Fort Tigné

Fort Tigné is a fortification on the island of Malta. The fort was built by the Order of Saint John in 1792 to protect Marsamxett Harbour. It is one of the oldest polygonal forts in the world.

History

Fort Tigné was built in 1792 on Tigné Point, the site where Dragut had died over two hundred years earlier during the Great Siege of Malta in 1565. The penultimate Grandmaster in Malta, Emmanuel de Rohan-Polduc, commissioned the building of a fort to protect the entrance to Marsamxett Harbour along with Fort Saint Elmo. It was designed by the Order's chief engineer, Stephan de Tousard, and was more similar to a large redoubt than an actual fort. Although it was quite small by eighteenth century standards, the fort's design was regarded as revolutionary. The fort was named after the Bailiff Tigné, who contributed to the cost of construction. Fort Tigné was the last major fortification built by the Order of Saint John.^[1]

The fort saw its first use in 1798, when the French Republic under Napoleon invaded Malta. It was one of the few forts on the islands to offer some kind of resistance. It was briefly garrisoned by the French during their occupation of Malta but fell to the Maltese irregular militia in the early stages of the Maltese uprising and insurrection.

It was used by British forces from 1805 onwards. During this period, the fort was armed, refitted and altered a number of times to keep up with the latest warfare technology. In the 1860s, the British saw Fort Tigné as the 'perfection of a small fort without flanks ... capable of considerable resistance', and it was used as the prototype for other polygonal forts around the world.^[2]

When British troops left Malta in 1979, the fort was abandoned and fell into a state of disrepair. At some point it was also used as a desalination plant.^[3]

Present day

The fort was restored back to its original state by MIDI plc as part of the Tigné Point project in 2008. The 20th century gun emplacements were also repaired, and landscaped gardens and walkways were created. There were a number of proposals on how to use the building, including for catering facilities, as a military museum, an exhibition space or as an art gallery.^[3][4]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fort Tigné.