Westreme Battery, Coastal defense museum in Mellieha, Malta.
Westreme Battery is a coastal defense museum in Mellieha featuring a semi-circular gun platform with five embrasures and a large blockhouse built with barrel vaults for strength. The structure displays machine gun portholes that were added during World War II to update its defensive capabilities.
The Order of Saint John constructed this battery between 1715 and 1716 as part of a larger network of coastal fortifications defending Malta. It served as one of many defensive posts positioned to protect the island from sea-based threats.
The site now hosts the Tunnara Museum, which displays traditional fishing tools and explains local tuna fishing methods that shaped the community. Visitors can see equipment and learn how these practices shaped daily life in the village.
Visitors can examine the exterior structure and observe the defensive features from the surrounding area. It is helpful to check local information before visiting to confirm access conditions and any current guidelines.
The blockhouse is positioned diagonally across the gun platform, an unusual design choice among Mediterranean coastal fortifications of that era. This arrangement reveals how military engineers experimented with different defensive layouts to improve firepower coverage.
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