Birgu
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Birgu Il-Birgu Città Vittoriosa |
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| City and Local council | |||
From top: skyline, Fort Saint Angelo, Auberge d'Angleterre, Advanced Gate, Malta Maritime Museum, Church of St. Lawrence
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| Coordinates: 35°53′17″N 14°31′21″E / 35.88806°N 14.52250°ECoordinates: 35°53′17″N 14°31′21″E / 35.88806°N 14.52250°E | |||
| Country |
 Malta
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| Region | South Eastern Region | ||
| District | Southern Harbour District | ||
| Borders | Cospicua, Kalkara, Żabbar | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | John Boxall (PL) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 0.5 km2 (0.2 sq mi) | ||
| Population (March 2014) | |||
| • Total | 2,629 | ||
| • Density | 5,300/km2 (14,000/sq mi) | ||
| Demonym(s) | Ġirbi (m), Ġirbija (f), Ġirbin (pl) | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | BRG | ||
| Dialing code | 356 | ||
| ISO 3166 code | MT-03 | ||
| Patron saint |
St. Lawrence St. Dominic |
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| Day of festa | 10 August | ||
| Website | Official website | ||
Birgu (Maltese: Il-Birgu [ɪlˈbɪrɡʊ], Italian: Vittoriosa), also known by its title Città Vittoriosa, is an old fortified city on the south side of the Grand Harbour in the South Eastern Region of Malta. The city occupies a promontory of land with Fort Saint Angelo at its head and the city of Cospicua at its base. Birgu is ideally situated for safe anchorage, and over time it has developed a very long history with maritime, mercantile and military activities.
Birgu is a very old locality with its origins reaching back to medieval times. Prior to the establishment of Valletta as capital and main city of Malta, military powers that wanted to rule the Maltese islands would need to obtain control of Birgu due to its significant position in the Grand Harbour. In fact, it served as the base of the Order of Saint John and de facto capital city of Malta from 1530 to 1571. Birgu is well known for its vital role in the Great Siege of Malta of 1565.
In the early 20th century, Birgu had a population of over 6000 people. Over the years this decreased, and the population stood at 2,629 in March 2014.
Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, the Angevines, the Aragonese and the Order of Saint John all contributed to the development of Birgu. After being driven out of Rhodes by the Ottoman Empire, the Order of Saint John were granted Malta as their new home. In 1526, the Order sent a commission made up of eight knights to Malta, representing each of the langues. They described Birgu as a small defenceless town with old houses in poor condition. When they arrived in 1530, they decided to make Birgu the capital city of Malta, since the former capital, Mdina, was inland and did not suit their naval requirements.
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Wikipedia