The European Parliament Liaison Office held a widely-attended event of Fort St. Angelo in collaboration with Heritage Malta. The aim of the event was to raise awareness on how EU funds are used, with particular reference to the enormous restoration work carried out at Fort St. Angelo.
An introductory video by Heritage Malta kicked off the morning, where the audience were taken through the history of Fort St. Angelo and the state it was left in after the British forces left Malta in 1979. The initial talks were then followed by three simultaneous private tours offered in either English or Maltese.
The video and the physical tours focused in particular on how ERDF Funds were utilised in practise for the restoration of the fortification walls, the barracks and the Egmont Hall. The passage to the Sally Port was also rehabilitated and an interpretation centre and cinema hall were created.
The First Documentation of Fort St. Angelo was provided in 1241 by Giliberto Abate where Castrum Maris was mentioned. The Fort developed as a strategic defence point, particularly for the Knights of St. John during the Siege of Malta in 1565 and in 1800 it became a base for the 35th regiment of the British military. In 1912 it was know as HMS Egmont and later HMS St Angelo. In the years following 1979, projects to develop the Fort as a tourism resort were advanced. In 2007, the Maltese Government entrusted Fort St. Angelo to Heritage Malta to manage for restoration. In 2010, Heritage Malta developed as assessment plan and a basic financial estimate for restoration. In May 2011, an application for EU funding on the basis of the European Regional Development Fund was submitted. The goal was to make the fortress accessible and to ensure preservation as a tourist site for future and present generations.
The event, which was attended by a hundred-strong audience, was followed by a light and networking lunch.
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