Cottonera Lines (Zabbar Gate)

Malta's greatest fortification

The Cottonera Lines are 4.5 kilometres of mighty defensive walls encircling the Three Cities (Birgu, Senglea, and Cospicua). Built in 1670 on the order of Grand Master Nicolas Cottoner, they were designed to protect the civilian population in case of another siege. The lesson of the Great Siege of 1565 was clear: fortifications must shelter not only fortresses but also inhabitants.

State-of-the-art engineering

The designer was Italian military engineer Antonio Maurizio Valperga. The walls were built according to the latest principles of bastioned fortification: bastions, curtains, hornworks, and dry ditches formed a system virtually impossible to breach. Żabbar Gate — the main landward entrance — is the most monumental element of the entire complex, with a baroque portal and Cottoner's coat of arms.

Walls that never fought

The irony of history is that the Cottonera Lines were never put to the test. After the Great Siege, no army attacked Malta by force again (Napoleon took the island by subterfuge in 1798, not by assault). The walls have survived the centuries, however, and today rank among the best-preserved bastioned fortifications in Europe.

Practical tip: Żabbar Gate is the most photogenic entrance. Free access to the walls. A walk along the fortification line is a great alternative to crowded Valletta.