Ic Cittadella, Victoria, Gozo Malta 2022
Ic-Cittadella, taken from 1500 feet.
This area must have been the acropolis of the Punic-Roman city of Gaulos or Glauconis Civitas. During medieval times, it was converted into a castle which served as a refuge for Gozo's population. By the 15th century a suburb, today's Victoria or Rabat, developed outside its walls. The castle's defences were not very good and by the 16th century, were obsolete. In 1551 an Ottoman force invaded Gozo and sacked the Cittadella taking most of Gozo's population prisoners. Further developments to the defences took place between 1599 and 1622 however these were criticized in later decades, and at some point plans to demolish the entire place were often made in the 17th and 18th centuries. Fortunately, these were never carried out.
The fortress saw action during the French invasion and subsequent uprising in 1798. In both occasions the fortress surrendered. It remained a military installation until it was decommissioned by the British on 1 April 1868.
The Cittadella has been included on Malta's tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1998.
Source, and further information could be found from the following link : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cittadella_(Gozo)
Ic Cittadella, Victoria, Gozo Malta 2022
Ic-Cittadella, taken from 1500 feet.
This area must have been the acropolis of the Punic-Roman city of Gaulos or Glauconis Civitas. During medieval times, it was converted into a castle which served as a refuge for Gozo's population. By the 15th century a suburb, today's Victoria or Rabat, developed outside its walls. The castle's defences were not very good and by the 16th century, were obsolete. In 1551 an Ottoman force invaded Gozo and sacked the Cittadella taking most of Gozo's population prisoners. Further developments to the defences took place between 1599 and 1622 however these were criticized in later decades, and at some point plans to demolish the entire place were often made in the 17th and 18th centuries. Fortunately, these were never carried out.
The fortress saw action during the French invasion and subsequent uprising in 1798. In both occasions the fortress surrendered. It remained a military installation until it was decommissioned by the British on 1 April 1868.
The Cittadella has been included on Malta's tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1998.
Source, and further information could be found from the following link : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cittadella_(Gozo)