Splendid, colorful, sculpted, the Maltese balcony (or gallarija in local language) is part of Malta’s heritage. Made of stone, iron, wood: all Malta and Gozo offer beautiful facades with a balcony. Its origin in Malta? More uncertainties… But over the centuries, always this important place in everyday life.
Origins of the Maltese balcony
Arabic, Turkish, Aragonese? The origin of the balcony is not clear-cut as it probably contains all these influences. What is certain is that for their “cheap” labor, the Knights of St. John captured countless Turks and North Africans during their “raids” throughout the Mediterranean, and had them build Valletta in particular. Did any of them bring back any know-how to Malta? When one compares the Maltese balcony with the oldest ones in Cairo, Egypt, or with those in Sidi Bou Said in northern Tunisia, the similarities are striking and the characteristics identical. The purpose of the closed balcony was to allow women to see what was going on outside without being seen and, from a climatic point of view, to moderate the outside temperatures in the houses. Reserved for the elite and the great palaces, it is in Valletta that the fashion for balconies was launched in the 17th century.
Wooden balcony craze
Before the arrival of the English in 1800, the price of wood was prohibitive. The stone balcony reflected especially theIt also served as a public forum for politicians and intellectuals of the Maltese capital. With the development of Malta’s maritime trade, the available raw material was more important and less expensive: the fashion of the wooden balcony gained Mdina then the Three Cities and within a few decades, all social classes in Malta and Gozo were building their balconies, also called bow-windows, out of wood! A little later, it was sometimes used as a bathroom with the water being drained directly into the street… Goodbye stone or wrought iron balcony! Hello blue, green or vermilion balcony, colors always “trendy”.
Sometimes unusual symbols
One wonders why children are not allowed to stick their tongues out! A stroll through Valletta and you’ll have plenty of faces for the whole year! On the saljaturi (the stone ledge under the balcony), all those masks that stick out their tongues with a mean expression, their foreheads wrinkled ! In fact, very serious commissions to stone sculptors to ward off the evil eye or bring good luck, with of course, a strong religious connotation.
The future of balconies in Malta
During the last 40 years, the economic boom and the development of the Maltese real estate have definitely destroyed the harmony of the streets in some Maltese cities like Sliema where many typical facades have been destroyed.
But since 2002, the Government has established a program for the protection and restoration of Maltese balconies, with financial support and circulars prohibiting the demolition of balconies in certain sites. Individual awareness and preservation of the heritage are going a long way... You will still see Maltese taking care of their dear balcony, decorating it for the local festival or festa or simply observing the animation of the street…
