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| Grand Harbour | |
|---|---|
 The Grand Harbour from above | |
 Interactive map of Grand Harbour | |
| Location | |
| Country | Malta |
| Location | Southern Harbour Area |
| Details | |
| Type ofharbour | coastal natural |
| Size of harbour | 2,035,000 square metres (503 acres) |
| Maximum Length | 3.63 kilometres (2.26 mi) |
| Maximum Width | 1.33 kilometres (0.83 mi) |
| Average Depth | 7.7 metres (25 ft) |
TheGrand Harbour (Maltese:il-Port il-Kbir;Italian:Porto Grande), also known as thePort of Valletta,[1] is anatural harbour on the island ofMalta. It has been substantially modified over the years with extensivedocks (Malta Dockyard),wharves, andfortifications.[2]
The harbour mouth faces north-east and is bounded to the north by Saint Elmo Point and further sheltered by an isolatedbreakwater and is bounded to the south by Ricasoli Point. Its north-western shore is formed by theSciberras Peninsula, which is largely covered by the city ofValletta and itssuburbFloriana. This peninsula also divides Grand Harbour from a second parallel natural harbour,Marsamxett Harbour. The main waterway of Grand Harbour continues inland almost toMarsa. The southeastern shore of the harbour is formed by a number of inlets and headlands, principally Rinella Creek, Kalkara Creek, Dockyard Creek, and French Creek, which are covered byKalkara and theThree Cities:Cospicua,Vittoriosa, andSenglea. The harbour has been described as Malta's greatest geographic asset.[3]
With its partner harbour of Marsamxett, Grand Harbour lies at the centre of gently rising ground. Settlements have grown all around the twin harbours and up the slopes so that the whole bowl is effectively one largeconurbation. Much of Malta's population lives within a three kilometer radius of Floriana. This is now one of the most densely populated areas in Europe. The harbours and the surrounding areas make up Malta'sNorthern andSouthern Harbour Districts. Together, these districts contain 27 of the 68local councils. They have a population of 213,722 which is over 47% of the total population of the Maltese islands.[4]
The Maltese islands havea long history, mainly due to their strategic location and natural harbours, mainly the Grand Harbour as well as Marsamxett. The Grand Harbour has been used since prehistoric times.
Megalithic remains have been found on the shores of the Grand Harbour. TheKordin Temples, the earliest of which date back to around 3700 BC, overlooked the harbour from Corradino Heights.[5] Another megalithic structure possibly existed underwater off Fort Saint Angelo, but this can no longer be seen.[6] Punic and Roman remains were also found on the shores of the harbour,[5] with the mainCarthaginian port atCospicua possibly having been the original namesake of the island inGreek andLatin.
By the 12th and 13th centuries, theCastrum Maris had been built in what is nowBirgu. It might have been built instead of ancient buildings, possibly Phoenician or Roman temples, or an Arab fortress.[7]
In 1283, theBattle of Malta was fought at the entrance of the Grand Harbour.Aragonese forces defeated a largerAngevin force and captured 10 galleys.[8]
The Grand Harbour was the base for theOrder of Saint John for 268 years, from 1530 to 1798. They settled in the city ofBirgu and improved its fortifications, including rebuilding theCastrum Maris asFort Saint Angelo. In July 1551, Barbary corsairs andOttoman forcesraided Malta. They landed at Marsamxett and marched upon the Grand Harbour, but did not attack as they found the town of Birgu too well fortified to attack. Although this attempt was unsuccessful, the Ottoman force later managed tosack Gozo andconquer Tripoli within the same campaign. After the attack,Fort Saint Elmo andFort Saint Michael were built to better protect the harbour in any future attacks. The city ofSenglea was also founded soon afterwards.
Later on in the 1550s, atornado struck the Grand Harbour, killing 600 people and destroying a shipping armada.
The area was the scene of much of the fighting in theGreat Siege of Malta of 1565 when the Ottomans attempted to eject the Order of St John but were ultimately defeated. After the siege, the capital city ofValletta was built on the Sciberras peninsula on the north west shore of the harbour. Over the years, more fortifications and settlements were founded within the Grand Harbour, includingFort Ricasoli and the towns ofFloriana andCospicua.
During theFrench occupation of Malta, the harbour area was blockaded by Maltese rebels on land and theRoyal Navy at sea. The French eventually capitulated in September 1800 and Malta became aBritish protectorate, later acolony. During the British colonial rule, the harbour became a strategic base for the Royal Navy and the base of theMediterranean Fleet.
The whole area was savagely bombed during theSecond Siege of Malta duringWorld War II, as the docks and military installations around theport became targets forAxisbombers. Howevercollateral damage wrecked much of Valletta and The Three Cities, and caused large numbers ofcivilian casualties. AnItalian naval raid on the harbour was repelled on the early of 26 July 1941.
Malta Dockyard is still active but with the departure of theBritish Military the harbour lost much of its military significance. A considerable part of Malta'scommercialshipping is now handled by the newfree port atKalafrana, so the harbour is much quieter than it was in the first half of the 20th century.[9]
In September 2007, theMaltese Government unveiled 20 proposed regeneration projects that would revamp the area while respecting its historic value.[10]
As of May 2021 the harbour is undergoing renovation works initiated byInfrastructure Malta and sponsored by theEuropean Union with the goals of electrifying the harbour to produce a 90% decrease in harmful emissions from ships.Shorepower units are to be installed to eliminate the need forfossil fuel-powered engines to run while ships are docked.[11]Coordinates:35°53′42″N14°31′14″E / 35.89500°N 14.52056°E /35.89500; 14.52056
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