The Ggantija Temples are offering an enhanced visitor experience with the help o a €200,000 investment by the Vodafone Malta Foundation.
The Vodafone Ggantija Project incorporates two new lightweight walkways which will now take visitors straight into the heart of the temples. The project also includes an interactive digital and virtual tour of Ggantija.
The temples have been decked out with an environmental monitoring station which measures exposure to environmental elements and the site has been made safer with the installation of a remote security system. The number of visitors to Ggantija in 2010 reached 142,483 and in the first four months of this year Ggantija had the highest visitor numbers for all Heritage Malta sites, amounting to 44,436.
Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono said during a visit this morning that the Vodafone Ggantija Project will continue to strengthen government's endeavours to restore and conserve Gozo's rich cultural heritage.
Another project which the Ministry for Gozo intends to implement through the ERDF programme relates to a conservation plan and the founding of the Ggantija Archaeological Park that will include an equipped Visitors' Centre allowing for a collection of prehistoric remains to be permanently exhibited close to where such remains were found.
"Our historical heritage has never been given as much attention as it is being given today," she said.
Parliamentary Secretary Mario De Marco said that placed on everyone a responsibility towards present and future generations.
"This is a responsibility which not only the public sector through Heritage Malta is committed to, but we are today witnessing the private sector's commitment towards our heritage...
"This demonstrates that public-private partnership can be effective, and that the private sector is committed to contribute towards the restoration, maintenance and embellishment of our cultural heritage."
Heritage Malta has been reaching out for active synergies with various entities to help in the continuous effort of supervising, preserving, understanding better and ultimately marketing Malta's historic sites. The Vodafone Malta Foundation has been a collaborator for a number of years, allocating funds for the conservation of heritage sites and other ventures.
The Ggantija temples were erected around 3500BC and are reputed to be among the very first free standing structures in the world.. There are two adjacent temples, the southern one on the left having had part of its wall removed to allow the northern one to be built up against it.