Birgu

Birgu
Il-Birgu
Città Vittoriosa
City and Local council
Flag of Birgu
Coat of arms of Birgu
Birgu is located in Malta
Birgu
Birgu
Birgu is located in Mediterranean
Birgu
Birgu
Coordinates: 35°53′17″N 14°31′21″E / 35.88806°N 14.52250°E / 35.88806; 14.52250
Country Malta
RegionSouth Eastern Region
DistrictSouthern Harbour District
BordersCospicua, Kalkara, Żabbar
Government
 • MayorJohn Boxall (PL)
Area
 • Total0.5 km2 (0.2 sq mi)
Population
 (Jan. 2019)
 • Total2,489
 • Density5,000/km2 (13,000/sq mi)
Demonym(s)Ġirbi (m), Ġirbija (f), Ġirbin (pl)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
BRG
Dialing code356
ISO 3166 codeMT-03
Patron saintSt. Lawrence
Day of festa10 August
WebsiteOfficial website

Birgu (Maltese: Il-Birgu [ɪlˈbɪrɡʊ], Italian: Vittoriosa), also known by its title Città Vittoriosa ('Victorious City'), 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 in 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 stood at 2,629 in March 2014. The local population speaks the Cottonera dialect, which is, however, most limited in Birgu.[1]

  1. ^ Sciriha, Lydia (1997). Id-djalett tal-Kottonera : analizi socjolingwistika (in Maltese). Daritama Publications. ISBN 978-99909-68-26-2.