Restoration work is currently under way on the outer north-westerly curtain walls of the Gozo Citadel.

The work, which is being funded by the Gozo Ministry, involves the consolidation of part of the fortified wall system (revetment), the reconstruction of a totally collapsed stretch of the same wall and the complete removal and replacement of highly weathered stone to allow, amongst other things, the reestablishment of original 17th century features.

Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono said the project proved how the government can better utilise its resources so that local heritage sites, such as the Citadel, can be maintained for the benefit of our cultural and tourism product.

She said that in recent years, the complete restoration of the Ravellin, the upgrading of inner areas, the regular cleaning of the bastion walls from damaging shrubs and plants, and the protection of endangered endemic flora, one of which is solely confined to the Gozo Citadel, found to grow on this site, had been carried out.

The Gozo Citadel is also benefiting from a Culture 2000 project, being carried out jointly by Malta, Sicily and Crete. The project, “Conservation and Integrated documentation of fortified Towns through Advanced Digital Elaboration Systems (Citadels)”, involves the creation of an IT database that gives detailed information on the Citadel fabric, including the fortified walls, the military architecture, buildings, open spaces and ruins, among other things. The information collected will serve as the basis for any management, conservation, and any other intervention needed at the Citadel.

The first phase of the Citadels project, the data collection exercise and the drafting of a 3D model of the 17th century entrance to the Citadel, has been carried out and a representative excerpt of the collected data can be seen at an exhibition displayed at the crafts centre within the Citadel, while a web-based information system that helps in the dissemination of the information collected is also under way.