As one of the first buildings to be erected in Valletta after the Great Siege, the Auberge de Castille has always been synonymous with the country’s administration, including the Office of the Prime Minister over the last fifty years. It was exactly on the 6th of March 1972 that this majestic building started being used by the Prime Minister as his office. At present, the building also serves as the place where the Cabinet of Ministers is convened and where the public administration is run, including the office of the Head of the Public Service.

The Auberge’s proper name is Auberge de Castille, Leon and Portugal. The first two are Spanish regions. This name derives from the fact that this auberge hosted knights coming from these places. The building as we see it today was erected between 1741 and 1745. The previous one was built in 1573 by architect Ġlormu Cassar.

The Auberge de Castille is built in the Baroque style and in recent years extensive restoration has been carried out both outside and in the courtyard. A couple of interesting facts are that before the first building was erected, the Council of the Order of St John discussed a plan to build the Grand Master’s Palace on the site and in the 20th century there were plans to relocate Parliament to the auberge.

In the short French rule, the Auberge de Castille was used as officers’ quarters and part of it served as the Commission’s office to manage property and land belonging to the Order of St John. During the British colonial period, the property housed the quarters of the British Army in Malta and remained so between 1859 and 1970.

During its history, the auberge suffered extensive damages twice. On 11th January 1693, during a severe earthquake, considerable damage occurred, mainly on the side leading to Merchants Street. At the peak of World War II, on the 7th of April 1942, a strong bomb shattered the former sign tower, broke the main staircase and damaged the wall of the courtyard.