Sliema
Sliema (or Tas-Sliema) is a town located on the northeast coast of Malta. It is a centre for shopping, restaurants and café life. Sliema is also a major commercial and residential area and houses several of Malta's most modern hotels. Sliema, which means 'peace, comfort', was once a quiet fishing village on the peninsula across Marsamxett Harbour from Valletta, but now Sliema and the coastline up to neighbouring St. Julian's constitutes Malta's main coastal resort.
Name
Sliema got its name from a chapel dedicated to The Virgin Mary under the title of Star of the Sea, which served as a beacon and a reference point to the few fishermen who lived in that area. The name could thus be connected with the first words of the Hail Mary prayer, which in Maltese is "Sliem Għalik Marija". Sliem is the Maltese word meaning peace.
History
Siege of Malta
At the Great Siege of 1565, il-Qortin, as it was then known, was a camp centre for Turkish troops led by Dragut. He met his fate there, having been killed by a bombardment from Fort St. Elmo at the other flank of Marsamxett Harbour, where Sliema stands. Fort Tigne was eventually developed by the Knights of St. John in the late 18th century and further developed by the British in later years.
The British period
In 1855 a new church dedicated to Our Lady Star of the Sea ("Stella Maris") was built. Around the new church, the small village grew into a town. By 1878, the population grew to such an extent that the religious authorities had the Stella Maris Church declared a parish in its own right and it was separated from parish of Birkirkara.
The town began to develop rapidly in the second half of the 19th century and later it became popular as a summer resort for wealthier Valletta residents. Their elegant villas and town houses lined the quiet, inland streets. Various Victorian buildings graced its three kilometre sea promenade which overlooked rugged rocks, farms and even a small sandy beach. The farm was eventually abandoned and in 1990, was transformed into a coastline garden known as Ġnien Indipendenza (Independence Garden).
A few Victorian, as well as art nouveau houses, still remain in the inner streets, although only a handful remain along the shoreline, as there has been significant modern development of apartment blocks and hotels. A distinctive group of six traditional houses with Maltese balconies has survived remarkably intact at Belvedere Terrace, set back from Ix-Xatt (the Strand). These houses overlook Manoel Island to the South across Sliema Creek; the houses have heritage protection and the lower buildings between them and Ix-Xatt cannot be built upwards.
In 1881 the first sea water distillery on the island was erected in Sliema in order to provide water to the British barracks on the Tigne Seafront. In 1882 the distillery was decommissioned and the building, which still stands today, has been occupied by a printing press since that time. The barracks it supplied water to were demolished in 2001 in order to make way for the development of Tigne Point.
The town has a considerable number of streets named after 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.
Population and Notable Residents
The population of Sliema is some 20,000 and it has a significant turnover of foreign expatriates who reside temporarily. The town was the residence of the late Dr. George Borg Olivier, former prime minister and architect of Malta's independence and the temporary residence of socialist Manwel Dimech who was one of Malta's foremost revolutionary thinkers at the turn of the 20th century. He died in exile in Egypt and Lower Prince of Wales Road was renamed in his honour. Sliema is also the hometown of footballer Michael Mifsud.
It was the birthplace of several famous people: former prime minister Dr. Alfred Sant; Dr. Michael Falzon of the Malta Labour Party; Captain George Stivala O.B.E., High Commissioner for Malta in Australia during the 1950s and 1960s; British journalist Peter Hitchens and vocalist Marc Storace of the Swiss heavy metal band Krokus.
Landmarks
- Palazzo Capua
- Balluta Buildings - Balluta Bay
Churches
Sliema has a number of Catholic churches such as the one dedicated to Jesus of Nazareth known as "In-Nazzarenu", the Sacre Cuor (Sacred Heart), two dedicated to Our Lady: Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Stella Maris (which is the oldest Catholic church and thus the mother church dating from 1878) and one named in honour of Pope St. Gregory the Great.
In addition to the above list of churches, is the Anglican Holy Trinity Church Built in 1866 on Rudolphe Street
Festas
Like all Maltese towns and villages the annual Sliema parish feasts are very popular
- Our Lady Stella Maris (August)
- Sacro Cuor (July)
- Our Lady of Mount Carmel (July)
- St. Gregory (September)
Band Clubs
Sliema also has four band clubs which take part in the parish feasts held in the summer months. These societies are Stella Maris Band Club (founded in 1914), The Sliema Band Club (1923), Mount Carmel Band Club (1987) and St. Gregory Band Club (1987).
Sports
Sliema's football club, Sliema Wanderers is the most successful on the island, having won the domestic league no less than 26 times. They won the last three championships in a row. They are also the leading club in waterpolo, winning a total of 30 leagues. This is a clear indication that Sliema is a leading city in two main domestic sports on the island. Along with their upcoming young stars and immense support, there is surely more success in the Sliema football team as well as the Sliema waterpolo team. The Sliema ASC club have dominated the scene since 1912, collecting 30 league wins and are thus the most successful club in Malta's waterpolo history. Their main rivals are the Balluta Bay Side Neptunes. Sliema ia also home to the Athleta Basketball Club which is Malta's top basketball Club .
Scouting
The 1st Sliema Scout Group (Bernard's Own)[1] is the oldest surviving Scout Group outside the United Kingdom and was founded in 1909 by Sir Edgar Bernardth and are still a major influence on Scouting in Malta.[2]
Over the years, the Sliema Group has collected a wealth of scouting tradition and has proudly passed this knowledge on from generation to generation.
Zones in Sliema
- Balluta Bay
- Dragut Point
- Font Għadir
- Għar id-Dud
- Qui-Si-Sana
- Savoy
- The Strand
- Tignè
Sliema Main Roads
- Ċirku Dingli (Dingli Circus)
- Ix-Xatt (The Strand)
- Triq Bisazza (Bisazza Street)
- Triq Ċensu Xerri (Vincent Xerri Street)]
- Triq Għar id-Dud (Ghar id-Dud Road)
- Triq il-Kbira (Main Street)
- Triq it-Torri (Tower Road)
- Triq Manwel Dimech (Manoel Dimech Street)
- Triq Rudolfu (Rodolph Street)
- Triq Sir Adrian Dingli (Sir Adrian Dingli Street)
- Triq Nicolo Isouard ( Nicolo Isouard Street)
- Xatt ta' Qui-Si-Sana (Qui-Si-Sana Waterfront)
- Xatt ta' Tignè (Tignè Waterfront)
See also
References
External links
