Cottonera Lines and Gates
In 1638 the Santa Margherita Lines were started around the cities of Birgu and Senglea. These Lines were not finished due to lack of funds. See "The Margherita Lines" for this.
Grandmaster Nicolas Cotoner commissioned the construction of "The Cottonera Lines" in 1670, the most ambitious Fortification of the Knights of St. John in Malta.
The Cottonera Line was laid around the Santa Marherita Lines and aimed to protect the 40,000 inhabitants of Birgu, Senglea and Cospicua.
In 1680 the Fortification had to be stopped due to lack of funds. The Fortification was largely incomplete. Important parts such as cavaliers, ravelins, glacis, the covertway and the ditch were not yet realized.
At the beginning of 1700 the Santa Margherita Lines and the Cottonera Lines were completed. Ammunition warehouses, St. James and St. Clement Bastions were built, and Fort San Salvatore appeared on St. Salvatore Bastion. However, the ditch was only 50% completed and various planned outworks (for example, shielding of site walls) and cavaliers (platform from which to shoot) were not realized.
The Cottonera Lines eventually consisted of: approximately 5 kilometers of walls, nine bastions, three of which were demi bastions and seven gates.
In the 19th century the British modified the Santa Margherita Lines and The Cottonera Lines by connecting them together.
Valperga Bastion was demolished in 1870 to make way for a dock for shipping.
The bastions in the Cottonera Lines are:
St. Laurence Demi Bastion, San Salvatore Bastion, with Fort San Salvatore, St. Louis Bastion, St. James Bastion, Notre Dame Bastion, St. Clement's Bastion (it is a demi-bastion), St. Nicholas Bastion, St. John Bastion, Valperga Bastion a large demi-bastion (demolished).
The gates are:
San Salvatore Gate, St. Louis Gate, St. James Gate, The Notre Dame Gate (the main gate), St. Clement Gate, St. John Gate and St. Paul Gate (demolished 1870).
Opening hours | Tuesday - Friday 9:00 - 15:00 Saturday - Sunday - public Holidays 10:00 - 17:00 |
Last admission | Advice 60 minutes before closing |
Closed | |
Ticket / admission fee | |
Adults (16+ yrs) | € 6.00 + € 2.00 |
Youth (3- 15 yrs) | € 4.00 + € 1.00 |
Children (0-2 yrs) | Free |
| Disability Card Holders | € 3.00 + € 1.00 |
Seniors Card Holders | € 4.00 + Free |
Prize 1: Entrance + Science Show OR Workshop - Complement Prize: Planetarium | |
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