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The throwing of paint at Porte de Bombes is a reminder that historical monuments are still considered as easy targets by vandals or groups with a hidden agenda.
Over the past years, cameras have been introduced by the ADT and local councils to detect the slightest traffic infringement. Yet this does not seem to be the case with our heritage.
Wirt Artna’s President Mario Farrugia insists that “remote surveillance systems are to be used to guard our prime heritage sites. The technology is there and it ought to be used. Systems like these require an initial cost but they are very low in terms of maintenance. They are also low on labour costs.”
MaltaToday asked the Ministry of Culture about which, and how many, monuments are presently guarded by CCTV. Citing security reasons the Ministry did not want to reveal which sites are in fact protected by CCTV.
“A number of sites in Malta and Gozo are guarded by security camera but for security and sensitivity reasons, this information is restricted.” The number of sites protected by cameras remains a mystery.
In the absence of security cameras, Malta relies on security guards and watchmen. Heritage Malta says that there is a physical presence in most of its museums and sites. Now it is embarking on training for some of its personnel in security.
Protecting Malta’s heritage costs money. Heritage Malta has a recurrent budget of Lm1,150,000 and it earns another Lm1,000,000 from entrance fees. All of this is used to fund operation expenses. For 2005 Heritage Malta has been allocated a capital budget of Lm500,000, a meagre sum considering the state of Malta’s heritage.
This amounts to just Lm100,000 that are committed to the third phase of a contract relating to a ticketing, security and surveillance systems. An additional Lm200,000 have already been invested in the first and second phase of the project.
MaltaToday has learnt that a number of sites all over Malta remain unguarded. The Roman Baths in Ghajn Tuffieha are a case in point. Roman mosaics are still exposed to natural elements and vandalism. Sources have also informed MaltaToday that the prehistoric temples at Skorba are still left unguarded at night.
Din L-Art Helwa Vice President Martin Scicluna acknowledges that “it is impossible to guard every historic monument in a country as rich in cultural heritage as ours. In a free society, the only security that we can rely on is respect for the rule of law.”
Structural Neglect
Yet our cultural heritage is not only threatened by vandalism. It also faces the onslaught of structural neglect. Martin Scicluna acknowledges that thanks to the work of Din l-Art Helwa and Heritage Malta, there is a greater awareness about our national heritage.
“But when it comes to hands-on conservation of our prime historic sites we are still sadly lagging behind. The only real conservation project achieved in the last three years has been the Roman Domus. The list of other sites requiring proper conservation is huge: the prehistoric temples, the fortifications and many, many others are still crying out for attention.”
Fort Saint Angelo is a case in point. It is by far the most important fort in historic terms. An advert by the Nationalist Party published on Thursday lauds “the restoration and the installation of lights in Fort Saint Angelo.”
But this seems a far cry from reality.
“It is good to light up the structure to be seen from a distance, but similar attention ought to be given to the very structure itself to ensure its long term existence,” Wirt Artna spokesman Mario Farrugia told MaltaToday.
Fort Saint Angelo occupies one of the most prestigious locations in the middle of the Grand Harbour. The upper part of the fort, which has been assigned to the Knights of Saint John, has been restored but the rest of it remains in shambles.
Mario Farrugia laments that “the present state of the fort is an abysmal one and it is certainly a disgrace that visitor are allowed into it as it is at present. Apart from being in a terrible state it is also downright dangerous in parts. Anyone going there should be warned against the potential danger there is in that place.”
The potential of Fort Saint Angelo to attract tourists and visitors has not been explored. “Saint Angelo can become a first-rate cultural attraction which will serve as a prime puller of visitors to the Cottonera,” Farrugia says.
On Thursday, a report on the newspaper In-Nazzjon announced that the government has prepared a report to formulate a demand for structural funds to be used in the restoration of the various fortifications surrounding Valletta, Mdina and Vittoriosa. According to this report the project will cost Lm8 million.
According to Martin Scicluna the list of neglected sites is “literally endless”. He mentions Ggantija, the Brockdorff Circle, Misqa Tanks, Mnajdra, Hagar Qim, Fort Saint Elmo, Fort Saint Angelo, the Roman Bath, Abbatija Tad-Dejr and the Victoria Lines.
The buffer zone around the Brockdorff Circle is currently threatened by a development application presented to MEPA. The developer is proposing the demolition of a farmhouse and the building of garages and apartments in the vicinity of this site. Excavations on this site reveal that this site consisted of a cemetery similar to the Hypogeum in Hal Saflieni. This formed part of the Ggantija complex in Neolithic times.
The environments of the Brockdorff circle have seen unregulated building development in the 1980s. A proposal for a playground and sport facilities which was rejected by MEPA twice was even considered by the cabinet in 2001. It was ultimately rejected
In 2004, a carob tree was illegally uprooted from this site. The site is currently managed by Heritage Malta but the buffer zone around it falls under the authority of the Superintendent of Cultural Heritage.
Squatters and denied access
Over the years undesirable types have illegally occupied a number of historical sites. The Delimara Fort and Bingemma are typical examples. Heritage Malta informed MaltaToday that it is working with the Lands Department to secure these two sites. “In fact Heritage Malta has just signed a lease agreement for Fort Delimara.”
Another site, which has attracted squatters, is the Rihama Battery, also known as Desclausaux or Tal-Franciz in St Thomas Bay. The Knights of St John built this fort around 1714. Unfortunately it is in a sad state of dilapidation.
The founder of the Ramblers Association Lino Bugeja mentions a number of historical sites in the Maltese countryside which have been expropriated from the public. A case in point is Ras ir-Raheb in Fomm ir-Rih in Bahrija. Roman remains on this site have been documented since the time of Malta’s first official historian, Gan Frangisk Abela.
“In June 2004 I was visiting this site with friends. On that occasion we were threatened by someone claiming that we were trespassing on his property.”
Following this Bugeja wrote to the Lands Department. On 7th January 2005 he received an intriguing letter in which the Lands Department informed him that the land in question was being expropriated. According to this letter the process had started back in 1975 when Government Notice 498 was issued. Thirty years later this site is still considered as private property because the expropriation has not been finalised.
Former Wirt Artna public relations officer Steve Borg believes that special attention should be given to vernacular architecture which is an intrinsic part of our landscape. “I think that is high time that we have a national inventory that lists the various forms of vernacular expressions that exist in Malta.”
Untapped Potential
The tourist potential of our historical monuments is often mentioned. Yet a number of historical sites are still not even marked by information boards. The cart ruts in San Gwann are a typical example. These cart ruts are merely surrounded by an ugly fence. Inside the fence the cart ruts are not even visible as grass and wilderness cover them.
On the other hand Heritage Malta’s sites and museums are marked by information boards at the entrance. The sites and museums, which are opened on a daily basis, have a number of information and interpretation panels, which Heritage Malta is continually seeking to enhance. Steve Borg notes that there is growing need to upgrade sign-posting to heritage sites, and to increase interpretation panels. He also laments that the Maltese language is not used in these panels. “There is an allergy to the Maltese language in most sites, as if our language is an epidemic.”
Although historical sites are all around us no comprehensive list of all historical sites in the Maltese islands exists. This makes protecting historical sites even more problematic. Martin Scicluna laments that “a proper inventory is long overdue. But the Superintendent of Cultural Heritage who is responsible for drawing this up is sorely under-resourced.”
The Culture Ministry told MaltaToday that “the superintendence is responsible for the compilation of a list of all historical sites in Malta and Gozo.” Heritage Malta said that there are two official lists of historical sites in Malta and Gozo.
One of these is found in the Protection of Antiquities Regulations issued way back in 1932 with subsequent amendments made in 1935 and 1939. The other official list is that published by MEPA. This list consists of scheduled archaeological and architectural monuments.
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