As part of the Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee celebrations in 1887, Gozo's capital was elevated to city status and given the Queen's name, Victoria. A commerative plaque was hung and a fountain erected in memory but the name Rabat was still used by the locals. Similar to the Rabat on its sister island Malta, which surrounds the lower grounds of Mdina, Rabat in Gozo nestles beneath the protective bastions of its Citadel. The city is thought to have been inhabited at least since the Bronze Age.

The people of Gozo were left a plaque with a Punic inscription, thanking them for restoring three temples. The city was fortified by the Romans and the limits of the old walls are still marked by three elegant stone crosses and the still busy cross roads Triq Putirjal (Main Gate Street). The Arabs it seems occupied the higher ground as it was easier to defend and neglected the lower suburbs. In the Middle Ages both suburbs and Citadel were thriving, close packed communities.

The massive citadel bastions, which dominate Victoria today and that rise predominately over the city date back to the 17th Century. The original plans by Laparelli date to 1567 but it took 32 years to start work from them. Laparelli, famed for his architecture of Valletta designed the citadel two years after the Great Siege. Funds were raised from King Phillip II of Spain's donation and the Gozitans taxing wine, oil and other exports. The walls were never tested in serious battle as the Ottoman Turks were driven out of the West by the time they were completed. Legislation meant people had to live in the upper city but when the restriction was lifted people began to move further down the hill into the countryside. The old town is being revived and restored to its former glory. To the left of Cathedral Square is 17th Century Palace of the Governors, of particular interest here are the fat mouldings that were norm of that period. On the right is Chapter's Hall, which was built in 1899. The square's domestic dwellings were destroyed in the 1860's. The Citadel Ramparts are a must and the view from them is simply a stunning mass of rolling valleys, hills and Malta in the background.