In Delimara Fort, cleaning and consolidation works are being carried out which are not only beautifying its appearance, but are also restoring accessibility to its main parts.
The Minister for National Heritage, Arts and Local Government Owen Bonnici visited Fort Delimara to see the progress made so far. He was shown around by the CEO of Heritage Malta Noel Zammit and other senior agency staff.
During this last year, extensive work was done in the fort, together with the help of other associations and organizations. Among other work, the underground parts as well as the main square were cleaned. Several alien structures were also removed that had been introduced when the fort was used as a farm years ago and some of which were dangerous.
Heritage Malta has also taken care of installing a new lighting and water system in the fort, while the security system around it is being strengthened.
Minister Bonnici expressed great appreciation for the efforts of Heritage Malta to restore the fort to the dignity it deserves. He said that the government committed to continue carrying out initiatives that look after the preservation, restoration, and rehabilitation of fortifications and historical places on a regular basis.
He added that this is another link from a complete work that leads to giving a new meaning to the accessibility of Malta’s heritage.
Noel Zammit said that the work that has been done so far in Fort Delimara will lead to the best maintenance of the fort. While he claimed that there is still a lot of work to be done, he said that the public is thirsty for sites with military history, as evidenced by the encouraging concurrence whenever the Delimara Fort is opened for a day of guided visits.
The Delimara Fort was built between 1876 and 1878 to guard the coast of the port side of Marsaxlokk and is a classic example of Victorian coastal fortification. Among other attractions, in the fort one can still see four cannons of 38 tons from the six that were there when the fort was used for military purposes. These are the only cannons of their kind that still exist in the whole world on trailers and in their original location. The fort remained operational until 1956. Later it was used as a farm for more than 25 years, until it passed under the protection of Heritage Malta in 2005.
