Letters to the editor - July 11, 2026

Our industrial heritage

Vincent Cassar, president of the Malta Industrial Heritage Association, writes:

It was with pleasure to note the article by Mgr Joseph Vella Gauci (‘Beyond the bastions: our responsibility’, July 6) and to acknowledge the excellent work being done to safeguard our heritage and preserve it for our future generations.

Likewise, the editorial (‘A welcome boost for heritage restoration’, July 6) was most welcome as it brought out again the importance of restoration and preservation.

In his article, Vella Gauci wrote that “heri­tage does not exist in a vacuum”. Indeed, it does not. But are we taking care of all those instances that make up our heritage?

When we talk of heritage, we always seem to think of the obvious, such as our architectural heritage, the neolithic and baroque periods, etc. Little do we think of our industrial heritage and the work and toils of our forefathers, which are an important part of who we are as a nation today. We also need to think “beyond the bastions” as this is also “our responsibility”.

A steam boiler restored by the Malta Industrial Heritage Association and now exhibited at the University of Malta Campus, Msida.

The Malta Industrial Heritage Association (MIHA – VO 2387) was set up on June 8, 2022. The main aim of the association is to raise awareness among the public about the importance of industrial heritage and to promote public access to such industrial heritage. This is done through the preservation, restoration and rehabilitation of machinery, buildings and other objects of industrial heritage importance, in-situ, wherever possible.

MIHA also supports research in Malta’s industrial heritage and industrial history.

UNESCO defines heritage thus: heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heri­tage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration.

MIHA’s ultimate aim is to establish a Malta interactive industrial heritage museum, which should serve as an educational interactive venue not only for the appreciation of the past and future industrial development of the islands for the younger generation but also to serve as a hands-on educational experience.

We have already lost a lot of our industrial heritage.

Let us save what is left.