Undocumented network of tunnels discovered

francis falzon

Mar 2nd 2009, 20:53

This is no'relevation' since a through survey was done in the 60's involving all the Government departments. There is another City underground. Where are all the documents stored ? This is what the journalist should investigate first.

Astrid Vella

Mar 1st 2009, 21:57

@Antoine Vella. It’s great that so many people have now provided information about Knights’ period tunnels in and around Valletta, but far from our role being artistic licence, as you allege, the fact remains that at the time of the Ministry meeting we were repeatedly told “The studies prove that there is absolutely nothing under the square”. And yes, until FAA pointed out the existence of the studies, the plans we were shown depicted a total clearance of the area up to one storey down.

Similarly there is every reason to imagine that the same studies might have produced the same results under St John’s Street,with equal risks for the passages there. It is to the Ministry’s credit that they showed an immediate readiness to change plans once they became aware of the passages, an openness to consider civil society’s voice that one hopes to see at every level of government dealing.

Your slanderous words towards FAA are simply a reflection of your hatred of a group that works hard to save Malta’s heritage and fights for environmental justice even if it means speaking out against the status quo. Such slanders discredit no one but yourself.

George Farrugia

Mar 1st 2009, 20:48

I hope the authorities have more information about the extensive tunnel system that exist underneath all valletta... then the architects in charge of digging St. George's Sqr up seem to have.... one of these tunnels leads into CASTILLE itself..... Friends of mine working on the demolition of THE TIMES premises in preparation for the construction of the current edifice - had advised that they had discovered such tunnels during their work. Police contacts of mine confirmed this at the time/ They advised ,that when called to investigate where these tunnels from The Times building lead to, they spent many hours going through a maze of tunnels going practically underneath all the city. This seemed to confirm what my Lyceum histroy lecturer - Mr. Gruppetta, used to teach us about the extensive tunnelling system from each auberge in the city going down to Il-Mandragg.. which were inteded for last resort use in case of enemy managing to get control of the city.

Philip Grech

Mar 1st 2009, 12:41

I would have expected the Where's Everybody team to come forward and tell the government about the tunnels. After all, if I am not mistaken, a few years ago, they did a whole program complete with film footage about these tunnels. Where's Everybody, where are you?

Joseph Schembri

Mar 1st 2009, 09:11

As boys in the 1980's we used to enter Manoel island and go exploring underground tunnels and halls. Some of the halls were quite big and I remember seeing a pile of what looked like torpedoes (Probably they were just some torpedo shaped pipes). I do not know how the Manoel Island project is going to take care of that amazing underground network.

If I remember correctly there was even a newspaper article at the time about this underground network and allegations of satanic rituals occurring there. I knew then that it was nonsense - it was just other young people who sprayed demonic symbols on the walls to scare away people like us.

Bernard J Schranz

Feb 28th 2009, 19:31

@AntoineVella. To go on the attack at Astrid Vella simply shows your lack of acknowledgment for the lady's work, energies, time and dedication for which all Malta should be appreciative. It is not whether FAA knew about this tunnel in the first place which is of importance but the fact that whereas half Malta and their mother knew about it, the government seems to have been oblivious to its existence !!! Yet through FAA's insistence and supporting docs, we now know the truth !!! As for FAA, well done yet again for coming to Malta's cultural heritage/environment rescue. Well done Astrid and FAA.

Joe Xuereb (London UK)

Feb 28th 2009, 15:43

@ Astrid Vella. Keep up the good work Astrid. Anybody with an average grasp of comprehending written English should follow what you are saying with no difficulty. On the other hand, anybody with less than average...............oh! I can't be bothered.

Arthur Ellul

Feb 28th 2009, 09:45

these tunnels have long been known to exist. Some friends of mine had entered these tunnels trailing the underground water system from the turretta in sta venera up to wignacourt tower in Strada san Gaetano, hamrun, then leading by gravity to Sarria in Floriana. there were even treaded wheels, like sienja, that pumped the water along these canals. Thesefriends were scouters, and took part in the duke of Edinburgh award. they entered from the old railway station in Hamrun, which were thegardens of Palazzo Blacass, now the little sisters of the poor, and existed from the crown horns ditch and ramparts below floriana, and came across the tunnels mentioned by JR Aquilina below.

It was a daring experience. I know the names if anyone is interested.

Joe Xuereb

Feb 28th 2009, 08:54

This is great news. My father told me about such tunnels under Valletta and, the boy that I was, I bombarded him with questions. It's a boy thing. In his enthusiasm to shut me up, he told me there was a tunnel from the Palace to Marsamxett for the Grand Master's quick getaway if he need to. It backfired on my dad. More questions. Maybe his imagination was being over fertile but that the tunnels' existence was common knowledge is fact. Subsequently, these wonderful stories became my boyhood thought history. Until now. Now I am getting all excited all over again. It's a boy thing.
If there is one tunnel there could be any number. After all the Knights were master-builders (proof abounds) and - I am no geologist - the rock is very workable. The conclusion is obvious. For this reason, bulldozers have tread with bedroom slippers. Get it!

James A. Tyrrell

Feb 27th 2009, 22:18

As I tourist I know that there are tunnels under Valletta. Have I seen maps? No I haven’t seen maps but who in their right minds would build a fortified city without being able to navigate through the city underground? Proving that underground passages and chambers exist is not what is required. What is required is a complete survey to once and for all map out the location of these.

You accuse Ms. Vella of ‘artistic licence that you apply so often to the truth.’ Are you accusing the lady of lying? Have you proof of this or is it just an assumption on your part as usual? You seem to talk the same rubbish as Daphne. Why don’t the pair of you just grow up and get a life?

Antoine Vella

Feb 27th 2009, 20:01

Astrid Vella Even on this website, scores of people are saying that they knew about the existence pf the galleries under St George's Sq.. The coordinator of the Valletta Rehabilitation Project mentioned "ħafna għidut" which prompted them to look for passages so your claim that if it wasn't for FAA they would never have known about them is another artistic licence that you apply so often to the truth. It's not your critics but your own words, your 'exaggerations', that cause you to lose credibility. Meanwhile you are now confirming that any similar structure under St John's Sq. would have easily been found had proper investigations been carried out.

I Abela

Feb 27th 2009, 19:50

It is amazing how the authorities claim that they didn't know anything about the passages. When I was still at school, I had done a 'project' about the Knight's Infrastructure for my environmental studies exam. I had a map of the tunnels at Valletta, a map of the tunnels at Fort Manoel (which were later enlarged by the british to accomodate fuel and ammo) and various other documentation, including the existance of a tunnel from Fort Manoel to Valletta, just a few metres from the Royal Malta Yacht Club. I obtained this documentation from some books at the National Library at Belt is-Sebh. So if this kind of documentation is available freely to the general public, than one must assume that the authorities possess much more detailed information. Ma noqodux induru mal-Lewza please. Excavation in Valletta should be made ILLEGAL.

Peter McDonald

Feb 27th 2009, 18:36

People should tread carefully. Not that long ago from a shop in lower Valletta one could walk up to Strada Pia (Melita Street) and it had marks of where one is. Some wells can be climbed down with a rope ladder till one gets to a side entry that takes in these tunnells. The one mentioned from Manoel Island goes up to the Grand Harbour and when enemy action destroyed part of Archbishop Street not far from the Main Guard, a small wooden boat was discovered in a sort of underground canal. People quickly covered it all up with rubble because of superstition.

Joseph R Aquilina

Feb 27th 2009, 17:56

As some of respondents below report, these tunnels are not completelyy unknown. When OPM moved to Castille in early 1972 stories abounded of a tunnel linking Castille to the Palace. I had also heard of a similar underground passage linking the Manoel Theatre to the Palace. Work on a fuel tank farm extension project sometime in 1995/1996 at the ex-MOBC site, off Spencer Hill, Marsa, revealed several tunnels, presumed to be escape routes for the Knight's garrison in Valletta, came to light. These were a marvel of engineering and mining, with tunnels criss-crossing one another at different depths, while avoiding meeting or interesecting one another. The mouths of these tunnels can still be seen behind the oil tanks at the Enemalta ex-MOBC facility. Also sometime in 1992 - 1994 some venture scouts had gone potholing into what they believed to be a well on Manoel Island. To their amazement they plotted progress as taking them to a calculated point roughly mid-way undersea betwen Valletta and Manoel Island, at which point they could not proceed further because of a major rock fall. These stories can be checked and possibly verified. Malta has a legacy that we still have to appreciate.

L..Galea

Feb 27th 2009, 17:49

adrian borg cardona

Feb 27th 2009, 16:50

Well done once again FAA for pointing out these tunnels to the authorities. I wonder whether without your assistance, the authorities would have bulldozed the Square? Astrid, do not take notice of the politically motivated scribblers: they write to push their own personal interests and not those of our Nation. Be prepared for the next battle to save Ramla L-Hamra because, contrary to what Simon Busuttil said to the European Commission, this is still very much on the cards.

Doreen Sammut

Feb 27th 2009, 16:49

I agree 100 % with Ray Bondin. Many people are already aware of the tunnels underneath Valletta. I have been in such a tunnel which starts from the former Casa Rocca Grande and leads towards the Palace. I strongly believe that this forms part of the same complex of tunnels originating from different palaces built by the Knights all leading to the Palace.

Astrid Vella

Feb 27th 2009, 16:27

@Antoine Vella are you now going to the ridiculous length of blaming FAA for anything a supporter might say, as part of the orchestrated effort to discredit FAA? The fact remains that this system of tunnels was not known of by the authorities until FAA brought it to their attention, and it is to their credit that they acted on our information immediately.

The other undeniable fact is that these studies that did not reveal the network 3 feet under the street, are the very same systems that, it was claimed by the experts in favour of the underground museum, would show up a rock crack at a depth of four storeys!

As for the ‘unlikely event that anything similar exists” in St John’s Square, in your haste to rubbish FAA you are failing to do your homework. The Foundation architect’s own plans showed the existence of some of these tunnels, however some were missing from the plans and if we only relied on such studies they were consequently at risk too.

Instead of trying to be destructive as usual, why not celebrate a successful state-NGO cooperation that could lead to a wonderful heritage project.

J.Tonna

Feb 27th 2009, 14:55

Yesterday, former MLP minister Joe Grima said that Dom Mintoff had shown him a volume of plans of all the tunnels under Valletta. I understand that these are still available. Why don't all Ministers have a look at them before they decide to do something similar?

Tony Marsh

Feb 27th 2009, 13:15

In the last years of the British services' presence in Malta we used to have "parties" in a tunnel between Manoel Island and Valletta which opened up onto a fairly large underground "hall", big enough to hold a couple of hundred people. Does anyone else remember this place ?

J. Grima

Feb 27th 2009, 13:05

@A.Charles I'm sorry but you must be confusing me for someone else. I have never spoken to Mr. Dom Mintoff. Must be something sharing my same name.

A.Charles

Feb 27th 2009, 12:22

Yesterday on this same website,Mr.J. Grima said that he was shown by Mr. Dom Mintoff a book with details of these tunnels. It would make intersesting viewing when it is found. I do not believe that no records are available of these tunnels and if I am not mistaken, Architect Edward Said based his thesis on these tunnels.

Antoine Vella

Feb 27th 2009, 12:11

This episode shows how unfounded were the accusations by FAA that government wants to "bulldoze" Valletta, as one of their supporters put it: public projects in Valletta are invariably carried out with care and professionalism. Just as the tunnels under St George's Sq were discovered relatively easily, other structures under St John's Sq, could just as easily have been found, in the unlikely event that anything similar existed there.

dusty williams

Feb 27th 2009, 12:11

This confirms that the government has been asleep all these years "not knowing whats down there" jahassra, miskin. Xi hsibtuni babbu jew. Ask Dom Mintoff maybe he knows better. Sure he does! What a waste of a government! the only thing he is good at is how to win elections fullstop.

a attard

Feb 27th 2009, 11:52

There are is an impressive maze of tunnels / shelters (not sure what they are) on Manuel Island too. Not sure if they are from the Knights or British era. Pity they cannot are not being utilized as an attraction.

TONY ABELA

Feb 27th 2009, 11:26

hANDS OFF vALLETTA FOR ANY BIG PROJECT WHICH REQUIRES SCAVATIONS, AT LEAST BEFORE THE GOVERNMENT OR THE AUTHORITIES EITHER MAKE THE NECESSARY RESEARCH TO FIND OLD DOCUMENTATION OR IN THE ABSENCE OF ANY DOCUMENTATION, THEY SHOULD IMMEDIATELY GET SOME MONEY FROM EU TO MONITOR AND SKETCH ALL WHAT IS BENEATH OUR WORLD HERITAGE CITY.

CAN WE DO SOMETHING PROFESSIONAL IN MALTA?

Frans Sammut

Feb 27th 2009, 11:19

@Dusty Williams
You must have some connection or other with the British services. Myself, I learnt of the existence of this Valletta underground maze about 40 years ago from a British serviceman. When he told me about it he was assuming that I knew of its existence too. When I replied I did not, he was amazed (no pun intended). What I knew at the time was that during the reign of the Order of St John, no Maltese could cross that square (above the ground that is) unless in possession of a special permit, the fine print on which suggested that holders should make use of same sparingly. And mind you, these holders were not Cikka ta' Zeza but the ancestors of our noblemen whose surnames still evince the high places they allegedly held in Maltese society in bygne days.

T. Grima

Feb 27th 2009, 11:01

Note 1:
With regard to St George's Square and St John's Co-Cathedral issues:
Hands off with any projects in Valletta that need underground rock excavation.

Note 2:
Immediate priority: Let us document all sub-terrainean networks/interventions (with all available sophisticated equipment) in this unique historical city.

Note 3:
Let us treasure what we already possess as we are not yet aware of the extent of hidden underground (historical) interventions.

J Grima

Feb 27th 2009, 10:59

Oh why does everyone get so tense every time a historic discovery is made.

And J.Borg how exactly has MEPA got to do with what the Knights of St.John built? And no, no one is oblivious of the fact that there's an underground network of tunnels in Valletta. We are just seeing them for the first time, and I, for one, think that this is all very interesting.

K Spiteri

Feb 27th 2009, 10:47

The tunnel Network beneath Valletta can be converted into a multi-use underground city. Some ideas which come to mind are: Shopping centre, Entertainment Venues, Art Galleries, Cultural Spots, Film Facilities, Catering Establishments, Indoor Sports Facilities, etc etc.

The Network is vast enough to make cater for all these facilities.

So why don't we build 2 cities at one go? Smartcity and Underground City? I'm sure that the Maltese people will be proud with the latter for sure.

J.Borg

Feb 27th 2009, 10:33

Aren't MEPA applications supposedly endorsed by Architects?
Is anyone awarded with the professional warrant, oblivious of the fact that there's an underground network in Valletta?
Do we know what the term 'responsibility' really means?

Ramon Casha

Feb 27th 2009, 10:21

Would it be possible to use modern technology, such as ground-penetrating radar, to try to construct a map of what lies underground in Valletta? Who knows what surprises that might throw up?

J.Borg

Feb 27th 2009, 10:18

We should take advantage of these tunnels and make them as a tourist attraction.

In France they advertise the sewers as a tourist attraction....this i think is much better.

Mario Tabone-Vassallo

Feb 27th 2009, 09:57

Min tassew ihobb u jinteressa ruhu f'pajjizu ilu jaf li fil-Belt hemm hafna passaggi li donnhom kienu jghaqqdu palazzi ewlenin u fil-fatt uhud kienu blukkaw id-dahla fil-propjeta taghhom fl-ahhar ghexieren ta' snin. Il-hasra li sa issa ghadu qatt ma kellna bis-setgha mehtiega lil hadd li tassew jifhem u japprezza bizzejjed il-wirt taghna biex inharsuh. Talinqas bdejna

dusty wiliams

Feb 27th 2009, 09:56

Discovered last Tuesday?????

Did'nt you know whats underneath that square? Didnt they know that here were tunnels allover the place underneath that square?
I knew a long long time ago.

Ray Bondin

Feb 27th 2009, 09:50

All this reconfirms what I have been saying in years. There is no doubt that the Square contains various undergroudn elements which goes to show how wrong it is to go in for projects and present a MEPA application before even all the necessary research has been done. The above reconfirms that the application submitted ignored completly important heritage issues which is not what si expected of an office that acts as Curator of this World Heritage city.
What the above ignores however are the other finds that have been found, that is the remains of the water system that fed the central fountain in the square and which celebrated the arrival of water to Valletta and other elements.
There are various other elements that the Heritage Advisory Committee have insisted upon before the project is undertaken such as the mapping of tunnels that we knwo exist [and which were used as shelters in the water] that start of from the pavement in front of the Palace.

L..Galea

Feb 27th 2009, 09:45

Is this a surprise?
I have been hearing of how tunnels connect the Palace, Castille and other Auberges with each other since I was a child.
Also that there are tunnels under the sea leading from Fort St Elmo to Fort St Angelo and possible Senglea and Fort Ricasoli but that have been damaged during the war.
I was told that some time ago the AFM tried to empty the water from one of the suspected tunnels at Fort St Elmo, but however much they tried with several pumps the water level did not decrease.
Can this be confirmed and whether something can be done to try and find out whether such tunnels exist and whether they can be repaired?

jcmicallef

Feb 27th 2009, 09:35

Let's turn them into an art gallery.

Better still, convert them into St. John's Cathedral museum!!!