Those who have visited Wied iż-Żurrieq have certainly seen the strange-looking staircase on the left-hand side of the valley, but few know that this used to be a WW2 shelter.

Being close to the airport, the southwest part of the Maltese islands was quite heavily bombarded during the second world war.

The Żurrieq area is quite well-known for having been the home of many fishermen back in the day, and especially during the war they had to find a safe place to take shelter if the bombs fell while they were fishing at Wied iż-Żurrieq.

As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention, and this is how resourceful people can get when they have no other choice.

Indeed, during the second world war, after an attack on Wied iż-Żurrieq, the staircase which was hewn in rock in 1928 was roofed with concrete to serve as an air raid shelter.

So the next time you’re in Wied iż-Żurrieq for a ftira or a nice swim, don’t forget to look on the left to see this piece of Maltese history!