Saluting Battery

The Saluting Battery (Maltese: Batterija tas-Salut) is an artillery battery in Valletta, Malta. It was constructed in the 16th century by the Order of Saint John, on or near the site of an Ottoman battery from the Great Siege of Malta. The battery forms the lower tier of St. Peter & Paul Bastion of the Valletta Land Front, located below the Upper Barrakka Gardens and overlooking Fort St. Angelo and the rest of the Grand Harbour.

The Saluting Battery was mainly used for firing ceremonial and signal gun salutes. In the past, these firings announced the opening and closure of the city gates, and marked time for the chronometers on passing ships. It also saw military use during the blockade of 1798–1800 and World War II, with an anti-aircraft position. The battery remained an active military installation until its guns were removed by the British in 1954. It was restored and opened to the public in the early 21st century, and it is now equipped with eight working replicas of SBBL 32-pounders which fire gun signals daily, Mon - Sat, at 1200 and 1600.

Text adapted from “Saluting Battery (Valletta)” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Saluting Battery ranks #4,311 of 8,764 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #18 of the 38 mapped in Malta. Founded c. 1550, it is older than 39% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 827 atlas entries founded in the 16th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 3,024 times in the last 60 days, more than 77% of the atlas. 35 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. See how Malta compares in the castle statistics.

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