What are the opening hours?

Monday 09:30 - 17:30 Tuesday 09:30 - 17:30 Wednesday 09:30 - 17:30 Thursday 09:30 - 17:30 Friday 09:30 - 17:30 Saturday 09:30 - 17:30

Lascaris War Rooms

Home
Malta
Valletta
Lascaris War Rooms

Call Directions Website Contact the organisation

Visit Malta's most secret rooms of World War Two, deep beneath Valletta's massive fortifications. Work on this park is currently being undertaken by FWA.
(1)

The Lascaris War Rooms consist of an underground complex of tunnels and chambers that housed the War Headquarters from where the defence of Malta was conducted during the Second World War. This secret complex contained operations rooms for each of the fighting services from where not only the air defence of Malta was coordinated, but also some of the greatest battlesfought in the Mediterrean during the war. Lascaris was the advance Allied HQ from where General Eisenhower and his Supreme Commanders Admiral Cunningham, Field Marshal Montgomery and Air Marshal Tedder directed Operation Husky – the Invasion of Sicily in 1943. In the Post War years it became the Headquarters of the Royal Navy’s Mediterranean Fleet. Later, in the late 1960s, it was taken over by NATO to be used as a strategic Communication Centre. In 2009, Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna - the Malta Heritage Trust - undertook the challenging task of restoring this historic complex. As a result of this work visitors can explore and enjoy one of Malta’s best kept wartime secrets. The Lascaris War Rooms will be integrated into the Military Heritage Park. The Park will cover some 500 years of Malta’s history linking Lascaris War Rooms, the NATO ComCen, St Peter and St Paul counter-guard, the Saluting Battery and the Garrison Chapel crypt. Certificate of Excellence
2014 WINNER
TripAdvisor
Lascaris War Rooms
Picture
Picture
The Lascaris War Rooms is twinned with RAF Northolt, Ruislip, Middlesex, UK. This RAF base is home to Building 27 a former ‘Z’ sector Operations Block. The Operations Block was the prototype of the ‘Dowding System,’ a method of communication allowing the command chain to communicate to intercept enemy aircraft, the first such system in the world. This building was restored to its original form by a group of volunteers assisted by the RAF and was schedule as a Grade II building along with a C-type hangar and a former Squadron Watch office. The hangar was used throughout the Second World War to house Churchill’s personal aircraft in which he flew to many important meetings of the Allied leaders.

10/09/2026

THE SURRENDER OF THE ITALIAN FLEET AT MALTA

On the 10th of September, the Italian Admiral Alberto da Zara landed at Customs House in Valletta. He was met with an honor guard before climbing up the stairs to Room 50 in bomb-damaged Lascaris. This was Cunningham's office when he was C-in-C of the Mediterranean. There, he would sign the official surrender of the Italian fleet.

In his memoir, Cunningham writes of the occasion: "My office in the Lascaris bastion was no more than about sixty steps up a circular stairway; but I thought it advisable that da Zara should see something of what the Axis airmen had done to Malta, and also that the Maltese should see him. Accordingly we had him brought a roundabout way by car."

Da Zara had commanded the 5th Division at Taranto since August 1943. Following Italy's surrender on the 8th of September, Italian Admiral Carlo Bergamini was ordered to leave La Spezia and surrender his fleet to the British. He was killed on the 9th when his flagship, the Roma, was hit by a German Fritz X guided bomb, one of the earliest and most famous uses of the new weapon.

Command of Bergamini's fleet passed to his second-in-command, Admiral Romeo Oliva, and as a result Britain was denied the powerful battleship as a prize. Meanwhile, da Zara left with his own squadron from the port of Taranto for Malta with the order to surrender as the senior officer in the Italian Navy on the island. In the end, both squadrons arrived in Malta.

On the 11th, Cunningham sent a message informing the Admiralty of the Italian fleet's arrival at the island, now famously recounted: "Be pleased to inform Their Lordships that the Italian Battlefleet now lies at anchor under the guns of the fortress of Malta." More Italian vessels surrendered in the following days, including submarines.

Room 50, the precise location where the Italian fleet surrendered in 1943, has been fully restored by Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna as a permanent exhibit of the event, forming part of the Lascaris War Rooms experience. Inside, the scene of surrender has been re-created, preserving the historic moment for posterity.

08/09/2026

OPERATION HUSKY AND THE 8TH OF SEPTEMBER

Italy officially surrendered on this day, 83 years ago. A few months earlier, in July 1943, British, Canadian, and American forces landed in Sicily. They managed to advance inland, sending Axis forces into retreat across the Strait of Messina.

Thousands of infantrymen, vehicles, ships, and aircraft were in Malta before proceeding to Sicily. The invasion of Sicily, known as Operation Husky, was coordinated from Malta. Specifically, from the Lascaris War Rooms deep below the bastions of Valletta. Today, part of the underground complex is entirely dedicated to the history of this operation, with exhibits in the very same spaces from where the Allied advance in Sicily was led.

You can visit the Operation Husky Museum yourself between Monday and Saturday. The site is managed by Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna

07/04/2026

VACANCY - Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna is looking to employ on full or part-time basis a number of gunners to fire the guns at the Saluting Battery in Valletta during public displays. Employment hours are from 9.30am till 4.30pm. Interested parties are to send their CV by email only: to [email protected]. A valid working permit is necessary.

12/03/2026

Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna - the Malta Heritage Trust commemorates the 15th anniversary from the passing of RAF Northolt's Commander Tomas Arne Barrett OBE in 2011 under whose command a twinning arrangement was entered between the WW2 Building 27 at RAF Northolt, Ruislip, Middlesex, UK and the Lascaris War Rooms.

RAF Northolt is home to Building 27 a former ‘Z’ sector Operations Block in use during the Battle of Britain. The Operations Block was the prototype of the ‘Dowding System,’ a method of communication allowing the command chain to communicate to intercept enemy aircraft, the first such system in the world. This building was restored to its original form by a group of volunteers assisted by the RAF and was scheduled as a Grade II building along with a C-type hangar and a former Squadron Watch office. The hangar was used throughout the Second World War to house Churchill’s personal aircraft in which he flew to many important meetings of the Allied leaders.

Group Captain Tomas Arne Barrett (1966 – 2011) was the Station Commander at RAF Northolt, a role he took on in September 2009. He was known for his inspirational leadership, commitment, and concern for the welfare of his personnel. Barrett's principal task was supporting current military operations, and he led from the front, deploying with No 32 (The Royal) Squadron on many occasions to the Gulf and Afghanistan. He was also involved in various projects to reduce the station's impact on the community and the environment. Barrett was a respected officer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and was awarded an OBE for his service. His death was mourned by military chiefs and the community, with tributes highlighting his extraordinary person and the impact he had on those around him.

20/01/2026

Due to adverse weather conditions, the Saluting Battery, Malta Time-Gun Museum, Lascaris War Rooms, War H.Q., and St Peter’s Galleries will remain closed today.

12/12/2025

Aircraft Recognition Models were essential training tools for pilots, anti-aircraft gunners and the general public during the Second World War. By highlighting the silhouette of particular aircraft models, one could train the eye to recognise high-flying airplanes based on recognisable trends such as wing shape, number of engines, and other features.

This particular model representing the ubiquitous C-47 Skytrain, which saw service as a multipurpose workhorse with a number of Allied air forces, will soon be on display in the Operation HUSKY Museum to show our visitors how such aircraft towed paratrooper-laden wooden gliders to their targets during the Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943.

The Lascaris War Rooms and Operation HUSKY Museum are open Mon-Sat from 10.00-16.30 (16.00 last entry). Visit us this Christmastime to explore Malta's hidden wartime secrets.

Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna

09/12/2025

Ever noticed that low, constant humming sound while visiting the Lascaris War Rooms? Now you can investigate the source- one of three plant rooms is open for visitors at the very end of the Operation HUSKY Museum. Don't miss the opportunity to explore the vital machinery which spread fresh air from the outside world and into the depths of the military complex.

The Lascaris War Rooms and Operation HUSKY Museum is open Monday to Saturday from 10.00-16.30 (last entry 16.00)

Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna

05/12/2025

🎅🏻Santa's Top Secret Military Gift Shop🎁
From unique stocking fillers to high-quality mementos, the Lascaris War Rooms gift shop has something for everyone. Pop by this Christmastime to get your loved ones a gift to remember.

The Lascaris War Rooms are open Monday to Saturday from 10.00-16.30 (last entry 16.00).

04/12/2025

Max Surman, A Man of Many Talents

An architect by profession, Max Surman joined the RAF in 1941, commissioning as a Flight Lieutenant. He was immediately posted to the Royal Observer Corps, tasked with visually tracking enemy raids flying over Britain.

He was soon dispatched to Malta, where, under the direction of Wing Commander Alfred Woodhall, Surman organised a local, volunteer Observer Corps. This unit was mainly composed of Maltese men and boys.

Surman was an avid photographer- a number of photos portraying the Lascaris War HQ and its staff were taken by Max Surman during his tour of duty in Malta.

In 1943, Sir Keith Park commissioned Surman to use his architecture background in designing the layout of a new, better-equipped Fighter Control Room planned for the extension works in the Lascaris War Rooms.

His restored workspace in the Observer Corps office linked to the 1943 Sector Operations Room featured a photograph of his wife, Phyl. The original photo was returned to its rightful place above Surman’s desk in 2022.

Visit the War HQ War H.Q. Tunnels - Valletta and the Lascaris War Rooms- managed by Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna- to delve deeper into the lives of those who kept Malta afloat during the Second World War. Open Mon-Sat 10.00-16.30 (last entry 16.00).

11/11/2025

Lest We Forget those who paid the ultimate price for peace.

The tombstone in the Memorial room of the Operation HUSKY Museum reminds us that during war, both sides suffer.

Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna

Address

Battery Street
Valletta
ZBR1000

Opening Hours

Monday	09:30 - 17:30
Tuesday	09:30 - 17:30
Wednesday	09:30 - 17:30
Thursday	09:30 - 17:30
Friday	09:30 - 17:30
Saturday	09:30 - 17:30

Telephone

00356 21234717

Website

http://www.lascariswarrooms.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Lascaris War Rooms posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organisation

Send a message to Lascaris War Rooms:

Want your organisation to be the top-listed non profit organisation in Valletta?