Our heritage… monument to the past or stagnating relic?

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Fort St. Angelo. The site has been host to a military site of some sort of another since Arab times (9th century AD), the current structure dating back to the rule of the Knights of St. John (16th century AD). It has survived the Ottoman Empire and two world wars, but it seems as though it won’t survive the neglect that has befallen it. September 2009 saw the site’s closure due to cracks in its structure which were deemed hazardous to the public. Restoration efforts are still underway, and the site remains closed to the public. This is not the only archaeological site in the Maltese Islands which is falling apart before our eyes. Fort St. Elmo made it onto the list of the world’s 100 most endangered sites in 2008, and it seems that restoration efforts are too little, too late. Will all of our architectural heritage be lost to vandalism, neglect and indifference?