A wave of tributes has followed the death of Albert Ganado, a revered Maltese map collector, historian and cultural figure, who passed away at the age of 101.
Family, scholars, cultural institutions and historians have paid their respects to a man remembered for his generosity, intellect, and immense contribution to Maltese heritage.
Heritage Malta, which manages his historical map collection, paid tribute in a statement celebrating Dr Ganado as a “pioneer of cartography, map collector, scholar of Maltese history, and author of several historical works on Malta.” They added that his maps “comprise 19 manuscript maps and 431 printed maps dating from 1507 to 1899” and noted that three of the maps – dating to the Great Siege of 1565 – were acknowledged by UNESCO as world heritage items in 2018.
“Together with the agency’s existing holdings, the Ganado collection makes Heritage Malta the custodian of the world’s largest collection of maps of Malta,” the agency stated.
Maltese poet and relative Maria Grech Ganado also shared her personal remembrance of him on social media. “My father's cousin, Albert Ganado, left us this morning. He was 101 and I still called him 'Uncle Albert'... So many lovely memories, especially now that they light up so much of my present. He lived a full, extremely interesting life, which he shared with many,” she wrote, extending her condolences to his family.
Politician and historian Arnold Cassola echoed this sentiment, emphasising the cultural loss felt by Malta. “His contribution to Melitensia is immeasurable. As was his generosity with sharing knowledge. I experienced it. So did my students. Malta today is poorer culturally,” he commented.
Born in 1924, Dr Ganado lived a life deeply intertwined with Malta’s heritage. A lawyer by profession, he was also a dedicated historian and served as a gunner in the Royal Malta Artillery for three months in late 1941.
Dr Ganado was best known for his extensive collection of historical maps, many of which date back as early as 1507.
Among the collection’s highlights is a 1558 bird’s eye view of Fort St Elmo.
In 2008, he donated this collection, comprising 19 manuscript maps and 431 printed maps, to the Maltese government in exchange for his family home in Valletta. The map archive is now housed at MUŻA, the National Museum of Art in Valletta.
Ganado’s contributions to Maltese heritage and historical scholarship, particularly in the field of early cartography, are widely regarded as invaluable. He leaves behind a legacy deeply embedded in Malta’s cultural and academic spheres.
