Gżira

Gzira Il-Kunsill Lokali tal-Gżira
—  Local council  —
Il-Gżira
Coat of arms
Motto: Flourishing with Justice
Coordinates: 35°54′18″N 14°29′40″E / 35.905°N 14.49444°E / 35.905; 14.49444Coordinates: 35°54′18″N 14°29′40″E / 35.905°N 14.49444°E / 35.905; 14.49444
Country	Malta
Island	Malta
District
Borders	Msida, San Ġwann, Sliema, St. Julian's, Ta' Xbiex
Government
- Mayor	Christian Paul Bonnet (MLP)
Area
- Total	1.0 km2 (0.4 sq mi)
Population
- Total	7,090
- Density	7,090/km2 (18,363/sq mi)
Demonym	Gżirjan (m), Gżirjana (f), Gżirjani (pl)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
- Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	GŻR
Dialing code	356
Patron saint	Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Day of festa	Second Sunday of July
Website	Official website

Gżira (or il-Gżira) is a town in the north-eastern coast of Malta between Msida & Sliema, and bordering on Ta' Xbiex, with its famed yacht marina and Embassy Row. The population is approximately 7,100 (2005). The word Gżira means "island" in Maltese, and the town is named after Manoel Island which lies just adjacent to the town. The seafront of Gżira is famed for its views of the walled city of Valletta, which are illuminated at night, forming a picturesque backdrop to Manoel Island, the yacht marina and a seafront public garden.

Manoel Island

Marsamxett Harbour as seen from Manoel Island

Manoel Island in Gżira's Marsamxett Harbour, was originally known as l'Isola del Vescovo or il-Gżira tal-Isqof in Maltese (literally translated as "the Bishop's Island"). In 1643 Jean Paul Lascaris, Grandmaster of the Knights of Malta, constructed a quarantine hospital (lazzaretto) on the island, in an attempt to control the periodic influx of plague and cholera on board visiting ships.

The island was renamed after António Manoel de Vilhena, a Portuguese Grandmaster of the Knights of Malta under whose leadership Fort Manoel was built in 1726. Fort Manoel is considered a marvel of 18th century military engineering. The original plans for the Fort are attributed to Louis d'Augbigne Tigné, and are said to have been modified by his friend and colleague Charles F. de Mondion, who is buried in a crypt beneath Fort Manoel. At one time, the Knights of Malta considered developing a walled city on Manoel Island, but instead they settled on a fort designed to house up to 500 soldiers. The Fort has a magnificent quadrangle, parade ground and arcade, and once housed a baroque chapel dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua, under the direct command of the Order.

During World War II, Manoel Island and its fort were used as a naval base by the Royal Navy, at which time it was referred to variously as "HMS Talbot" or "HMS Phœnicia". The Chapel of St. Anthony was virtually destroyed following a direct hit by Luftwaffe bombers in March 1942.^[1]

For several years now, Manoel Island houses a quaint, informal sanctuary for ducks and other waterfowl, created and maintained by a local volunteer, and funded entirely by private donations near the bridge connecting the island with the main island.

As of November 2006, the historic fort was undergoing significant restoration and renovation works, and a new housing development was under construction on Manoel Island. The Manoel Island redevelopment project, however, has been heavily criticized due to its proximity to the island's important historical buildings. A guarded barrier some 300 yards after the bridge makes clear, that no public is welcommed for the largest part of the island.

Town history

In the mid-19th century the first houses started to be built in Gżira by Chevalier Jacob Tagliaferro. Gżira became known as a working-class town, afflicted by the prevalence of prostitution along its main streets. During the last decade, a large proportion of the old houses has been demolished and new, luxurious blocks of flats have been built. Much of the character and charm of the seafront houses has been lost as a result, although on the narrow village streets in the heart of Gżira one can still find examples of traditional Maltese facades, with their enclosed wooden balconies (gallarija) and bow-fronted, wrought-iron balconies. The proliferation of flats in Gżira led to an inflation of the housing prices, as the town became sought after by both Maltese and foreign settlers.

Folklore

The parish church of Gżira is also known locally as "tal-Ġebla", literally translated as "of the stone", but actually a reference to an incident which took place in Gżira on 10 July 1902. Three British drunken sailors, namely William Walls, Charles Thurbull and John Packhun wanted to enter into bar, which at that time of day, was closed.The sailors wanted to enter at all costs. When Karmnu Brincat, the owner of the bar, refused to open they started throwing stones at the place. On of these stones hit a small shrine depicting a picture of Our Lady of Mount Carmel which was hanging outside the bar. The stone broke the glass of the frame, but did not make contact with the portrait itself, which was unharmed. Notwithstanding the wind, the stone remained fixed within the broken glass. The stone was removed and taken to the Stella Maris Parish Church in Sliema. Prayers and services for reparation were held. The frame, the broken glass and the stone that was thrown at the portrait of The Madonna, can still be seen today, at the beautiful parish church of Gżira.

The second parish priest in the history of the Gżira parish was the late Dun Karlu Manché, a man revered by many locals as a saint, and is thought to be honting the church

Gżira today

The main reason behind the area's popularity is that it is fairly centrally located in Malta, being close to both the University of Malta and the capital, Valletta. Service industries, mainly car mechanics, commercial outlets and educational services are the town's main activities, yet Gżira shall most probably remain the gateway to Sliema, its neighbouring town.

The crime rate in Gżira is very low and the town is generally as safe as the rest of Malta & Gozo. Gżira's population has been fairly stable over the past few years, hovering around 7,086 people (Nov 2005). Gżira is also known as being quite a multicultural town, with well-established and fairly integrated immigrant groups, notably the North African and South Asian (Indian and Pakistani) communities.

Gżira became a parish within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Malta in 1921, with Dun Anton Manché appointed as its first parish chaplain (kapillan). The parish church of Gżira is dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and its annual festa is celebrated in July.

Gżira was also known locally for the infamous Triq Testaferrata (Testaferrata Street) despite it actually forming part of the Msida locality, and not Gżira.. This street was commonly associated with prostitution. Even if today street prostitutes are rare, the image of the street as a den of iniquity has nonetheless survived in popular imagination - despite this image being outdated if not downright incorrect.

Gżira has been twinned with:

• Glyfada, Greece
• Wałbrzych, Poland^[2]

Buildings, associations and organizations

Places of interest

• The Strand, and the waterfront shopping district
• Yacht Marina, and adjacent gardens
• Monument to the Council of Europe
• Fort Manoel
• Parish Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
• The Stadium (no longer in use)

Schools

• Stella Maris College: A boys' Church school run by the Lasallian Brothers.
• St. Monica School: This is also another modern Catholic Church school. This school for girls, is run by the Augustinian Sisters, Servants of Jesus & Mary. Like Stella Maris College, it caters both for primary as well as secondary education.
• Antonio Bosio: A Government-run school

Associations and groups

• Stella Maris College Scout Group
• Gżira Scout Group
• Gżira Girl Guides
• Banda Mount Carmel
• Mount Carmel Band Club (L-Għaqda Mużikali Madonna tal-Karmnu)
• Gzira Malta Labour Party

Zones in Gżira

• Manoel Island
• Marshall Courts

Gżira Main Roads

• Triq D'Argens (Rue D'Argens)
• Triq il-Gżira (Island Street)
• Triq l-Imsida (Msida Road)
• Triq M.A. Vassalli (Regional Road)
• Triq Reggie Miller (Reggie Miller Street)
• Triq Tas-Sliema (Sliema Road)
• Xatt il-Gżira (Gżira Strand)
• Xatt ta' Ta' Xbiex (Ta' Xbiex Strand)

Triq Testaferata

Famous Residents

• Ivan De Battista - actor, film director, writer, composer and singer
• Simone De Battista - actress, writer and singer
• Vanni Riolo - actor
• Godfrey A. Pirotta, Academic, writer, journalist and social activist

References

1. ^ Joe Ian Attard, l-Istorja tal-Gżira, online at www.My-Malta.com
2. ^ Ministry for Justice and Home Affairs

External links

• Gżira Local Council
• Stella Maris College Scout Group
• Christian Formosa, "A Military History of Malta"
• Chamber College