Malta's Chinese Wall

A walk along the British built Victoria lines in central Malta is rewarded with some 'stunning panoramic views', writes Dirk Averesch for Deutsche Presse Agentur:

It was here though that the British chose to built a prominent line of fortifications which came to be known as the Victoria Lines, a fascinating historical legacy which practically divides Malta into a northern and a southern half. The fortified strongpoints along its route were quickly rendered obsolete in military terms, but today a walk along this defensive line is rewarded with some stunning panoramic views..

What was once the capital of Malta towers above the surrounding countryside - the foothills of the Dingli plateau which tumble into the deep blue sea in the southwest in a series of precipitous white cliffs. The crest of the ridge can be seen well from here along with a hint of the fortifications which lines the natural escarpment. The Victoria Lines follow a span known as the Great Fault for some 12 kilometres.

The British initially erected three sturdy forts along the route and by 1897 these were joined together by a continuous infantry wall. To mark the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria the same year the fortifications were named after the English sovereign. The defences were designed to protect the north of the island from invasion, but as it turned out, never a shot was fired here in battle and by 1907 the Victoria Lines had lost their military significance and were abandoned to nature

A central section of the entrenchment known as the Dwejra line has survived the ravages of time and weather particularly well and it has been on the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites since 1998. Walkers should be warned though that there is little respite here from the intense rays of the sun - in the five-metre deep trench which runs alongside the massive sandstone masonry the way through the shade afforded is barred by the numerous peach and fig trees which thrive there.

Here and there the defensive line gives way to the shallow fortified bridges or stop walls which mark the valleys - the overall impression of the Victoria Lines is of a scaled-down version of the Great Wall of China...

Victoria Lines - Unesco World Heritage; MEPA and the Victoria Lines