Swieqi

Swieqi, a residential town close to Malta's entertainment village

Swieqi is a residential town located in the North East part of Malta. It is a few minutes by bus from Sliema and within walking distance from Paceville and St. Julian's. Originally, the area attracted the upper classes who built large and luxurious townhouses. However, in recent years, a number of apartments were constructed, hosting families as well as many foreigners. The town accommodates around 9,000 people and it’s mainly a dormitory town, however, it includes a number of service providers and English language schools.

Swieqi includes also the areas of Tal-Ibraġ, Madliena and part of St. Andrews. All four are shown in the coat of arms of Swieqi; it features a red and gold zigzag motif representing the valleys and fields of Tal-Ibraġ, blue waves indicating the watering courses or “Swieqi” in Maltese and the silver cross of St Andrew's. Madliena is represented by a red letter M.

The parish church of Swieqi is dedicated to The Immaculate Conception, whose feast is celebrated annually on the 8th of December. On the contrary to the rest of the island, the feast is not celebrated externally, apart from a mass and small procession. The church was built in St Andrews, in days where the only families who lived were mainly farmers and manual labourers. These people worked hard to build the church, which was completed on the 13th February 1966.

A few historical sites can be found in the Madliena area such as the Victoria Lines, Madliena Fort, the Batteria San Giovanni and the Madliena Chapel.

Swieqi: Things to see and do

Swieqi is almost a purely residential town, however it is a walking distance from the  nightlife and entertainment villages of Paceville, St. Julian’s and the sandy beach of St. George’s Bay.