What lies beneath Castille

The winding, vaulted chambers beneath the Auberge de Castille in Valletta, dating back to the 16th century, will reopen to the public during Notte Bianca on Saturday, exposing a new ­section.

Accessible from a tiny door in the main courtyard, visitors will be able to enjoy a larger part of the underground chambers than last year. Situated beneath the office of the Prime Minister, almost three quarters of the chambers will be open this year, allowing people to roam freely around the passages and rooms.

During the construction of the auberge in 1570, a series of chambers and passages in the subterranean vaults were hewn out of the rock and workers used the cut stone to build the structure as required by law.

An intricate network of channels was built, linking the rooftop to subterranean wells. There are at least six deep wells and connecting shafts with grapple holds that allowed workers to climb down for cleaning purposes.

The vaults reflect the passage of time and the adaptations made to the Auberge de Castille, starting from the time of the Knights of St John and carrying on with the British and World War II and now as the Prime Minister’s Office.

The British raised the height of the underground rooms, which were very low, by digging deeper into the ground, probably using jackhammers. They also built carefully labelled shelves to hold bottles of port and sherry.

During World War II, parts of the vaults were transformed into shelters but, as the attacks worsened, the British realised these were not enough. So passageways were cut deeper to connect to air raid shelters in buildings in the surrounding streets. These were sealed off after the war.

No guided tours will be organised for this year’s Notte Bianca event, allowing the public to walk freely with the help of a detailed leaflet on Castille’s history and heritage which can be picked up at the vault’s entrance.