Gżira
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gżira (or Il-Gżira) is a town in the north-eastern coast of Malta, between Msida & Sliema. Gżira means Island in Maltese, and the town is named after Manoel Island which lies just adjacent to it. Manoel Island is itself named after Manuel de Vilhena, a Grandmaster of the Knights of Malta in medieval times and under whose leadership Fort Manoel was built.
In the past, Gżira used to be a working-class town with a stigma of prostitution. During the last decade, a large proportion of the old houses has been demolished and new, luxurious blocks of flats have been built. This led to an inflation of the housing prices, as the town became sought after by both Maltese and foreign settlers. The main reason behind the area's popularity is that it is fairly centrally located in Malta, being close to both the University of Malta and the capital, Valletta.
The stigma of prostitution has started to fade, but there still is a small "red light district", near the waterfront. Despite that, the criminal rates are very low and the town is as safe as the rest of Malta & Gozo. Gżira's population has been fairly stable over the past few years, hovering 7,086 (Nov 2005) people. New developments now feature various commercial outlets but then newcomers have been moving into apartments thus, the loss of people who have moved from townhouses has been compenstated by those who moved into the new apartments. The Manoel Island development shall further boost Gżira's commercial activity as well as its population. Service industries, mainly car mechanics, commercial outlets and educational services are the town's main activities, yet Gżira shall most probably remain the gateway to Sliema, its nearby town.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF GZIRA
The parish church is dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The Church is also known as "Tal-Ġebla", literally translated as "Of Stone". The reason being that, on the 10 July 1902, two drunken sailors, had thrown stones on a picture of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, which was hanging outside an inn/bar owned by a certain Carmel Brincat. The inn was closed, and the sailors wanted to enter at all costs. When Brincat refused to open they started to throw stones at the place. One of the stones hit the effigy of Our lady. The stone broke the glass of the frame, but, notwithstanding the wind, the stone remained fixed within the broken glass.The stone was removed and taken to the Stella Maris Parish Church in Sliema. Praers and services for reparation were held.Gżira became a parish in 1921. Dun Anto Manche was the first parish priest of Gzira. The parish of Gzira was very lucky to have as its second parish priest the late Dun Karlu Manche', a priest considered by those who knew him, as a saint. The frame,the broken glass and the stone thrown, can still be seen today at the beautiful parish church of Gzira.The people of Gzira truly pay respect to this event.
 |
This Maltese geography article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
| edit | Local Councils of Malta |  |
|---|---|---|
| Malta Island | ||
| Attard | Balzan | Birgu (Vittoriosa) | Birkirkara | Birżebbuġa | Bormla (Cospicua) | Dingli | Fgura | Floriana | Gudja | Gżira | Għargħur | Għaxaq | Ħamrun | Iklin | Isla (Senglea) | Kalkara | Kirkop | Lija | Luqa | Marsa | Marsaskala | Marsaxlokk | Mdina | Mellieħa | Mġarr | Mosta | Mqabba | Msida | Mtarfa | Naxxar | Paola | Pembroke | Pietà | Qormi | Qrendi | Rabat | Safi | San Ġiljan (St. Julian's) | Santa Luċija | San Pawl il-Baħar (St. Paul's Bay) | San Ġwann | Santa Venera | Siġġiewi | Sliema | Swieqi | Ta' Xbiex | Tarxien | Valletta | Xgħajra | Żabbar | Żebbuġ | Żejtun | Żurrieq | ||
| Gozo Island | ||
| Fontana | Għajnsielem | Għarb | Għasri | Kerċem | Munxar | Nadur | Qala | Rabat (Victoria) | San Lawrenz | Sannat | Xagħra | Xewkija | Żebbuġ | ||
