Grandmaster’s Palace
Grandmaster’s Palace is located in the city of Valletta, the capital of the island of Malta. It is the largest building in the city and certainly one of the most interesting sights – its interiors are marvelous in their majestic beauty. The palace was the residence of the masters of the oldest order of knights in the world – the Order of Malta. Today it is the official residence of the president and parliament of the country.
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If you don’t intend to visit the palace and don’t know what it looks like, you can easily pass it by while walking through the streets of Valletta. So unremarkable from the outside this famous place seems. At first glance, one might think that the only thing worth noticing is the sheer size of the building. But this is undoubtedly a profound misconception.
History
The palace was built shortly after the foundation of La Valletta for the Grand Master of the Order of Malta with funds provided by European powers after the successful lifting of the siege of Malta by the Turks.
.The original wooden building was erected in October 1569, and a stone building replaced it in 1571-1575, designed by the Maltese architect Gerolamo Cassar, completed by the Italian Francesco Laparelli, who designed the city. The palace had wooden ceilings, a rarity on the island. In 1724 the interior was painted by Nicolau Nazoni from Siena. In total, the palace served as a residence for 21 Grand Masters. After Malta was occupied by the French in 1798, the palace was looted and damaged, but in 1800 it was restored by the British as the governor’s residence. In 1921, the palace became the seat of the Parliament, and since 1976 it has been the residence of the President of the country. The palace also houses an arms museum.
In 1980, the palace was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Old Town of La Valletta.
.What to see
The palace is built of limestone, rectangular in shape and its dimensions are quite impressive: 97 meters long and 83 meters wide. In terms of area, it occupies a whole quarter of the city and is considered to be its largest structure. In the very center of the building there are two courtyards named after Prince Alfred and Neptune.
.The palace is also famous for its Armory, which has a collection of more than 6 thousand exhibits from different eras and corners of the world: heavy armor, swords, broadswords and sabers, pistols and muskets, cannons, daggers and much, much more. You can see the armor that was forged especially for the Grand Masters, there is a hall where life-size equipped knights “without fear and reproach” are presented. The lavishly decorated palace rooms with paintings, portraits of the Grand Masters and ancient tapestries are also striking. In one of the halls you can see a portrait of Russian Empress Catherine II, which was presented by the Tsarina to the Knights of the Order as a sign of the highest favor.
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Speaking of which, her successor and son Emperor Paul I was Grand Master of the Order, and her grandson Alexander I was Protector of the Order of Malta.
.Tourists
The Grand Master’s Palace is a 15-minute walk from Valletta bus station in the pedestrianized area of the city. For drivers, there is designated parking outside City Gate.
The Armory and Palace are open seven days a week, a joint ticket allows you to visit both museums. On some Thursdays the state rooms are closed, this is when Parliament is in session (entrance fees are reduced). Multilingual audio guides are available.
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