POINTS FROM SPEECH DELIVERED BY THE HON. DR. FRANCIS ZAMMIT DIMECH, MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, ON THE OCCASION OF THE LAUNCHING OF THE PUBLICATION: Fortresses of the Knights

The Minister for the Environment Dr Francis Zammit Dimech said that the fortresses of the Knights of St John form part of our history and of our heritage. Our capital city Valletta, Floriana, the Cottonera lines, forts and fortifications scattered all over Malta and Gozo were mostly built by the Knights.

The Minister for the Environment said that the research carried out by Stephen Spiteri, enhanced by illustrations and drawings, which were later collected in a book, are a gold mine of information which serious researchers and lovers of military architecture should obtain.

Dr Francis Zammit Dimech quoted from Professor's Quentin Hughes Forward to another book by Stephen Spiteri, Fortresses of the Cross which was published in 1994, and which was acclaimed as one of the most important books on military architecture to have been written in the last century. Professor Hughes wrote that "the history of the Knights is a history of fortifications. That is why this book is so important, for it is the first comprehensive attempt to explain and assess the total military achievement in the construction of fortresses by this remarkable body of men.

They exerted a profound influence over many generations on the development of defensive warfare." Professor Quentin Hughes added that "Stephen Spiteri has the ability to encapsulate this extraordinary contribution, both in words and in pictures. His drawings are an integral part of the thesis, each capable of contributing a mine of information for which, to cover adequately, most authors would need pages of written text."

The Minister for the Environment said that this new book, The Fortresses of the Knights, is not merely the second edition of The Fortresses of the Cross as it includes new additional material of the castles and fortifications built by the knights of St John in the Holy Land, Rhodes and the Dodecanese, the Maltese islands and Tripoli.

Dr Francis Zammit Dimech said that the vast heritage of forts and fortifications in our islands must be maintained, restored and managed. He noted that the Restoration Unit within the Construction and Maintenance Department of the Ministry for the Environment, established some years ago, in collaboration with the University of Bologna, a project of a technical structure including the provision of the methodological and operational back-up necessary for the programming and managing of Forts, Fortifications and Historic Buildings on a long term basis.

He said that this project, funded from the IVth Italo-Maltese Protocol, was divided in a number of distinct activities covering the fields of Historical Research, Photogrammetrical Restitution, Cataloguing, Deterioration Analysis and Project execution. Through the same Italian funding the Unit is also equipped with dedicated hardware and software and for the training of staff in the carrying out of photogrammetrical surveys of historic buildings.

Dr Francis Zammit Dimech said that another important initiative of this Unit is the aerial survey for the production of detailed survey sheets at a scale of 1:500 of the fortifications system. He said that these survey sheets are indispensable for the better understanding of fortifications which is vital for the correct execution of restoration projects. These detailed plans are a first for Malta. So far survey sheets of Mdina, Valletta and Floriana have been drawn. It is intended to continue with this project over the coming three years to cover also the Cottonera fortifications an the Citadel in Gozo.

The Minister for the Environment said that another initiative undertaken by the restoration Unit under the Forts, Fortifications and Historic Buildings project was the setting up of a dedicated GIS system for the formulation of a digital database of the fortifications and historic buildings of the Maltese islands. This includes photographs, maps and plans as well as state of the preservation and information of projects being executed.

Dr Francis Zammit Dimech said that with protocol funds better equipment was provided for maintenance works of the fortifications ramparts. Workers from the same unit are now equipped with two lightweight modular fully-equipped suspended platforms. These platforms are indispensable for the better maintenance of the fortifications.

The Minister for the Environment said that the setting up of the Restoration Unit with its professional staff of seven architects, six of which specialized in restoration, a Superintendent of Fortifications who is also a Military Architecture expert and who happens to be the same author of this book, Stephen Spiteri, an archaeologist, a team of draughtsmen and surveyors and a pool of technical staff and workmen was a huge step forward in the right direction. He said that the dedication of all the staff within this unit is a guarantee that the forts, fortifications and historic buildings of our island will not only be maintained but also restored to their pristine glory.

Minister Francis Zammit Dimech expressed his thanks to Stephen Spiteri for his contribution to our history and that of the Knights of Malta, as well as for his work as researcher, historian and Superintendent of fortifications. He expressed his desire that more people delve into Malta's seven thousand years of history to enhance further our heritage.