Balzan

Overview

Ħal Balzan - also known as Balzan - is a town of approximately 4,000 inhabitants located in the centre of the island of Malta. Together with Ħ'Attard and Ħal Lija, it forms the de facto community known as the Tlett Villaġġi (Three Villages).

The parish church was built between 1669 and 1695, the dome in 1699 and the bell tower in 1709. It is externally in the Tuscan style and internally in the Doric style, and is dedicated to the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Ħal Balzan was originally just a village, consisting of a group of small farms and dwellings, forming part of the town of Birkirkara. It became a parish in its own right on 14 August 1655.

Other names

Casal Balzano, Ħal Balzan

History

The earliest mentions of Ħal-Balzan date back to 1419-1420, when it would have had around twenty inhabitants. The first known census, that of 1575, records approximately 500 people. In 1646, the village comprised 140 households with 584 inhabitants. Since then, the population has only fluctuated with increases followed by decreases. The Second World War saw a doubling of the population with an influx of Maltese fleeing the bombed cities of La Valette or the Cottonera.

Source:
Wikipedia