone buildings and balconies.
Some buildings are much older than others, like the one on the right.
This is the Auberge de France, where the French knights stayed here in Birgu. Auberges were the headquarters of langues. Langues were groups of knights from certain areas of Europe and were funded by estates and other incomes.
The Auberge de Castille et Portugal, where knights from Spain and Portugal stayed while in Birgu.
I loved just wandering around Birgu.
Picturesque scenes around every corner.
Just so amazing.
The last stop in Birgu was the Inquisitor’s Palace. It was the seat of the Maltese inquisition from 1574 to 1798, after the knights left for Valletta. The Maltese can thank Napoleon for ending that tradition. It one of only a few left and is the only Inquisitor’s Palace in the world open to the public.
The palace was built around the 1530s as a courthouse but renovated a lot over the centuries. It was enlarged, cells added, rooms for the inquisitor, etc.
Looks like a normal fancy building on the outside.
The first courtyard looks rather normal. Normal palace loggia here.
Normal small interior courtyard here. You can see that it has been expanded.
Normal looking kitchen. Rooms have changed usage a lot over the years. The fireplace was removed and a oven is in a different room now. The first cells were originally in this area.
Rather fancy, but normal stairs to the Inquisitor’s chambers.
Now not so normal. After a series of exhibits on the Inquisition, we enter the tribunal room.
Which leads to the torture chamber.
After the torture chamber, there is a cell with beds for people to recover from their torture. The courtyard outside leads to the rest of the cells. That is not a well but a cesspit. The cell on the other side of that wall has a very conveniently placed hole in the wall.
The doors to the cells were rather short. No rushing the guards here.
Prisoner graffiti.
Some of the cells were very small, with space for one or two people and very dark. Some were larger like this one with room for five or six, if you were lucky. Unfortunately, they were located right above the cesspit, but at least they didn’t have to leave their room to go the bathroom. Silver lining, maybe?
Birgu, Malta, is a fun place to wander and explore. The Inquisitor’s Palace is bigger than it looks, so leave extra time for that. I had to rush a bit. There is also a Maritime Museum I wasn’t able to visit as well. Birgu is easy to reach from Valletta by ferry and by car from anywhere else in Malta.
Check out my next update where I explore some of Malta’s mysterious Neolithic temples!
