Corradino Lines

Corradino Lines
Is-Swar ta' Kordin
Paola, Malta
View of the Corradino Lines and ditch
Map of the Corradino Lines
Coordinates	35°52′41.2″N 14°30′33.8″E / 35.878111°N 14.509389°E / 35.878111; 14.509389
Type	Line of fortification
Site information
Condition	Mostly intact
Site history
Built	1871–1880
Built by	British Empire
In use	1880–1900s 1940s
Materials	Limestone
Battles/wars	World War II

The Corradino Lines (Maltese: Is-Swar ta' Kordin or il-Ħitan ta' Kordin) are a line of fortification on Corradino in Paola, Malta. They were built between 1871 and 1880 by the British. Today, the lines are still largely intact, and they lie in an industrial area.

The Corradino Lines have been on Malta's tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1998, as part of the Knights' Fortifications around the Harbours of Malta (even though they were built by the British and not the Knights Hospitaller).

Corradino (Maltese: Kordin) is a large headland within the Grand Harbour, overlooking Senglea and Floriana. Corradino is on high ground compared to the surrounding area, and therefore was of great strategic importance. The site's importance was seen in the Great Siege of Malta in 1565, when Ottomans mounted cannons on high ground to bombard the Order of Saint John in Senglea and Birgu. Over 200 years later, new batteries were built on Corradino, this time by Maltese insurgents to bombard the French during the blockade of 1798–1800.

Although the Order of Saint John built extensive fortifications around most of the Grand Harbour area, Corradino was not fortified. A proposal to build a bastioned enceinte was made in the 1670s following the fall of Candia, but this was never built due to a lack of funds. The only military building on the headland was a polverista at Ras Ħanżir, which Pinto built in 1756.