Fortress Builders Interpretation Centre

Malta’s history is in many ways a history of its fortifications. Few other islands around the world can claim the title of ‘island fortress’. The vast legacy of forts, citadels, towers, batteries, entrenchments, concrete forts, bunkers and pillboxes which dominate Malta’s rocky landscape bear testimony to the intense periods of military activity that have shaped the history of the Maltese islands. For millennia, Malta’s strategic location at the centre of the Mediterranean, together with her excellent natural harbour, saw her play a leading role in the military struggle for supremacy in the region. This historical process was accompanied by a nearly continuous investment in the fortifications, particularly from 1530 onwards, when it was transformed into a frontline bulwark of Christianity by the Knights of St John, and from 1800 as Britain’s naval base.  The Fortifications Interpretation Centre focuses exclusively on explaining the history and significance of Malta’s military archi