Updated 8.53pm

Visitors thronged to Bighi this evening as the anticipated interactive science centre celebrated its grand opening. 

Three times as many visitors as organisers had originally expected showed up, making it necessary to control the flow of visitors through the exhibit areas to deal with the overwhelming demand. 

People were admitted on a first come, first served basis, a statement by the Malta Council for Science and Technology stated. 

The renovated complex now consists of several buildings and outdoor spaces, all interconnected following an extensive restoration and development process. The main exhibition halls and the landscaped gardens contain 250 exhibits. Moreover, there is an activity centre for visitors to experience hands-on workshops and science shows, making science relevant to our everyday lives.

The building houses science interactive hands-on exhibits, workshops and science shows. Teachers will now be able to offer a different learning experience for various parts of the curricula while hard-to-convey topics can be presented through specialised interactive materials and equipment.

At least 56 science shows and 256 hands-on science workshops will be held annually in the activity centre. The new science centre will host the screening of 618 planetarium shows. 

The €26 million project, the first of its kind in Malta, is hosted at the former Royal Navy Hospital and has taken almost two and a half years to complete. A total of €14.5 million of the funds came from the European Regional Development Fund.

Esplora is housed in a number of wings of the former Bighi Royal Naval Hospital and has a footprint of 22,000 meters squared.

In the past, the Royal Naval Hospital Bighi buildings, built in 1832, served the eastern Mediterranean in the 19th and 20th centuries. 

The centre will be under the responsibility of the Malta Council for Science and Technology under the chairmanship of Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando.

During the inauguration, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat also interacted with Zed, the nine-foot robot.

Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando and Joseph Muscat interacting with Zed.Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando and Joseph Muscat interacting with Zed.

 

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