Birkirkara Explained

Birkirkara (abbreviated as B'Kara or BKR) is a city in the eastern region of Malta. It is the second most populous on the island, with 24,356 inhabitants as of 2020.^[2] The town consists of five autonomous parishes: Saint Helen,^[3] Saint Joseph the Worker,^[4] Our Lady of Mount Carmel,^[5] Saint Mary^[6] and San Gorg Preca.^[7] The city's motto is In hoc signo vinces, and its coat of arms is a plain red cross, surmounted by a crown.

Etymology

Birkirkara means "cold water" or "running water".^[8] This is attributed to the valley in the town.^[9]

Originally, the name was written as Birchircara, as influenced by Italian spelling which traditionally does not use the letter 'K'. It is often abbreviated as B'kara/Kara.

Geography

Birkirkara is situated in a valley, which is most likely where it gets its name from. It is known for flooding on heavy stormy days.^[10] Several projects have been proposed.^[11] The area has also received embellishment works from time to time.^[12]

Climate

Birkirkara features a Csa Mediterranean climate under the Köppen climate classification. Birkirkara features mild, wet winters and dry hot summers. The city's temperature varies from 10.3to during the course of a year.^[13]

Description

Birkirkara is one of Malta's oldest towns with a recorded mention in 1402 with The Cappella of Birkarkam which is understood to be an error for Birkirkara.^[14] It received mention in the 1436 Ecclesiastical Report mentioning the then existing parishes in Malta and Gozo, from which Birkirkara emerged as the largest parish.^[15] Various parishes and suburbs developed out of Birkirkara over the years, including Sliema, St. Julian's, Msida, Ħamrun in the 19th century and Santa Venera in the early 20th century. In more recent years, San Ġwann (1965) and Ta' l-Ibraġ hived off Birkirkara to form part of the new parish and locality of Swieqi in 1993.

Birkirkara has grown into an important commercial centre as well as a densely populated residential area.

Churches, architecture and notable places

Notable places

Birkirkara is home to many locations of importance.

• Malta Financial Services Authority the financial regulator of Malta has its headquarters in Birkirkara.
• St Aloysius College
• The Wignacourt Aqueduct built in the 17th century.
• St Helen's Basilica, housing Malta's largest church bell.
• Simonds Farsons Cisk - the first brewery on the Island.
• Dar Pirotta^{[16] [17]}
• Dar Papa Frangisku - A homeless shelter run by Caritas Malta^{[18] [19]}
• Villa Chelsea now home to The Richmond Foundation - A Charity offering Rehabilitation Programmes.^[20]
• The Old Birkirkara Railway Station^[21] which is today located within a public garden is one such place. Malta Railway trains used as means of transportation across the island stopped at this Station. The Railway was closed in 1931.
• Roxy Cinema^[22]
• Birkirkara Tower (Ghar il-Gobon)^[17]
• Tal-Wejter Tower
• Villa Lauri
• Ta' Ganu Windmill

Churches

Birkirkara's main religious feast is that of St Helen^[23] at St. Helen's Basilica, which is celebrated on 18 August or on the first Sunday after that date.^[24] The main event of the celebration is a procession with a wooden statue carved by the Maltese master-sculptor Salvu Psaila.^[25] Notably, this is the only procession on the island carried out in the morning. The procession leaves the basilica at exactly 8:00 a.m. and returns to it at 10:45 am. The statue is lifted to shoulder-height by a group of townsmen through the main streets of the town.^[26]

• The Church of St. Joseph the Worker
• The Church of St. Mary
• The Church of San Gorg Preca
• The Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
• The Church of St Paul B'kara had a previous building on the same site likely to date back to around 1538. Its design was medieval with a slanting roof. The present building known as 'San Pawl tal-Wied' was built in 1852 to 1854 on plans drawn up by Giuseppe Bonavia who was an architect with the Royal Engineers. The clock of the church was made by Michelangelo Sapiano in 1891. The titular painting by Giuseppe Calleja is a reproduction of the original found in the Tre Fontane Church in Rome.^[27]

The Church of Our Lady of Victories^[28] is a small church found within the narrow streets in the area known as 'Has-Sajjied'. This church was known to have existed as far back as 1575. In the 17th century when the parish church was being built, this church was dismantled to allow easy access to the quarry that was supplying the stones needed. It was erected once again after the 1675–1676 Malta plague epidemic. The present church was built between 1728 and 1736 in the Baroque style. The internal pilasters follow the Tuscan style with the dome featuring floral motifs and emblems of the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Monuments

• Monument of Sir Anthony Mamo
• Niche of All Souls^[29]

Birkirkara Local Council

The Birkirkara Local Council forms part of the Birkirkara Civice Centre building. The current Birkirkara local council members are:^[30]

• Joanne Debono Grech (Mayor)
• Karl Cutajar (Deputy Mayor)
• Justin Schembri
• Nancy Aquilina
• Rita Borg
• Kaylocke Buhagiar
• Antoine Attard
• Owen Patrick Attard
• John Mary Calleja
• Deborah Mifsud
• John Mizzi
• Marie Claire Zammit Bonello
• Francis Pullicino
• Carmel Attard (Executive Secretary)

Birkirkara community service

• Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish Church, Triq Fleur-de-Lys (Fleur-de-Lys Road), Fleur-de-Lys
• Our Lady, Mother of the Church Parish Church, Triq il-Graffiti Navali, Swatar
• St. Joseph the Worker Parish Church, Triq il-Bwieraq (Bwieraq Street)
• St. Helen's Parish Church, Triq is-Santwarju (Sanctuary Street)
• St. Mary's Parish Church, Triq il-Knisja l-Qadima (Old Church Street)
• Our Lady of Victory Parish Church, Triq il-Vitorja (Victory Street)
• Birkirkara District Police Station, Triq il-Kbira (Main Street)
• Birkirkara Branch Post Office, Triq il-Wied (Valley Road
• Da Vinci Hospital, Triq Kan. K. Pirotta (Can. K. Pirotta Street)
• Birkirkara Health Centre, Triq Tumas Fenech
• Birkirkara Regional Library, Triq Tumas Fenech
• Birkirkara Police Station

Zones in Birkirkara

• Bwieraq
• Fleur-de-Lys
• L-Imrieħel
• Ta' Ganu
• Ta' Paris
• Tal-Qattus
• Is-Swatar
• Ħas-Sajjied

Sport

Birkirkara has a multi-sport club in Birkirkara Saint Joseph Sports Club, mostly known for its Athletics section.^[31] However, it also has active sections responsible for cycling,^[32] triathlon,^[33] swimming,^[34] and football,^[35] the last of which competes in the Maltese Inter-Amateur Soccer Competition.^[36]

Birkirkara F.C. has won the Maltese Premier League four times.^[37] Birkirkara F.C. participated in the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League beating West Ham United F.C., only to be eliminated via penalties.^{[38] [39] [40] [41]} Birkirkara also eliminated Heart of Midlothian in the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League.^{[42] [43] [44] [45]} Malta's leader of the opposition Adrian Delia served as Birkirkara F.C. president from 2015-2016 and 2017-2018.^{[46] [47]}

Natives

Iacob Heraclid, the Greco-Maltese adventurer who ruled over Moldavia in the 1560s, was born in the city. Eddie Fenech Adami, who served as Prime Minister and President of Malta, was born there, as was Anthony Mamo, the first President of Malta.

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Malta.

Birkirkara is twinned with:^[48]

• Grosseto, Italy
• Sorrento, Italy
• Longobardi, Italy
• Carbonne, France

External links

• Birkirkara Football Club
• Birkirkara St. Joseph Sports Club
• Birkirkara Local Council

Notes and References

1. Web site: The Malta Government Gazette. 3 September 2019. 2 October 2019.
2. Web site: The Malta Government Gazette. 2020-08-03. Government Gazette.
3. Web site: Birkirkara (St Helen). 2020-07-25. Archdiocese of Malta. en-US. 22 October 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201022042015/https://church.mt/parishes/birkirkara-st-helen/. dead.
4. Web site: Birkirkara (St Joseph the Worker). 2020-07-25. Archdiocese of Malta. en-US. 29 October 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201029154659/https://church.mt/parishes/birkirkara-st-joseph-the-worker/. dead.
5. Web site: Our Lady of Mount Carmel on The Catholic Directory. 2020-07-25. The Catholic Directory. en.
6. Web site: St. Mary on The Catholic Directory. 2020-07-25. The Catholic Directory. en.
7. Web site: San Gorg Preca - Parish Church - Swatar, Malta. 2020-07-25. www.quddies.com.mt.
8. Book: Abela. Giovanni Francesco. Giovanni Francesco Abela. Della Descrizione di Malta Isola nel Mare Siciliano con le sue Antichità, ed Altre Notizie. 1647. Paolo Bonacota. 90. it.
9. Web site: Pullicino, F. (1990) Birkirkara : Isimha... Niesha... Ġrajjietha, 'Programm tal-festa ta' Sant'Elena, Birkirkara', pp.61, 63.
10. Web site: Birkirkara, Malta – Information and interests . Malta.com . 31 August 2011 . 26 July 2017.
11. Web site: Malta Independent . Possible Solution for Birkirkara flooding problems in the pipeline – The Malta Independent . Independent.com.mt . 25 June 2005 . 26 July 2017.
12. Web site: Planning Authority. www.pa.org.mt. 26 July 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20161002215714/http://www.pa.org.mt/news-details?id=1153. 2 October 2016. 2 October 2016.
13. Web site: Birkirkara climate and weather . world 66 . world66.com . 10 June 2013 . 10 June 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150619103248/http://www.world66.com/europe/malta/birkirkara/lib/climate . 19 June 2015 . dead .
14. Luttrell. Anthony T.. 1981. The cappella of Birkirkara: 1402. en.
15. Archidiocesi ta' Malta. Newsletter. June 2014. Newsletter ta' l-Archidiocesi ta' Malta Gunju 2014. 25 July 2020. 25 July 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200725093752/http://archives.maltadiocese.org/Portals/0/Issue%205%20-%20Jun%202014.pdf. dead.
16. Web site: Dar Pirotta grateful for government help. 2020-07-25. Times of Malta. 23 October 2011 . en-gb.
17. Web site: New Home for people with a disability - The Malta Independent. 2020-07-26. www.independent.com.mt.
18. Web site: Homeless emergency shelter to open in summer. 2020-07-25. Times of Malta. 10 June 2016 . en-gb.
19. Web site: 2020-03-13. Dar Papa Franġisku. 2020-07-26. Caritas Malta. en-US.
20. Web site: Villa Chelsea opens its doors. 2020-07-25. Times of Malta. 26 May 2007 . en-gb.
21. Web site: Old Railway Station – Birkirkara Local Council. 2020-07-25. en-US.
22. Web site: Cilia. Johnathan. Only Hours Left Before Classic Cinema In Birkirkara Gets Go-Ahead For Demolition. 2020-07-25. lovinmalta.com. 29 January 2018 . en-US.
23. Web site: Parroċċa Sant' Elena - Birkirkara.. 2020-07-25. www.santaliena.org.
24. Web site: Sant' Elena - Basilica - Birkirkara, Malta. 2020-07-25. www.quddies.com.mt.
25. Brincat. Joe. 2012. Salvu Psaila (1798-1871). mt.
26. Web site: FEAST OF ST. HELEN - Visitmalta - The official tourism website for Malta, Gozo and Comino.. 2020-07-25. www.visitmalta.com.
27. Book: Cassar, George. A Taste of the History, Culture and Environment of the Central Region of Malta. Kite Group Malta. 2019. 978-99957-50-68-8. Malta. 29.
28. Web site: Madonna tal-Vitorja - Chapel - Birkirkara, Malta. 2020-07-25. www.quddies.com.mt.
29. Web site: One World - Protecting the most significant buildings, monuments and features of Maltese Islands (17). 2020-07-26. Times of Malta. 7 July 2009 . en-gb.
30. Web site: Mayor and Councillors. 2020-07-25. localgovernment.gov.mt. mt. 24 November 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201124182626/https://localgovernment.gov.mt/en/lc/Birkirkara/Pages/The_%20Local_Council/Mayor-and-Councillors.aspx. dead.
31. Web site: Birkirkara St.Joseph Sports Club :: Athletics . Bkarastjoseph.com . 20 June 2017 . 26 July 2017 . 5 November 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201105021722/https://bkarastjoseph.com/index.php?id=10 . dead .
32. Web site: Birkirkara St.Joseph Sports Club :: Cycling . Bkarastjoseph.com . 26 July 2017 . 5 November 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201105021522/https://bkarastjoseph.com/index.php?id=11 . dead .
33. Web site: Birkirkara St.Joseph Sports Club :: Triathlon . Bkarastjoseph.com . 26 July 2017 . 5 November 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201105141949/https://bkarastjoseph.com/index.php?id=13 . dead .
34. Web site: Birkirkara St.Joseph Sports Club :: Swimming . Bkarastjoseph.com . 12 July 2017 . 26 July 2017 . 6 November 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201106184139/https://bkarastjoseph.com/index.php?id=14 . dead .
35. Web site: Birkirkara St.Joseph Sports Club :: Home . Bkarastjoseph.com . 26 July 2017 . 3 September 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180903220830/http://www.bkarastjoseph.com/index.php?id=425 . dead .
36. Web site: Birkirkara St.Joseph Sports Club :: Football . Bkarastjoseph.com . 26 July 2017 . 4 November 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201104070950/https://bkarastjoseph.com/index.php?id=12 . dead .
37. Web site: The Club History . Birkirkara FC . 6 December 1996 . 26 July 2017.
38. Web site: Hafez . Shamoon . Birkirkara 1-0 West Ham (3–5 on pens) – BBC Sport . Bbc.com . 23 July 2015 . 26 July 2017.
39. Web site: Brave Birkirkara eliminated as West Ham win penalty shoot-out . MaltaToday.com.mt . 23 July 2015 . 26 July 2017.
40. Web site: Allied Newspapers Ltd . Update 3 – Agony for Birkirkara as West Ham beat them in penalty shoot-out . Timesofmalta.com . 23 July 2015 . 26 July 2017.
41. Web site: Birkirkara 1 – 0 West Ham – Match Report & Highlights . Skysports.com . 23 July 2015 . 26 July 2017.
42. Web site: Updated – Watch Birkirkara's two goals against Hearts as Stripes make European history – The Malta Independent . Independent.com.mt . 22 July 2016 . 26 July 2017.
43. Web site: Wilson . Richard . Heart of Midlothian 1–2 Birkirkara (1–2) – BBC Sport . Bbc.com . 21 July 2016 . 26 July 2017.
44. Web site: Gordon Parks . Hearts 1 Birkirkara 2: Three things we learned as Maltese minnows send Jambos crashing out . Daily Record . 21 July 2016 . 26 July 2017.
45. Web site: Europa League – Hearts shocked by Birkirkara Hibernian lose on penalties . Espn Fc . 21 July 2016 . 26 July 2017.
46. Web site: Administration. 23 May 2017. Birkirkara FC. 26 July 2017.
47. Web site: Birkirkara FC - Presidents. Birkirkara FC. 17 April 2020.
48. Web site: Twinning. localgovernment.gov.mt. Government of Malta. 18 September 2019. 5 August 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200805024248/https://localgovernment.gov.mt/en/lc/Birkirkara/Pages/Services/Twinning.aspx. dead.