• 001 - the logo.jpg
  • 002 - Hiroshima sunset.jpg
  • 003 - Auschwitz-Birkenau ramp.jpg
  • 004 - Chernobyl contamination.jpg
  • 005 - Darvaza flaming gas crater.jpg
  • 006 - Berlin Wall madness.jpg
  • 007 - Bulgaria - monument at the bottom of Buzludzhy park hill.jpg
  • 008 - Ijen crater.jpg
  • 009 - Aralsk, Kazakhstan.jpg
  • 010 - Paris catacombs.jpg
  • 011 - Krakatoa.jpg
  • 012 - Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, Hanoi.jpg
  • 013 - Uyuni.jpg
  • 014 - DMZ Vietnam.jpg
  • 015 - Colditz Kopie.jpg
  • 016 - Glasgow Necropolis.jpg
  • 017 - Hashima ghost island.jpg
  • 018 - Kazakhstan.jpg
  • 019 - Arlington.jpg
  • 020 - Karosta prison.jpg
  • 021 - Kamikaze.jpg
  • 022 - Chacabuco ghost town.jpg
  • 023 - Eagle's Nest, Obersalzberg, Berchtesgaden.jpg
  • 024 - Kursk.jpg
  • 025 - Bran castle, Carpathia, Romania.jpg
  • 026 - Bestattungsmuseum Wien.jpg
  • 027 - Pripyat near Chernobyl.jpg
  • 028 - Sedlec ossuary, Czech Republic.jpg
  • 029 - Pyramida Lenin.jpg
  • 030 - Falklands.jpg
  • 031 - Majdanek.jpg
  • 032 - Soufriere volcano, Montserrat.jpg
  • 033 - moai on Easter Island.jpg
  • 034 - Sidoarjo.jpg
  • 035 - Hötensleben.jpg
  • 036 - Natzweiler.jpg
  • 037 - Polygon, Semipalatinsk test site, Kazakhstan.jpg
  • 038 - Srebrenica.jpg
  • 039 - Liepaja, Latvia.jpg
  • 040 - Vemork hydroelectric power plant building, Norway.jpg
  • 041 - Enola Gay.jpg
  • 042 - Pentagon 9-11 memorial.jpg
  • 043 - Robben Island prison, South Africa.jpg
  • 044 - Tollund man.jpg
  • 045 - Marienthal tunnel.jpg
  • 046 - Aso, Japan.jpg
  • 047 - Labrador battery Singapore.jpg
  • 048 - Artyom island, Absheron, Azerbaijan.jpg
  • 049 - Treblinka.jpg
  • 050 - Titan II silo.jpg
  • 051 - dosemetering doll, Chernobyl.jpg
  • 052 - Holocaust memorial, Berlin.jpg
  • 053 - Komodo dragon.jpg
  • 054 - cemeterio general, Santiago de Chile.jpg
  • 055 - Tuol Sleng, Phnom Phen, Cambodia.jpg
  • 056 - West Virginia penitentiary.jpg
  • 057 - ovens, Dachau.jpg
  • 058 - Derry, Northern Ireland.jpg
  • 059 - Bulgaria - Buzludzha - workers of all countries unite.jpg
  • 060 - Sachsenhausen.jpg
  • 061 - Tiraspol dom sovietov.jpg
  • 062 - modern-day Pompeii - Plymouth, Montserrat.jpg
  • 063 - Pico de Fogo.jpg
  • 064 - Trinity Day.jpg
  • 065 - Zwentendorf control room.jpg
  • 066 - Wolfschanze.jpg
  • 067 - Hiroshima by night.jpg
  • 068 - mass games, North Korea.jpg
  • 069 - Harrisburg.jpg
  • 070 - Nuremberg.jpg
  • 071 - Mostar.jpg
  • 072 - Tu-22, Riga aviation museum.jpg
  • 073 - Gallipoli, Lone Pine.jpg
  • 074 - Auschwitz-Birkenau - fence.jpg
  • 075 - Darvaza flaming gas crater.jpg
  • 076 - Atatürk Mausoleum, Ankara.jpg
  • 077 - Banda Aceh boats.jpg
  • 078 - AMARG.jpg
  • 079 - Chacabuco ruins.jpg
  • 080 - Bucharest.jpg
  • 081 - Bernauer Straße.jpg
  • 082 - Death Railway, Thailand.jpg
  • 083 - Mandor killing fields.jpg
  • 084 - Kozloduy.jpg
  • 085 - Jerusalem.jpg
  • 086 - Latin Bridge, Sarajevo.jpg
  • 087 - Panmunjom, DMZ, Korea.jpg
  • 088 - Ijen blue flames.jpg
  • 089 - Derry reconsilliation monument.jpg
  • 090 - Ebensee.jpg
  • 091 - Mödlareuth barbed wire.jpg
  • 092 - skull heaps in Sedlec ossuary, Czech Republic.jpg
  • 093 - Nikel.jpg
  • 094 - Fukushima-Daiichi NPP.jpg
  • 095 - Tital launch control centre.jpg
  • 096 - Dallas Dealy Plaza and Sixth Floor Museum.jpg
  • 097 - Auschwitz I.jpg
  • 098 - Stalin and Lenin, Tirana, Albania.jpg
  • 099 - Malta, Fort St Elmo.jpg
  • 100 - Peenemünde.jpg
  • 101 - Tarrafal.jpg
  • 102 - Kilmainham prison, Dublin.jpg
  • 103 - North Korea.jpg
  • 104 - Mittelbau-Dora.jpg
  • 105 - St Helena.jpg
  • 106 - Stutthof, Poland.jpg
  • 107 - Merapi destruction.jpg
  • 108 - Chueung Ek killing fields, Cambodia.jpg
  • 109 - Marienborn former GDR border.jpg
  • 110 - Mig and star, Kazakhstan.jpg
  • 111 - Nagasaki WWII tunnels.jpg
  • 112 - Hellfire Pass, Thailand.jpg
  • 113 - Kiev.jpg
  • 114 - Grutas Park, Lithuania.jpg
  • 115 - Zwentendorf reactor core.jpg
  • 116 - two occupations, Tallinn.jpg
  • 117 - Trunyan burial site.jpg
  • 118 - Ushuaia prison.jpg
  • 119 - Buchenwald.jpg
  • 120 - Marienthal with ghost.jpg
  • 121 - Murmansk harbour - with an aircraft carrier.jpg
  • 122 - Berlin Olympiastadion.JPG
  • 123 - Bastille Day, Paris.jpg
  • 124 - Spassk.jpg
  • 125 - Theresienstadt.jpg
  • 126 - B-52s.jpg
  • 127 - Bledug Kuwu.jpg
  • 128 - Friedhof der Namenlosen, Vienna.jpg
  • 129 - Auschwitz-Birkenau barracks.jpg
  • 130 - mummies, Bolivia.jpg
  • 131 - Barringer meteor crater.jpg
  • 132 - Murambi, Rwanda.jpg
  • 133 - NTS.jpg
  • 134 - Mauthausen Soviet monument.jpg
  • 135 - pullution, Kazakhstan.JPG
  • 136 - palm oil madness.jpg
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  • 138 - Okawa school building ruin.jpg
  • 139 - Pawiak, Warsaw.jpg
  • 140 - flying death, military museum Dresden.JPG
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  • 142 - KZ jacket.JPG
  • 143 - ex-USSR.JPG
  • 144 - Indonesia fruit bats.JPG
  • 145 - Alcatraz.JPG
  • 146 - Chernobyl Museum, Kiev, Ukraine.JPG
  • 147 - Halemaumau lava lake glow, Hawaii.JPG
  • 148 - Rosinenbomber at Tempelhof, Berlin.jpg
  • 149 - Verdun, France.JPG
  • 150 - hospital, Vukovar, Croatia.JPG
  • 151 - the original tomb of Napoleon, St Helena.JPG
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  • 153 - Bhopal.JPG
  • 154 - Groß-Rosen, Poland.jpg
  • 155 - at Monino, Russia.jpg
  • 156 - blinking Komodo.jpg
  • 157 - inside Chernobyl NPP.JPG
  • 158 - Mount St Helens, USA.JPG
  • 159 - Maly Trostenec, Minsk, Belarus.jpg
  • 160 - Vucedol skulls, Croatia.JPG
  • 161 - colourful WW1 shells.JPG
  • 162 - Zeljava airbase in Croatia.JPG
  • 163 - rusting wrecks, Chernobyl.JPG
  • 164 - San Bernadine alle Ossa, Milan, Italy.jpg
  • 165 - USS Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.JPG
  • 166 - Brest Fortress, Belarus.JPG
  • 167 - thousands of bats, Dom Rep.JPG
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  • 170 - Jasenovac, Croatia.JPG
  • 171 - Beelitz Heilstätten.JPG
  • 172 - Kremlin, Moscow.jpg
  • 173 - old arms factory, Dubnica.JPG
  • 174 - Pervomaisc ICBM base, more  missiles, including an SS-18 Satan.jpg
  • 175 - Cellular Jail, Port Blair.jpg
  • 177 - control room, Chernobyl NPP.JPG
  • 178 - Podgorica, Montenegro, small arms and light weapons sculpture.jpg
  • 179 - Vught.jpg
  • 180 - Japanese cave East Timor.jpg
  • 181 - Ani.jpg
  • 182 - Indonesia wildfire.jpg
  • 183 - Chacabuco big sky.jpg
  • 184 - Bunker Valentin, Germany.JPG
  • 185 - Lest we Forget, Ypres.JPG
  • 186 - the logo again.jpg

Mosta

   
   - darkometer rating: 2 -
   
A town in northern Malta that is covered here for its “Rotunda” (actually a church) with its “miracle bomb” as well as some WWII-era air-raid shelter underground tunnels.
  
NOTE: do not confuse this place with the very similarly sounding Mostar in Bosnia & Herzegovina
More background info: Informally known as the Rotunda this is actually the Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady. It was built between 1833 and 1860 – and has since been a prominent landmark of northern Malta.
   
Another informal epithet is “Mosta Dome” – after the most striking feature of the edifice: its enormous dome. (I've heard from various sources that this is allegedly the third or fourth largest dome in the world … It is big, yes, but still I have some doubts about whether that is really correct. Anyway, the church building itself is loosely modelled on the Pantheon building in Rome, Italy. And the similarity is indeed quite striking.
   
But the reason why this edifice is featured on this website has to do with WWII. During the many air-raids by the Italian and German air force, in one attack three bombs hit the building, two deflected, but one 500 kg bomb pierced the dome and landed in the middle of some 300 people inside the church skidding across the floor – yet the bomb failed to explode. Obviously, the devout congregation was quick to call this a miracle – hence the epithet “miracle bomb”. The event happened on 9 April 1942. The real bomb was defused and disposed of by the British military. Yet today the “miracle” is still being milked as a tourist attraction of sorts – and for that a replica of the bomb has been put on display.
   
   
What there is to see: Not an awful lot, to be honest. When you enter the church, its dome sure is impressive, but you want to see its famous artefact. This is hidden in the back in the church's sacristy. And there it is: the “miracle bomb” (see above)! Except it's not the real one, of course, since that one was disposed of during the war.
   
The bomb display comes with a bronze bas-relief of the dome and a brief multilingual panel explains the significance of the artefact and a few historic photos show the hole that the real bomb pierced into the dome. That's it.
  
… or not quite. Just outside the church are steps leading down to yet another of Malta's many air-raid shelters dug out of the limestone during WWII, and to see it you can buy a combination ticket for both this and the Dome.
   
This tunnel system is the smallest of the four I've seen on Malta, it's basically just two tunnels on two levels. Parts of these have been embellished with simple mannequins and various artefacts (mostly everyday objects and simple furnishings). One side room decked out as bedroom shows the cramped but not entirely “uncomfy” living spaces in which people sought refuge from the bombing raids.
   
The tunnels are furthermore lined with text and photo panels providing some basic background info and historical images. There are also a few images showing other shelters … and a few of those images looked very much like some of the things I'd seen in Mgarr and at the Malta at War Museum shelter. And to be frank: if you only have time for one or two of those WWII shelters, make it the latter. These in Mosta are quite missable.
   
On balance: perhaps worth a short stopover en route somewhere else but hardly worth the journey just for this.
   
   
Location: in the very heart of the town of Mosta, which is ca. 5 miles (8 km) north-west of Malta's capital Valletta.
   
Google maps locator: [35.9099, 14.4259]
   
   
Access and costs: not difficult to get to; not expensive, but it's also for not very much.
   
Details: You can get to Mosta with ease by bus, e.g. from Valletta or Rabat. Several lines serve the town and the central bus stops are lined up around the intersection just outside the church (they're labelled Rotunda 1-5). The ride takes ca. half an hour.
   
Of course you could also easily drive there if you have a (hire) car – but parking can be quite a problem.
  
The Rotunda itself actually charges an admission fee. Normally I refuse to pay to go inside churches (I'd much rather leave a donation), but on this occasion I had a good reason and it wasn't expensive. To see just the church (and the bomb) it's 2 EUR, if you also want to see the WWII shelter it's 3 EUR.
   
However, I noticed that at the entrance to the shelter nobody checked tickets, nor was there any indication that you'd need one. So I suppose I could just as well have simply wandered in …
   
Opening times (of the Rotunda): Monday to Friday 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., only to 4:30 p.m. on Saturdays and on Sunday from 12 noon to 4 p.m. (Whether these times match those of the WWII shelter I could not determine, but I would presume so.)
   
   
Time required: really not long, maybe 10 minutes for the Rotunda and 10-15 minutes for the shelter. Something to slot in en route somewhere else (see combinations).
   
   
Combinations with other dark destinations: Not far from Mosta, to the north-west, by the road into the small village of Bidnija is the site where journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was assassinated in 2017 – see under Malta in general. A bit further to the north-west is Mgarr with its interesting WWII shelter. And south-west of Mosta are Rabat and Mdina with the St Paul's grotto, shelter and catacombs. For more see also under Valletta.
   
   
Combinations with non-dark destinations: The dome of the Rotunda is certainly impressive in its own right (though if it really is the fourth largest in the world, as they claim, I cannot say … but have my doubts) and if you like overly ornate church decorations, then the rest of the inside of the building also has some appeal.
    
Other than the Rotunda, Mosta doesn't have much tourist appeal or many tourist facilities. It's a busy place, but I got the feeling it was mostly for locals. Mdina, not far from Mosta, is the far more tourist-oriented option.
   
See also under Malta in general.  
 
   
   
  • Mosta 1 - the rotunda churchMosta 1 - the rotunda church
  • Mosta 2 - the famous domeMosta 2 - the famous dome
  • Mosta 3 - rich interiorMosta 3 - rich interior
  • Mosta 4 - the famous miracle bombMosta 4 - the famous miracle bomb
  • Mosta 5 - another WWII shelterMosta 5 - another WWII shelter
  • Mosta 6 - this one is a bit cheesyMosta 6 - this one is a bit cheesy
  • Mosta 7 - going deeperMosta 7 - going deeper
  • Mosta 8 - exhibitsMosta 8 - exhibits
  • Mosta 9 - underground bedroomMosta 9 - underground bedroom
   
   
   
   
   
  

 

  

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