Historical remains have been uncovered during the restoration work that is currently underway on the Citadel fortification in Gozo’s capital.

The discovery includes the original arched entrance to the Citadel. It is believed that in front of the main entrance to the Citadel there was a small tunnel leading inside. This passage, partly cut in hard rocks and partly built and roofed, is thought be part of the defence planned with a type of wooden bridge, so that when the bridge was raised in case of attack by the enemy, there was still a way to gain access to the fortification.

These military features are a very important aspect of the defence of the Citadel, and have probably been blocked and buried under the narrow street since the mid-1800s. This is when extensive works were carried out to create better accessibility to the Citadel, leading to part of the ditch being blocked.

There are two tunnels (sally ports), one in front of the main entrance that leads inside the Citadel and another one facing it that takes you to the ditch, it is hoped that these two tunnels will be restored and opened to the public as a new attraction for visitors to the Citadel.

Both the tunnel and the passageway leading into the Citadel, were thought to have been constructed when they were rebuilding the walls of the fortifications in the early 17th century.

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