Cospicua

Cospicua, known in Maltese as Bormla, sits at the head of the two creeks with Birgu and Senglea on the peninsulas either side, and it is the largest of the Three Cities. Two lines of fortification enclose it: the Santa Margherita lines and, outside them, the Cottonera lines built in the 1670s to hold the whole population of the region in a siege. It was a dockyard town and suffered severely in the wartime bombing of the harbour.

History

Bormla has been lived in since Neolithic times, and the Phoenician colony here, Maleth, was founded after rising seas had swamped earlier coastal settlements in the 10th century BC. By the time the Order of St John arrived it was called Bormla; fortifications protecting it and its neighbours Birgu and Isla were begun in 1638 and took some 70 years to finish, and in 1722 Grand Master Marc'Antonio Zondadari made it a city, naming it Città Cospicua for its strong bastions. The Order began a dockyard here in 1776, which the Royal Navy used heavily under British rule, in the Crimean War, the First World War and the years before the Second; in that war the town, like the rest of the Grand Harbour, was heavily damaged (Wikipedia, Cospicua).

Background

Cospicua, Bormla in Maltese, served as the main port of Phoenician Malta, and its old name may have passed through Greek, Latin and Arabic to the island and the country itself. Ringed by two lines of walls, it is one of the Three Cities on the Grand Harbour across the water from Valletta, and in July 2024 it had 4807 residents on 0.9 square kilometres. Locals speak the Cottonera dialect, and the town's festa, for the Immaculate Conception, falls on 8 December.

Source: Wikipedia, "Cospicua"

What to look for

• The Cottonera Lines - the outer 1670s fortifications enclosing the Three Cities.
• The Santa Margherita Lines - the inner ring of bastions above the town.
• The dockyard heritage - the creek that served as the naval yard for two centuries.
• The Immaculate Conception church - the town's principal church at the head of the creek.

When to go

March to June and September to November are most comfortable. The town is busiest during the festa in December. Summer heat is heavy.

Before you go

Bomb damage and postwar rebuilding left less historic fabric than in Birgu. It is the least visited of the Three Cities and has fewer facilities. Some areas are run down.

Nearby

Birgu and Senglea are on the peninsulas either side.

Key facts