Air Raid Shelters of Mellieħa

Mellieħa World War II Shelters

Useful Information

Location:	Triq il-Kappillan Magri, Mellieħa. (35.9600012, 14.3613148)
Open:	All year Mon-Sat 9-15. [2025]
Fee:	Adults EUR 3 (?). [2025]
Classification:	World War II Bunker
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:	L=500 m.
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	yes
Bibliography:
Address:	Air Raid Shelters of Mellieħa, Triq il-Kappillan Magri, Mellieħa. Choral and Orchestral Society ‘Maria Bambina’, 92, Triq il-Parrocca, Mellieħa, MLH 1063, Tel: +356-7952-1970. E-mail: Kunsill Lokali tal-Mellieħa, 126, Triq il-Mitħna l-Ġdida, Mellieħa MLĦ1107, Tel: +356-2152-1333. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

10-JUN-1940	Mussolini declares war against the Allies.
11-JUN-1940	first air strike on Malta.

Description

Air Raid Shelters of Mellieħa is not the real name of the site. Actually it has no name at all, and is normally simply called Air Raid Shelters. That’s quite unfortunate as there are several air raid shelters on Malta which are open to the public, and so they are easily mixed up. So we decided to add the name of the town where they are located to distinguish the sites. There are other names though, which are used sometimes, like World War II Shelters, Mellieħa Shelters, and Kenn Ghall-Attakki Mill-Ajru, which is more or less the same.

The air raid shelters are located adjacent to Our Lady Of The Grotto cave church and the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mellieħa. Actually the entrance is right at the southern entrance to Pjazza Ġwanni Pawlu II (Pope John Paul II Square). From here a staircase leads uphill to the end of Triq il-Kappillan Magri. The tunnels were dug by hand into the hillside and are covered by a 5 m thick layer of limestone. Its more or less a main passage which is 2 m wide and 2.1 m high. This passage runs in parallel to the hillside and has nine side passages to the hillside which were used by the people during the war. Five exits are along Triq il-Kappillan Magri, two at the Santwarju tal Madonna tal Vitorja Mellieha, two more at the main church square above, and one at the main church. So it was fast to reach from all over the hill. And the large number of entrances made sure that it was still possible to leave the shelter even if one or more entrances were blocked by collapsed buildings. There is a huge main chamber which is rather irregular, and the passage has numerous side rooms which are 1.8 m wide and 2.1 m high. However, there are not many side chambers, only 14, so it seems most of the people had to wait in the main passage. The passage was congested with chairs and bedding brought in for comfort and rest. The tunnel housed 3,842 inhabitants of Mellieħa and also 1,117 refugees from other parts of the island.

Malta was British in the 1930s, and when Mussolini declared war against the Allies on 10 June 1940, the first air strike followed less than 12 hours later. The primary goals of air strikes are infrastructure, not civilians, and the Harbour areas around Valletta and the Three Cities were first hit. The harbour was of high strategic value, for the British to protect their Mediterranean fleet and for the Germans as an important place to support the supply chain to the army in North Africa. But those areas also had a lot of inhabitants, which were forced to leave their homes and relocate as far away as possible from the Harbour area. Mellieħa has no harbour in the city limits and no other important infrastructure, and so many refugees moved to the city. Then the air raids escalated and the authorities decided to start digging rock-cut shelters to provide better shelter for all. At the same time private persons started to dig shelters. These shelters at Mellieħa are considered amongst the largest that were excavated in Malta with a length of more than 500 m. But the shelter not only provided safety to whole families, there was also a well-guarded chamber which was used to store the national treasures. The attacks went on for three years until finally the Allied forces launched the invasions of Sicily and the Italian mainland. The island has the unenviable reputation of being the most bombed place in the whole of Europe, because of its potential importance to both the Allies and the Axis powers.

The passages were cleared and are now exhibition space for items of the era as well as the typical people which used the shelter. There are several dioramas showing the refugees and their typical items. There are also two maternity rooms, the only ones with tiles, it seems several children were born in the underground during air-strikes. The site is operated by the non-profit Choral and Orchestral Society ‘Maria Bambina’.