The first phase of restoration works at the Malta Maritime Museum in Vittoriosa is at an advanced stage. Financed through the EEA and Norway Grants 2014-2021, this phase saw the restoration, demolition, reconstruction, and rehabilitation of dilapidated areas at the back of the museum.
Upon completion of the first phase next year, part of the museum, which was rehabilitated through this funding, will reopen again to the public.
The subsequent phase will entail general modernization, with a Masterplan being drawn up for all the spaces within the museum. A renowned international museum designer, Adrien Gardere, has been hired to assist Heritage Malta during the second phase of the project.
Minister for the National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government Owen Bonnici said that “The Government is committed to keep delivering initiatives which preserve, restore and rehabilitate our historical patrimony. Now that restoration works are moving on at a steady pace in various areas of the building, we are already planning the implementation of the second phase of the project which will include the restoration of neglected spaces on the ground floor, where the old naval bakery is located, and the recreation of the ditch at the back of the museum.”
Parliamentary Secretary for European Funds Chris Bonett said that this project is being done by EEA and Norway Funds with a total investment of €1,713,200. The grant not only financed restoration works but also the setting up of a Digitization Unit within Heritage Malta and the purchase of all necessary equipment for the digitization of the Maltese Islands’ maritime heritage.
During the past two years, thousands of artefacts from the Maritime Museum collection have already been digitized. A Collection Management System (CMS) has also been established, providing for the cataloguing of whole collections with the aid of specialized software.
