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Attard

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Ħ'Attard
Il-Kunsill Lokali ta' Ħ'Attard
Casal Attard
Local council
Ħ'Attard
Coat of arms of Ħ'Attard
Coat of arms
Motto: 
Florigera rosis halo
Country Malta
IslandMalta
BordersMdina, Lija, Balzan, Żebbuġ
Government
 • MayorNorbert Pace (PN)
Area
 • Total6.6 km2 (2.5 sq mi)
Population
 (Nov 2005)
 • Total10,186
 • Density1,500/km2 (4,000/sq mi)
DemonymSaraċini
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
ATD
Dialing code356
Patron saintSt. Mary
Day of festaAugust 15
WebsiteOfficial website
Three villages of Malta

Ħ'Attard is a village located at the centre-most point of the island of Malta. Together with Ħal Balzan and ĦAl Lija it forms part of "the Three Villages" and has been inhabited since the Classical Period. Ħ'Attard's traditional Latin motto is Florigera rosis halo ("I perfume the air with my blossoms") due to its many flower gardens and citrus orchards. Ħ'Attard is abundant with public gardens, including ornamental trees and flowers, maintained by the Local Council. The inhabitants of Ħ'Attard are known as saraċini.

Municipality

As a municipality with its own local government structure since 1994, Ħ'Attard covers a surface area of about seven square kilometers. Its population, including the modern estate of Misrah Kola and surrounding environs, is around 10,000. It comprises to its North, facing the city of Mdina, the flat expanse called Ta' Qali. Beneath it the area known as Ta' l-Idward joins with Misrah Kola, across from Wied San Martin (St Martin's Valley), Wied Inċita (Valley of Instigation) and Wied Irmiedi (Valley of Ashes), on the Żebbuġ side.

Its western front is bordered by Wied is-Sewda (Black Valley), on the Qormi side. This is an anciently inhabited area known as Tax-Xarolla or That ir-Rahal and contains the "Tax-Xarolla Catacombs". On the 3rd of September, 1935 in a field known as 'Ta' Farrat' near the Xarolla Windmill, a tomb was found dating to the periods of the Carthaginians and Phoenicians, alongside later Roman pottery remains. On the 13th of June, 1930, a Roman tomb was uncovered nearby.[1]

To its East, up to Tal-Mirakli (of the Miracles) chapel on the Lija side, is a large zone called Ta' Fġieni bordering the village core and the 17th Century parish church at its center, built by architect Tumas Dingli. Dingli, born and bred in Ħ'Attard, is best known for his work on Grandmaster Alof de Wignacourt's aqueduct, the "Porta Reale" entrance into Valletta and several churches. Of these, only Ħ'Attard's parish church (with its idiosyncratic façade) remains unaltered. South of the village core is the Sant'Anton Quarter, named for San Anton Palace and the palace's botanic gardens, both built by the Knights between 1623 and 1636. It is now the official residence of the President of Malta and has long been a symbol of Ħ'Attard.

Development

During the 1980s Ħ'Attard experienced a boost in development, reflected in the large-scale construction surrounding the village center. However the area surrounding the church and the Sant'Anton Quarter feature a number of converted farmhouses (recognizable through their wooden doors and flat, rustic roofs) and residences built by the Knights of St John, surrounding the summer palace. Ħ'Attard is also the location of the St Catherine Nursing Home, one of the largest in the Maltese Islands. The Ħ'Attard Primary School serves as a polling station during elections and like all other localities in Malta, Ħ'Attard Local Council elections are held every three years.

Rustic farmhouse in Ħ'Attard (Dar Antika Maltija)

An increase in entertainment and commercial enterprise has seen development along Triq il-Pitkalija (Pitkalija Road) and nearby the village center, with various retail outlets catering to the village all within walking distance of St Mary's Parish Church. The "Santa Luċia Cafe" is famous on the islands, serving exquisite sweets and pastries. A Bank of Valletta branch is also located in this area.

The village center is a hive of activity, especially on Sundays when residents of Ħ'Attard(known in Maltese as Saraċini) mingle with fellow churchgoers. Nearby cafes and bistros provide pastiżżi and cold kinnie. Greatest is the activity created by the village's feast, celebrated through the 11th to 15 August.

St.Mary is the patron saint of Ħ'Attard. Her feast is celebrated on the 15 August every year. The 15th August is a national holiday on the Maltese islands. The parish's current priest is Dun Noel Vassallo.

Attard's Full Statue, "the Assumption of Mary"

The Maltese surname "Attard" is possibly linked to the village (another derivation for the surname is the Italian town of "Atti" in Bologna[2].)

Clubs and Societies

The Malta Amateur Radio League club house is situated in Ħ'Attard and is the representative body for amateur radio in Malta. Since MARL was established in 1922, its aim was to bring together people interested in amateur radio/electronics and discuss and defend amateur radio matters with the local authorities. It provides educational facilities for members with interest in amateur radio/electronics and also an equipped amateur radio station. MARL corresponds and expresses its ideas with local and foreign same-interest groups, providing its members the facilities of a two-way QSL Bureau as well as financing and maintaining VHF & Analog television repeaters and beacons.

The musical society of La Stella Levantina (Eastern Star) is the first of its kind in the village (formed in 1894). It organizes the major activities of the village feast held during the 11th -15 August, including band marches and feast decorations. It teaches music (at no cost) in its local club, situated in the center of the village.

Notable Residents

The President's official residence, San Anton Palace, is situated in Ħ'Attard. The official residences of the U.S. Ambassador to Malta Douglas W. Kmiec and the Tunisian ambassador to Malta are also located in Ħ'Attard.

Gerald Strickland was also a resident of Ħ'Attard, at Villa Bologna.

Ħ'Attard is also home to Archbishop Paul Cremona and Tiffany Pisani, the winner of Britain's Next Top Model season 6.

San Anton Palace and Gardens

Main article: San Anton Palace

Sant'Anton is not only rich in artistic and historical legacies, but has been a historical center for entertainment and celebrations and a constant job-provider and place of apprenticeship for Ħ'Attard residents. The palace has greeted numerous royalty across the centuries, including Queen Marie of Romania, the Russian Empress Marie Feodorovna, King Edward VII and Queen Elizabeth II in this century alone. It has seen the most distinguished visitors in contrasting personal situations - Napoleon's younger brother Louis Bonaparte as a prisoner, the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge as an admiring recluse.

Governor Borton opened its botanic gardens to the public in 1882 for picnics and strolls. Its shaded open courtyards and gardens regularly host extremely popular fairs and competitions celebrating plants, flowers, pedigree (and non-pedigree) animals and livestock. A dramatic company put on a Shakespeare Festival every summer (this has since been discontinued) and music recitals, from chamber orchestras to jazz quarters, often patronize the gardens.

During the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2005, hosted by Malta, the President's Palace in Ħ'Attard served as a residence for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.

Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA)

File:Malta Financial.jpg
MFSA building, Notabile Road, Ħ'Attard

The Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) has its headquarters in Ħ'Attard. The MFSA has taken over those supervisory functions that were previously conducted by the Central Bank of Malta, the Malta Stock Exchange and the Malta Financial Services Centre and is now an important regulator for financial services. The sector incorporates all financial activity especially investment, banking and insurance.

93.3 Central FM Malta

The Village of Ħ'Attard housed a community radio, 93.3 Central FM, a station which transmitted all over the three villages and surrounding areas. Transmitting on 93.3 MHz, Central FM was a non-commercial station which served the Ħ'Attard, Ħal Lija, Ħal Balzan and the surrounding community.

File:Logo07.jpg
93.3 Central FM Radio

The station was popular in the area mostly due to its informative reference through ongoing community news updates concerning the three villages and entertaining content but has regrettably ceased to operate.

Transport

Buses to/through Ħ'Attard:

  • 40
  • 84
  • 80
  • 81
  • 82
  • 810
  • 75

Sport

Ħ'Attard is the home of Attard F.C., currently competing in Malta's Third Division.

Ħ'Attard Anthem

Listen to the anthem

Ġonna li jfewħu biż-żahar tal-larinġ,

djar fl-isqaqien dellija,

ġawhra ta' tempju, dehra ta' ġmiel,

il-kenn ta' Omm għal dawk li bkew.

Dak li writna tul is-snin

ngħaddu 'l ta' warajna,

xhieda ħajja tal-ġrajjiet

li taw l-ogħla ġieħ lil Artna.

Bnadar iperpru mal-arbli għoljin,

twieqi għad-dawl miftuħa,

qniepen ferrieħa, kant taż-żerniq,

u l-ħolm sabiħ taż-żmien li ġej.

Dak li writna ...

"Gardens that are perfumed with orange blossoms,

houses in the shade of streets,

a temple's pearl, a beautiful sight,

a mother's refuge for those who wept.

What we have inherited throughout the ages,

we pass on to our children,

as witnesses of times passed,

we tell of those things that made our Land proud.

Flags flying on tall masts,

windows open to the light,

joyous bells, the song of dawn,

and beautiful dreams of days to come.

What we have inherited...."

Attard Local Council

Attard's Interesting Places

  • Attard Cemetery (at Mdina Road)
  • Church of the Assumption (at Church Square)
  • Local Council Garden (at Triq l-Inhasa)
  • Biccerija l-Qadima (at Triq Gradilja)
  • Old Shooting Range (at Qormi Road)
  • San Anton Palace and Gardens (on De Paule Avenue)
  • St. Anne Chapel (on St. Anne Street)
  • St. Catherine Hospital (on St. Catherine Street)
  • St. Paul Chapel (on St. Paul Street)
  • Mount Carmel Hospital (at Mdina Road)
  • Europa Government Nursery (on Msina Road)
  • Track of Malta Railway (on Triq il-Linja)
  • Villa Bologna (on St. Anthony Street)
  • Wied Incita
  • Wied is-Sewda

Old Village Core

  • Pjazza tal-Knisja (Church Square)
  • Triq Ħal-Qormi (Qormi Road)
  • Triq Ħaż-Żebbuġ (Żebbuġ Road)
  • Triq il-Belt Valletta (Valletta Road)
  • Triq il-Kbira (Main Street)
  • Triq il-Knisja (Church Street)
  • Triq il-Pjazzetta (Small Square Street)
  • Triq San Duminku (St. Domenic's Street)
  • Triq Santa Marija (St. Mary's Street)
  • Triq Tommaso Dingli (T. Dingli Street)

Attard Community Service

  • St Mary Parish Church, Triq il-Kbira (Main Street)
  • Attard Area Library, Tumas Dingli Primary School
  • Attard Local Council, Triq il-Kbira (Main Street)
  • Attard Police Station, Triq il-Kbira (Main Street)
  • Attard Sub-Post Office, Triq il-Kbira (Main Street)
  • Attard Malta Labour Party Club, Triq Tumas Dingli (Thomas Dingli Street)
  • Attard Partit Nazzjonalista Club, Triq il-Kbira (Main Street)
  • Attard Health Centre, Triq Birkirkara (B'Kara Road)
  • Attard Primary School Tumas Dingli, Ħal-Warda Road

Zones in Attard

Attard Main Roads

  • Pjazza tal-Knisja (Church's Square)
  • Triq l-Imdina (Mdina Road)
  • Triq iż-Żagħfran
  • Triq in-Nutar Zarb (Notary Zarb Street)
  • Triq il-Belt Valletta (Valletta Road)
  • Triq il-Knisja (Church Street)
  • Triq il-Kbira (Main Street)
  • Triq il-Linja (Railway Track Street)
  • Triq il-Mosta (Mosta Road)
  • Triq Sant' Antnon (St Anthony Street)
  • Triq Santa Katarina (St Catherine Street)
  • Triq il-Pitkali (Pitkali Street)
  • Triq Victor Vassallo (Victor Vassallo Street)
  • Triq Ħal-Warda (Hal Warda Road)
  • Triq Ħaż-Żebbuġ (Żebbuġ Road)

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.zurrieq.gov.mt/pages/archaelogy.htm Local Council archeological report
  2. ^ [1]
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