Sliema…a beautiful vacation spot in Malta
Once a quiet fishing village, now a main commercial and residential area: this is Sliema, a city situated on
the northeast coast of Malta. Sliema and the coasts up to St. Julian are the main seaside resorts of Malta,
hosting the most modern hotels, recent apartment blocks, several shops, restaurants and caf?s.
The name of the city has its origin in the Maltese word Sliem, which means peace, used at the beginning
of the Hail Mary prayer: “Sliem Ghalik Marija”. It’s also supposed that the name is connected to a chapel
dedicated to The Virgin Mary with the title of Star of the Sea, which served as a signal and a reference
point to the fishermen who lived in that area.
Originally, the city was called il-Qortin and, during the Great Siege of 1565, it was a camp centre for the
Turkish troops led by the Ottoman admiral Turgut Reis. He met his destiny there, having been killed by an
attack from Fort St. Elmo at the other side of Marsamxett Harbour, where Sliema now stands.
In 1855 the new church dedicated to Virgin Mary, Star of the Sea (“Stella Maris”) was constructed and
around it the small villages transformed in a lively town. The population grew to such an extent that by
1878, the religious authorities decided to declare the Stella Maris Church a parish in its own right and it was
detached from the parish of Birkirkara.
In the second half of the 19th century, the town started to develop fast and soon it became famous as
summer resort for the richer residents of Valletta. Elegant villas and town houses were built in the internal
streets, while several Victorian buildings were located on the beautiful sea promenade 3 kilometres
long, overlooking rough rocks, a farm (abandoned and in 1990 transformed in a coastline garden called
Indipendence Garden, in Maltese Gnien Indipendenza). Some of the Victorian and the art nouveau houses
still remain in the inland streets; only few of them are still along the seashore, because in this area there
has been important development of hotels and apartment blocks. A characteristic group of six traditional
houses with Maltese balconies has been preserved extraordinarily intact at Belvedere Terrace, set back
from Ix-Xatt (the Strand). These houses look over the Manoel Island to the South across Sliema Creek; the
houses are protected as cultural heritage and the lower buildings between them and Ix-Xatt cannot be built
higher.
In 1881, the first sea water distillery on the island was constructed in Sliema in order to supply water to
the British garrisons on the Tigne Seafront. The distillery had this function only for one year; in 1882 it
was abandoned and the building, which still exists today, has been took over by a printing press since that
time. The barracks of the British troops fell into decay, after the forces left Malta; and they were finally
demolished in 2001 in order to promote the real estate development of Tigne Point, with modern deluxe
apartments, hi-tech offices, a shopping complex, a cinema, and several health and leisure amenities.
Sliema is a great destination to consider while planning a vacation in Malta and it offers a wide range of
accommodations, such as hotels, hotel apartments and self-catering apartment for rent.
Several names of streets in Sliema witness the previous presence of British in the island as they derive from
British governors or places, such as Norfolk Street, Prince of Wales Road (opened by Prince Albert when he
visited the island), Windsor Terrace, Graham Street, Milner Street and Fort Cambridge.
The population of Sliema is about 15,000 and it has a considerable turnover of foreign expatriates who
reside here temporarily. Several notable and famous people choose this town as their residence, such as
the late Dr. Giorgio Borg Olivier, former prime minister and architect of Malta’s independence; and the
socialist Manwel Dimech, one of the most radical thinkers of Malta at the turn of the 20th century.
Sliema was also the birthplace of some renowned personalities, such as the former Prime Minister Dr.
Alfred Sant; Dr. Michael Falzon of the Malta Labour Party; Captain George Stivala (High Commissioner for
Malta in Australia during the 1950s and 1960s); British journalist Peter Hitchens and vocalist Marc Storace
of the band Korkus.
The landmarks of Sliema that deserve a visit are Palazzo Capua, the Stella Maris church, the church of
Madonna del Sacro Cuore (Lady of Sacred Heart), the chapel of Our Lady of Graces and the Anglican Holy
Trinity church.
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