Wirt Għawdex ( en, Gozo Heritage) is a voluntary non-governmental organisation founded in 1981 with the aims of fostering the knowledge of Gozitan heritage amongst all levels of society and to strive to safeguard the natural, archaeological, historical and anthropological patrimony of the Maltese islands of

Gozo Gozo (, ), Maltese: ''Għawdex'' () and in antiquity known as Gaulos ( xpu, 𐤂𐤅𐤋, ; grc, Γαῦλος, Gaúlos), is an island in the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After t ...

and

Comino Comino ( mt, Kemmuna) is a small island of the Maltese archipelago between the islands of Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of ...

History

Since the early seventies, there has been a continuous attempt to safeguard the historical sites on Gozo and Comino. Anton Spiteri, and a group of other Gozitan people, wanted to highlight the dilapidated state of the Citadel and put an aim to protect it. Initially, the conservation work was concentrated to the Citadel and the name of the organization was initially ''Il-Belt il-Qadima'' ( mt, The Old City). The first project was the restoration of the old St Joseph’s Chapel, which was ready just before St Joseph’s feast in 1974. The work was managed by T. Mercieca, and a plaque commemorates the restoration and re-inauguration. Other projects included the cleaning of the old clock, clearing weeds from the

fortifications A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

, maintenance of the cannons on the defensive parapets, and the renovation of the

Old Prison The Old Prison is located in the Citadel of Victoria, Gozo, adjacent to the Courts of Justice to which it was originally connected. Today, the prison complex is divided into two different buildings: the entrance hall, which had been a common cell i ...

. Later, the organization expanded their interest to works beyond the Citadel, covering Gozo and

. At a committee meeting, on 6 July 1981, the decision was made to broaden the scope of work, and to change the official name to reflect the changes. The name ''Wirt Għawdex'' was chosen among members alone and the organization has kept the name ever since.

Sites

Wirt Għawdex has the following sites under its care : *Gunpowder Magazine, Silos, World War II shelters & Battery,

Cittadella (Gozo) The Cittadella ( mt, Iċ-Ċittadella), also known as the Castello ( mt, Il-Kastell), is the citadel of Victoria on the island of Gozo, Malta. The area has been inhabited since the Bronze Age, and the site now occupied by the Cittadella is belie ...

Mġarr ix-Xini Tower Mġarr ix-Xini Tower ( mt, Torri ta' Mġarr ix-Xini) is the largest of the coastal watchtowers that the Knights of Malta erected on the island of Gozo. It watches over the entrance to the bay of Mġarr ix-Xini, limits of Għajnsielem, which lie ...

Santa Cecilia Chapel The St Cecilia Chapel ( mt, Il-Kappella ta' Santa Ċeċilja or ''ta' Santa Ċilja'') is a former Roman Catholic chapel in the limits of Xewkija, Gozo, Malta, dedicated to Saint Cecilia. It was built in around 1540, but it was deconsecrated in 164 ...

*Dar il-Gvernatur

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wirt Ghawdex Nature conservation organisations based in Europe Cultural organisations based in Malta Gozo 1981 establishments in Malta