Fort St Elmo

Fort St Elmo stands at the seaward tip of the Sciberras peninsula in Valletta, in southeastern Malta, guarding the entrances of the Grand Harbour and Marsamxett Harbour. The Knights of St John built the first fort in 1552, and it became the focus of the opening phase of the Great Siege of 1565. Ottoman forces besieged the small fort for about a month, and on 23 June 1565 it fell after heavy bombardment and repeated assaults, with most of its defenders killed. The delay it caused is widely credited with helping Malta survive until relief arrived. Afterwards the fort was rebuilt and strengthened, and it was later integrated into the defences of Valletta, whose city walls began rising in 1566. The star-shaped, bastioned design with a cavalier and ravelin reflects sixteenth-century military engineering. The fort was further modified under the British, and during the Second World War it formed part of the harbour defences. Today it houses the National War Museum, which presents Malta's military history in broadly chronological order from prehistory to the twentieth century. Exhibits include material from the Great Siege and Napoleonic periods, and a strong Second World War section with aircraft remains, uniforms and weapons, among them the Gladiator fighter known as Faith in the island's wartime story and the George Cross awarded to Malta in 1942. The fort is part of the UNESCO-listed City of Valletta. Restoration by Heritage Malta and partners has repaired the ramparts and courtyards, and the site is also used for re-enactments of the changing of the guard. Visitors can walk the ramparts for views across the Grand Harbour to Fort Ricasoli and the Three Cities.