Exploring Malta: 'Mystique', An Abandoned Nightclub
I have several tales to tell of my travels in Malta, but this is one of the stranger ones. While we were in Valletta, we happened upon a bookshop and I found a book named ‘Bizzare Malta'.
I didn’t buy the book as we were on our last day of the car rental, but instead had a browse though it and found a place called ‘Mystique'’, which looked interesting.
An abandoned nightclub that flourished in the 1960’s, built from the stonework of the ruins of second world war devastated buildings, and then left to rot away.
If it was listed in the book, then it must be some kind of tourist attraction but off the beaten path?
Malta is quite a small island and the town of Madliena was on our way back from the south of the island to our resort, so I figured it may be worth checking out.
On entering the town, I found no evidence of this location, and google maps was not helping either having no entry.
We found it by mistake my driving around the area and @bingbabe pointed out this weird looking building with some ruined looking towers. Far from being in the middle of nowhere, it was on a regular street with other houses in close proximity.
@bingbabe did not want to get out of the car as she doesn't like creepy places, so I got out and had a look around the front entrance. It was in fact the ‘Mystique’ nightclub, the mostly covered up stone emblazoned writing gave it away.
I was expecting easy access but it looked well and truly locked up and boarded up. So no thrill seekers allowed then?
Just left of the entrance was a wall around 6 feet high, but someone had placed two rather large bricks on top of each other at the foot of the wall. I didn’t take a picture of this which I regret now.
After checking to see if nobody was about and no cars where coming up and down the road, I stepped on the bricks and hauled myself over the wall.
On the other side of the wall I was rewarded with an open door. So entrance was possible, but for me and who else? The two bricks standing on one another meant only one thing; others could possibly be inside.
I tentatively made my way to the entrance and peered inside. Broken beams, white containers, or were they coffins lay inside strewn about. Could this be a vampire infestation perhaps?
You can still make out the artwork that was on the walls, though a lot of the concrete was in a crumbling mess.
The stairs seemed sturdy enough, but I was getting this horrible feeling of foreboding. I ventured to the next room only to find more of the same beams strewn about, chunks of concrete and deadly silence.
I think it was the silence that scared me the most and at the point I hastily backed out of the door, and vaulted back over the wall.
Nobody saw me enter or leave, but was anyone holed up inside? There didn’t appear to be signs of habitation, but there was something else and I definitely felt it.
I do have some regrets now about being a pussy and not exploring a little more. It’s a strange and unique place that’s been left to rot for 50 years, boarded up and yet not isolated.
If you're in Malta, and want to check out something a little different, hunt down the Mystique abandoned nightclub, tell someone your going in, jump the wall, compose yourself and do a bit of exploring if you have the balls.
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Looks great! I've not been to Malta but will be sure to get myself over soon and much to explore… and maybe scale some walls whilst I'm there ;)
There's another creepy villa named Villa Sans Souci in Marsaxlokk, we went right past it too. I would have had a look at it if I had known.. seems there's a few here.
https://lovinmalta.com/malta/9-of-maltas-most-haunted-locations
Abandoned spaces at times could be dangerous. Some dangerous people might be lurking inside. But curiosity leads to discovery and cool stuff on the other hand.
It's the thrill and going somewhere you really shouldn't that does it for me. I think I'm getting into this :)
Lol I know the feeling of that thrill and excitement. Just always watch your back buddy.
Spooky - I was tense just reading it (and thinking, "Don't go up those stairs")! Impressed you got over the wall, though :)
I wish I had gone up those stairs, I'm kicking myself for not taking more photos and wussing out. Doing all this is a learning experience for me, you need to take advantage while in the situation and get all you can from it.
I've never been in Malta, but reading your post I have to add Malta on my wish list :D
First time for me too, and I have been to many places in Europe.
First time for me too,
And I have been to many
Places in Europe.
- slobberchops
I'm a bot. I detect haiku.
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Hindsight is often way more courageous than it's cousin, the scaredy-cat present :)
I love this, and would have been spooked too, especially being alone! It's funny if someone else is with you, say your wife, it's less scary; not that your wife could do much (probably) if someone were there! Such a cool place though!
I'm submitting this to c-squared; thanks for the tour!
It's a backup thing really. 2 burly blokes would have been better backup than my 5ft wife, but anything helps!
I'd be worried about possible falling bricks :P Very cool looking building, though I would never have guessed that it was a nightclub.
I wish I had taken more shots. This was a really unique place and I didn't make the most of it. There's a video of it here which is 4 years old.
Note the banister rail is intact on this, but broken off now, and there's more clutter inside then.. than there was a few days ago.
yeah, I'd like to have seen a close up of those walls. Are those holes in the mortar or is that some sort of decoration? (in the indoors pictures)
It is the decoration. From what I have read this Marquis Scicluna who designed it made something rather unique.
I don't know why its been left like this, but it makes it all the more interesting.
I've been trying to find some photographs of how it used to look, but couldn't find anything. A real shame that you can't really compare it.
Good that you're now documenting it on the blockchain, now there's some permanent record of it.
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and thanks again!
What a cool old building. We have a bunch of places like that in some of the cities close to where I live, but you definitely wouldn't want to be wandering around in them. Nothing with that awesome of architecture though. The ornateness of the walls is pretty awesome.