The rooms forming the harbour fire command complex at the very top of Fort St Elmo will be open to the public as of Saturday, Heritage Malta said.

Built in 1938 as World War II loomed, the complex at Fort St Elmo was designed to coordinate artillery defences within forts along Malta's north-eastern coast. 

It includes several rooms, each with a specific function. Although built high on top of the fort’s cavalier in order to cover the largest area possible, all efforts were made to hide it from view.

Photo: Heritage Malta

The structure was constructed out of reinforced concrete and comprised a chart room, a telephone room, a fortress observation post, a fire command post, and an officer-commanding electric lights room.

The harbour fire command remained in use until 1956, when coastal defence was abolished. Between 1949 and 1951, Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) would visit the complex to wave to her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, while he was serving on Royal Naval ships based in Malta.

Besides the harbour fire command, a visit to Fort St Elmo is now also enhanced by an immersive experience at the ground floor level, where visitors are transported back in time through 3D projections on the walls that recount the history of Fort St Elmo’s cavalier, HM said.

Photo: Heritage Malta