City Gate, Valletta

City Gate is the main entrance to Malta's capital city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is most commonly called "Door to the city".

The original gate, known as San Giorgio Gate, was designed by military engineer Francesco Laparelli de Carotona, and was erected between April 1566 and 1569. It was replaced in 1632 by a more ornate gate designed by Maltese architect Tommaso Dingli.

In 1853, at the height of British rule over Malta, a new gate designed by Col. Thompson of the Royal Engineers was erected, consisting of two central arches with two smaller ones. Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, City Gate was known as Reale Gate. These first three gates were all fortified, forming part of Valletta's city walls.

The fourth City Gate was inaugurated in 1964 and it was part of a project that never materialized - it was to redevelop an entrance to Valletta and the Royal Opera House.

The current City Gate was completed in 2014 and is the fifth to have stood at the entrance to Valletta.