Description of the attraction
The main street of the Republic leads from the City Gate to Fort St. Elmo, the main fortification of Valletta. This fortification was built on the site of a lone watchtower in 1551. 15 years after the construction of the fortress, a huge Turkish armada appeared at its walls. The Great Siege of the Island began. And the new fort resisted the Ottomans for almost a month. He was still captured. When the Knights Hospitallers liberated Malta, Fort Sant'Elmo was in ruins. It was rebuilt and the local architect Francesco Laparelli was asked to design a new fortification system. Since then, the fort, despite restoration work in the 17th and 18th centuries, has hardly changed.
It is not so easy to get to the territory of Fort Sant'Elmo, it is often closed without explanation. It currently houses the Police Academy and the Military Museum. The easiest way to see the inside of the fortress is to attend one of the costumed performances that take place here several times a month. In In Guardia, actors in the uniform of the Knights of the Johannes re-enact some of the military campaigns of the past. Another historical reconstruction is called "Alarm!" It is dedicated to the clashes between the Maltese and the French in 1798-1800.
Although the military museum is located on the territory of the fort, it still has a separate entrance. It works without interruption. The exhibition of equipment, weapons and uniforms of the Second World War occupies the premises of a former gunpowder warehouse. It also houses the Cross of St. George, which was awarded to Malta for the bravery shown in battles on the side of the allies.
