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Republic Street, Valletta

Street in Valletta, Malta

Republic Street

Republic Street
Native name	Triq ir-Repubblika (Maltese)
Former name(s)	Rue Nationale Strada Reale Kingsway Strada San Giorgio
Maintained by	Transport Malta, Valletta Local Council
Length	1.0 km (0.62 mi)
Location	Valletta, Malta
Coordinates	35°54′00″N 14°30′47″E / 35.9000136°N 14.5131579°E / 35.9000136; 14.5131579
Other
Known for	City Gate, Palazzo Ferreria, Parliament of Malta, Auberge de Provence, Courts of Justice, Grandmaster's Palace

Republic Street (Maltese: Triq ir-Repubblika), historically known as Strada Reale (Maltese: Strada Rjali) or Kingsway, is a principal street in the capital cityofValletta, Malta. It is about 1 kilometer long (0.6 miles) and is known for legislative, judiciary and commercial purposes. It is mostly pedestrianised.

Republic Street extends from City Gate towards the granaries at Fort St. Elmo.^[1][2] In its downward course the main street runs perpendicular with several other streets given Valletta's grid layout. It also encounters several buildings and squares of note, such as City Gate, Freedom Square, the Parliament of Malta, Palazzo Ferreria, Royal Opera House, the Archaeology Museum, St. John's Square, the Courts of Justice, the Casino Maltese, Republic Square, Grandmaster's Palace, St. George's Square, Spinola Palace, The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry, Casa Rocca Piccola and others.

The street is managed by the Valletta Local Council as well as the Maltese government, including waste management.^[3] The street is mostly dedicated to pedestrians, with highly limited vehicle use – only commercial vehicles to load and unload on early morning are allowed.^[4] This also applies to general maintenance vehicles. Only karozzini^[5] and electric cabs^[6] are allowed to drive up and down the street, while taxis can cross at intersections. The Malta Police Force uses Segways to patrol the streets.^[7]

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After the Great Siege of Malta, Valletta was planned and built on a grid's layout by the Order of St. John, with Republic Street (back then, Strada San Giorgio) in the midst, to become the main street of the city.

The street has had several different names over the course of history. During the Order of St. John it was known Strada San Giorgio, during the French occupation of Malta it was named Rue Nationale, during the Crown Colony of Malta it was named Strada Reale; and during the period of the further Anglicisation of Malta under Prime Minister Sir Gerald Strickland, the street was named Kingsway in 1936. The Maltese renamed the street to its current name.^[1]

Republic Street was bombed heavily in World War II and suffered much damage like the rest of the region. This was due to its location in the heart of one of the most important cities in Malta.^[8]

In the contemporary day, Valletta is a hub of political, legislative, judiciary, commercial, business, retail and social reasons, such as fashion and music.^[9] It becomes busy during the Christmas period.^[10]

• 
  Strada Reale in 1859
• 
  Bartoli Galea's establishment on Kingsway, 1880 (later A la ville de Londres)
• 
  The Ellis photo studio on Kingsway, ca. 1900
• 
  Kingston dispensary on Strada Reale, ca. 1900
• 
  Old Valletta Railway Station on Kingsway, ca. 1900
• 
  International Eucharistic Congress on Kingsway, 1913, by Richard Ellis
• 
  Republic Street in October 2023.

• Republic Square
• Valletta
• Malta