On 15 June 1941, the news was out that thousands in Malta had no air raid shelter and too many civilians were being left at the mercy of fate as bombs showered down upon them. Five thousand men were deployed to construct 400 public rock shelters in addition to the 473 already in use. Even this endeavour, however, would leave tens of thousands unprotected, out of a population of 270,000.
Therefore, shelters were overcrowded and uncomfortable. However, they were the only guarantee of safety while Malta became the most bombed place on earth. Visit Malta and Gozo’s’ air raid shelters to get an insider’s perspective of living underground to save your life during World War II.
1. Mellieha Air Raid Shelter
One of Malta’s largest shelters, the Mellieha Air Raid Shelters consist of over 500 metres of hand-hewn corridors and private family rooms, as well as anti-blast chambers, a maternity clinic and a treasury.
2. Wignacourt Museum Air Raid Shelter
The Wignacourt Museum World War II shelters in Rabat consist of about 50 rooms that could accommodate circa 350 people. Two main corridors were provided by the government; then each family paid to have a room dug out with pick axes. The numbered rooms were made homely by use of paint, tiles and makeshift doors made out of wooden planks!
3. Villa Bologna Air Raid Shelter
The tour around Villa Bologna and gardens includes a visit the family’s World War II shelters. The private shelters had an entrance through the cellar of the house and an exit onto the garden, and included marble steps and electricity. The shelter has a main room, previously an 18th century well, and four little rooms, probably sleeping quarters and a food storage space.
4. Il-Barri Mgarr Air Raid Shelter
This rock-hewn shelter lies beneath the il-Barri restaurant near the village church of Mgarr. Reaching a depth of 12 metres and spanning some 225 metres, it is one of the largest underground bomb shelters in Malta. It was dug entirely by hand and used by about 400 people. Only half of the shelter’s maze of corridors are open to the public yet the restricted spaces with low ceilings, rough ground, and damp atmosphere by candlelight provide a good insight to what life in the shelter might have been like.
5. Casa Rocca Piccola Air Raid Shelter
A tour of Casa Rocca Piccola in Valletta also takes you to the bomb shelters below the house. Although the house belonged to a noble family, over 100 people sheltered here from the bombs that poured onto Valletta. The air raid shelters of Casa Rocca Piccola include around 100 stone steps and narrow tunnels with rough, uneven surfaces.
6. Malta at War Museum, Couvre Porte, Birgu
The Malta at War Museum showcases the ordeal of the people of Malta during the Blitz in World War II. It includes an underground bomb shelter below it, which at that time lay beneath a police station. Explore a real air raid shelter as well as period artefacts and war memorabilia to truly immerse yourself in the WWII experience.
7. Cittadella Air Raid Shelter
The Cittadella Air Raid Shelters in Victoria, Gozo, have only recently opened to the public, in March 2019, thanks to an extensive restoration project by the Wirt Ghawdex foundation. Out of some 170 public shelters in Gozo created between 1941 and 1942, 20 were in Rabat. Since the town’s core stands on clay, two large shelters were dug near the main entrance to the Gozo Citadel.
Have you been to any of these shelters? Now aren't you glad to be in a war-free zone?