Fort Manoel, a monument to Malta’s baroque military architecture, has stood proudly overlooking Marsamxett Harbour since the early 18th century, yet few have had the opportunity to set foot inside this impressive fortress. As restoration work on this important landmark has now reached an advanced stage, Midi plc, the consortium responsible for the restoration, will be holding an open weekend to give the general public an opportunity to view the first phase of the restoration of the fort.

Fort Manoel was built by the Knights of St John to protect Valletta’s north-facing bastions from artillery fire from the ‘isoletto’ in Marsamxett Harbour. The first stone was laid in 1723 under the patronage of Portuguese Grand Master Manoel de Vilhena and the supervision of world-famous engineer Francois de Mondion, who would eventually be buried in the fort’s crypt.

While its defining characteristics survived the ravages of time, over the centuries Fort Manoel fell into disrepair, especially following the heavy and extensive aerial bombardment endured during World War II. Further damage was also inflicted during peacetime by vandals and souvenir-hunters, and by the end of the 20th century a derelict ruin was all that remained of this once proud and imposing fortress.

The Open Weekend will include scheduled tours around Fort Manoel, in both Maltese and English, as well as an exhibition of the fort’s history and other related activities.

One of the highlights of this event will be a series of lectures about the history of the fort throughout the ages, the philosophy behind the restoration methodology and the processes utilized during the restoration project itself. These will be conducted by some of Malta’s top military historians and restoration experts and will take place in the Polverista of Fort Manoel on Saturday 31 October.

“During the course of the restoration we received numerous requests from individuals and organizations asking to visit the fort; sometimes these could be accommodated, and sometimes not, as it depended entirely on the state of work at the time. Now that the main structural interventions are complete, there is a short gap before work on the interior starts and we feel it would be an ideal opportunity to open the fort to those interested in viewing it. We also took the opportunity to invite classes of children from over 50 local schools, some of whom are planning lessons and projects on the subject of restoration. The added awareness that events like this create can only help the future of the many other historic sites and forts all over the island that are still in desperate need of repair,” said Midi CEO, Ben Muscat.

The revitalization of Fort Manoel is part of an extensive multi-million euro restoration project undertaken on both Manoel Island and Tigné Point by Midi plc. This mammoth restoration programme includes Fort Tigné, the Lazzaretto and other sites on Manoel Island, which are to be restored under the obligations in the lease agreement between Midi and the Government of Malta. Work on Fort Manoel is now at an advanced stage, with masonry work to most of the internal buildings and the parade ground now complete.

Visit www.midimalta.com/openweekend for more information.