Tunnel to be reopened after 60 years
A rock-hewn World War II tunnel linking Castille and the Auberge D’Italie will be open tomorrow for Notte Bianca after being sealed off for almost 60 years.
Built by the British, the maze of tunnels and shelters was intended to offer protection from the Luftwaffe. The tunnel, which will be open for viewing tomorrow and named Shelter 216, starts in the historic vaults of Castille, the Prime Minister’s office, and leads to Auberge D’Italie in Merchants Street.
Architect Edward Said, an expert on the underground spaces in Valletta, explained that it was probably built in 1941 and sealed off in the early 1950s.
The vaults and tunnel will be opened to the public for tomorrow’s annual Notte Bianca event for the third year running – with a new section made accessible every year.
Sealed for almost six decades, workers removed six truckloads of soil and rubble from the blocked-off entrance in Merchants Street.
The thick stone walls are etched with initials of the stone masons who cut through them. Strangely, there are also some swastikas along with sketches, dates and messages. There is still a switch for the Rediffusion radio that used to broadcast the air-raid warnings and sirens with its four-pin socket.
Tiny stalactites cover the ceilings, lamps and pipes while a few stalagmites can be seen on the stone floors – water trickling through the rock, over the years. Mr Said emphasised the importance of not touching these and the debris on the floor as they probably dated back to the war.
The public can visit between 8pm and 1pm. There will be a short talk by Mr Said every 30 minutes. People who suffer from claustrophobia should be careful because of the closed space and slippery stairs.
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Rod Simpson
Oct 1st 2012, 04:53
Stories like this hold a fascination for me in New Zealand. My Father commanded the 10th Submarine Flotilla from the Lazaretto throughout the Siege. He writes in his book 'Periscope View' (published in 1972) that in the height of the bombing in February 1942 he and his staff moved into a ..."sub rock heavy oil tank of about 10,000 tons capacity about 80 yards from the Lazaretto and ...............'the floor was not level and several tons of oil and water lay in pools.....................'the officers disposessed of their cabins moved into this stinking cavern and prayed it would not receive a direct hit. The tank itself was empty but the stench of oil pervaded everything...........'furniture was brought down the 30 steps to the cavern floor to the dry spots and boards led across the the glutinious slush to them".
For the next 2 months this became the nerve centre for the submarines operating from Malta.
I am aware of Midi Malta's plans to refurbish the Lazaretto but I do wonder whether there is anyone in Malta today who knows precisely where this oil tank is located and whether it is accessible .
Rod Simpson
Colin Attard
Sep 29th 2012, 18:42
Well done, I hope there will be someone capable of restoring the interesting British era electrical lighting installation. Previous restorations and restorers made a mess of these early electrical installations and never thought these where an integral part of most historical places.
John Briffa
Sep 28th 2012, 22:33
Visiting hours from 8pm to 1pm I understand. Wouldn't it better for Mr Said to record his info and play it back every 30 mins instead of losing sleep. This must be very interesting.
Mark. Galea
Sep 28th 2012, 12:26
It will soon be used by JM when after 2 years of PL rule, he will apply for a bailout.
Brian Farrugia
Sep 30th 2012, 09:30
It should be used by other people to hide their shame!
Anthony A. Mifsud
Sep 28th 2012, 10:17
This will ease the traffic! u ejja
Joe Felice-Pace
Sep 28th 2012, 10:13
I was actually built at that time. Louis Agius, Head of the Demolition and Clearance Department, was at the time a 'refugee' at our home in Ħamrun and sometimes used to tell us what his men were doing.
Lawrence Fenech
Sep 28th 2012, 10:09
Well done for the historic tunnel to be enjoyed by the maltese and the tourists. The catastrophe is the entrance to valletta a heritage distroyed by Gonzi and a foreigner who should have know better about the history of our City built by the Knights of Malta.
Joseph John Camilleri
Sep 28th 2012, 12:42
Can you please, for once, leave politics out of this.
Pule' Carmel
Sep 28th 2012, 10:01
When young I walked through such underground tunnels under Vittoriosa to under Xaghara ta Bormla going down to Number one Dock almost. There was a substation and lateral rooms where families slept, they were full of crystal clear water. Silence was absolute. It is a part of our History that probably ony I know about!
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