NATIONAL WAR MUSEUM

Opened in 1975, it is located in a former powder magazine of the fort of Saint-Elme, transformed in 1853 into a weapons room during its expansion by the British. If it allows you to visit the fort of Saint-Elme, it also exposes the history of the island in a chronological way. The visit begins with the discovery of prehistoric objects from the Bronze Age (2500 BC). Then you will be able to watch different video projections that approach a little-known aspect of this history: the different invasions of the island: the Western Roman Empire, the Byzantines, the Arabs, the Normans, the Angevins, the Catalans etc. The second block deals with the glorious Maltese military past: the Great Siege and the decisive role of Fort St. Elmo, with pictures of illustrations, armor, crossbows, cannonballs. Then comes the block dedicated to the story of the two wars of the twentieth century. Large photographic panels and many objects present the military operations from 1940 to 1943. In addition, you will notice the Faith biplane, one of the three planes that constituted Malta's only defense at the beginning of the war, General Eisenhower's Jeep, which he used during the invasion of Sicily in 1943, but also the George Cross, offered by King George VI to the Maltese people as a reward for their courage. The visit ends with the historical conclusion, the independence and then the Republic of Malta leading to the integration into the European Union in 2004.