Hypogeum Entry Should Be Free Of Charge For Maltese Citizens, Julie Zahra Proposes
Entry to the historic Hypogeum underground burial chamber should be cheaper or completely free of charge for Maltese citizens, PN MP Julie Zahra has proposed.
“Heritage Malta isn’t only there to cater for tourists but for the people of Malta too,” Zahra told Parliament this week during a debate on the financial estimates of the national heritage authority.
“However, we are becoming too populist and elitist and I am saying this because while many of our historic sites offer free entry, not all of them do.”
As an example, she cited the Hypogeum, a 6,000-year-old underground burial chamber in Tarxien that is renowned for its interconnected halls and chambers, sound effects and a trove of mysterious elongated skulls that was found there.
The Hypogeum is a UNESCO World Heritage site and its existence has sometimes also been used to theorise that Malta formed part of the lost city of Atlantis.
As it stands, entry to the Hypogeum costs €35 for adults older than 18, €20 for 12-17 year olds and 60+ year olds and €15 for 6-11 year olds.
“Will Maltese people visit historic sites at those prices?” Zahra questioned. “Tourists will pay but not the Maltese. What kind of outreach can there be with those prices in place?”
“It is clear that there is no holistic national vision for heritage but rather a plan to invent all possible reasons for the minister [Owen Bonnici] to receive photo ops and TV appearances for the minister and to participate in extravagant events.”
The Hypogeum was recently featured on the popular YouTube history channel Geographics and you can watch it below.
Cover photo: Left: The Hypogeum (Photo: TVM), Right: PN MP Julie Zahra
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