House of Character, Senglea

Senglea is a fortified city in the east of Malta, mainly in the Grand Harbour area. It is one of the Three Cities, with the other two being Cospicua and Vittoriosa. The city of Senglea is also called Citta Invicta because it managed to resist the Ottoman invasion at the Great Siege of 1565. The proper name is Senglea since the grandmaster who built it Claude De La Sengle, gave this city a part of his name. With an area of just over half a square mile, it is Malta's smallest locality. It is also its most densely populated. At the turn of the century, Senglea had more than 8200 people, making it the most densely populated town in Europe. At the time, Senglea, as well as Cospicua, were the centre of Malta's elite and intelligentsia. The Second World War rapidly altered its social structure as many left to take refuge in outlying towns and countryside, never to return. In recent years, rehabilitation of the Cottonera Waterfront as a yacht marina has spurred a lot of interest from foreign expatriates and businessmen. This resulted in the renovation of various quaint and charming houses and a considerable appreciation of real estate in this city.