Significant progress has been made in the restoration of the spectacular Fort St Elmo at the tip of the Valletta peninsula..

The €15.5 million project, launched last year by the Grand Harbour Regeneration Corporation in collaboration with Heritage Malta, is being funded (85 per cent) by the European Regional Development Fund.

What is commonly referred to as Fort St Elmo actually consists of the fort, Carafa Enceinte (the outer parts of the fort) and Lower St Elmo (where parts of the 1978 film Midnight Express were filmed).

The project incorporates Fort St Elmo and the Carafa Enceinte.

Infrastructure Minister Joe Mizzi and Parliamentary secretary for EU funds Ian Borg toured the project today.

Officials explained that the work on Fort St Elmo is expected to be completed by April 2014. Works on the enceinte should be wrapped up by the end of next year.

Parts of the fort are currently as hive of activity and the bastions of the knights and the more recent military architecture of the British forces are cleaned and restored.

The fort will include a military history museum.

There will be a timed show of the history of the fortifications as well as a depiction of how Fort St Elmo operated during World War II, when its gunners fended off an attempt by Italian motor torpedo boats to enter Grand Harbour.

Military vehicles which are currently in reserve collections will also be brought over to the fort to be exhibited.

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