At least two World War 2 shelters have been unraveled in Paola during separate works. Vigilante archeologist Conrad Neil Gatt played an important role to monitor the sites and pressure the authorities to conserve the sites and make them accessible to the public.
One of the shelters has been unraveled during works in the new public garden next to the prison (ฤ nien Toni Bezzina). You can view a video about it here.
Another more interesting and larger shelter has been unraveled near to Hypogeum, also in Paola in Nazzarenu Street (corner with Lampuka Street). This shelter was unraveled during private worksย at a residence in 2024 but the shelter was then also opened during by the public works department during road works. You can watch a lengthier video of the shelter here.
World War 2 shelters are not usually opened for the public because they are often interconnected with various buildings and have accessibility issues. However, they are also part of the national heritage and a lack of awareness about them enabled many developers to bury or damage such sites.
The underground shelters were used by the Maltese during the Second World War to take cover from enemy bombardments. In 1942 when bombardments were extensive, people spent a considerable amount of time in these tunnels
Below are photos related to the shelter near to the Hypogeum.
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