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For more Information about Maltese heritage please visit Heritage Malta website. (http://www.heritagemalta.org) Apart from
the detailed educative information you will also find information regarding locations, how to get there, timetables, fees
and so on.
Heritage Malta is the national agency of the Government of Malta set up in 2002 under the provisions of the Cultural Heritage
Act and entrusted with the management of national museums and heritage sites and their collections in Malta and Gozo, including
seven UNESCO world heritage sites.
I have no connection with Heritage Malta, and I do not sell tickets, so please go through the site and contact them directly
should you be interested to visit any of the historic sites. However should you encounter any problem please let me know.
Museums and Collections (http://www.heritagemalta.org/museums.html)
The Archaeology Museum Gozo
The seventeenth century building is located within the walls of the Citadel. Originally it served as a town hall where
the Knights of St John received their distinguished visitors. (Heritage Malta site)
Folklore Museum
The Museum is located in Milite Bernardo Street in the Citadel. It was probably built towards the end of the 15th or the
beginning of the 16th century. The architectural features are in Sicilian style, and may owe something to the influence of
the Chiaramonte family of Sicily and southern Italy when they were Counts of Malta in the late 14th century. (Heritage Malta
site)
Ghar Dalam Cave and Museum
Ghar Dalam Cave, an extremely important site, dates 7400 years. It houses the earliest evidence of human settlement on
Malta. During World War II it served first as an air raid shelter and later as a fuel storage depot. (Heritage Malta site)
Inquisitor's Palace
The Inquisitor's Palace, sited in the heart of Vittoriosa, is one of the very few surviving examples of a style of palace.
Many such buildings all over Europe succumbed to the ravages of time or became victims of the reactionary power unleashed
by the French Revolution against the ancient regime and all it represented. (Heritage Malta site)
Malta Maritime Museum
The Maritime Museum charts Malta's maritime history and lore within a Mediterranean context and also illustrates the global
nature of seafaring and its impact on society.
The Museum is housed in the former British Naval Bakery at Vittoriosa, one of the Three Cities overlooking Grand Harbour.
The building, designed by British architect William Scamp, was erected between 1842 and 1845 on the site of the old covered
slipway of the Knights of St John(Heritage Malta site)
National Museum Archaeology
The National Museum of Archaeology displays an exceptional array of artefacts from Malta's unique prehistoric periods
starting with the first arrival of man in the Ghar Dalam phase (5200 BC) and running up to the Tarxien phase (2500 BC) (Heritage
Malta site)
Museum of Fine Arts
The Collection
The greater part of the Museum collection is made up of works of art that were originally displayed in buildings of the
Order of St John, such as the Grand Master's palaces, and churches such as the Victories Church. These were administered by
the State following the departure of the Order from Malta in 1798.
The paintings and sculptures started to be brought together in the early years of the 20th century, forming the core of
the Fine Arts Collection within the National Museum by 1922. Subsequently, public-spirited individuals and organisations made
important donations and bequests to the collection. In addition, significant acquisitions were made throughout the following
years(Heritage Malta site)
Museum of Natural History
The National Museum of Natural History is the national repository of biological specimens. Both life and earth sciences
are represented in the museum, which has a particular focus on the Maltese Islands.
The Museum is housed in the 18th century Magisterial Palace of Justice within the medieval walled city of Mdina. The original
building served as the seat of the Università, or local Government. In the early 18th century, a new entrance to the city
was constructed and the Portuguese Grand Master Antonio Manuel de Vilhena (1722-36) re-structured the building at personal
expense and transformed it into the present palace. A bronze bust of the Grandmaster of the Order lies above the main door
and Vilhena's coat-of-arms are sculptured on the main gateway and inside the portico(Heritage Malta site)
National War Museum
The National War Museum in Fort St Elmo ranks among the most popular tourist venues on the Maltese Islands. The museum
mainly represents Malta's important military role in the post-1800 period under British rule, especially during the Second
World War. It was set up primarily through the efforts of dedicated enthusiasts, founders of the National War Museum Association,
and was opened to the public in 1975.
The museum building was originally a powder magazine. Around 1853 it was converted into an armoury, serving during the
Second World War to train anti-aircraft gun crews. Fort St Elmo, renowned for its role against incredible odds during the
epic 1565 Great Siege, was extended over the years into a formidable fortress. During the Second World War, it was once more
the scene of heroic action by Maltese defenders against relentless enemy action. (Heritage Malta site)
Natural Science Museum, Gozo
Situated behind the Law Courts in the Citadel of Victoria, Gozo, the Natural Science Museum is hosted in an old house
the origins of which may date back to the Aragonese period. During the 17th and 18th centuries it was used as an inn. A visitor
to the islands in the 19th century is on record as having remarked that the hotel was clean, that the food was good, and that
the prices were reasonable. During the Second World War, the building gave shelter to several Maltese families who sought
refuge from enemy action in Malta.
The museum's collections are on two floors: the ground floor comprises mainly the minerals and geology sections - the
latter being dedicated mainly to the geology of Gozo; while the upper floor is dedicated to ornithology and entomology. (Heritage
Malta site)
Old Prison, Gozo
The Old Prison is situated in the Citadel, overlooking Cathedral Square and adjacent to the Law Courts, to which it was
originally connected. In its present form, the prison complex is divided into two sections: the entrance hall, which served
as a common cell in the 19th century; and a free-standing block with six individual cells. The prison was in use from the
mid-16th century until the beginning of the 20th century.
Soon after their arrival in Malta, the Knights of St John started making use of this prison by dispatching their rowdier
members;to cool down therein. A new prison was then built in 1548. After the expulsion of the Knights of St John from Malta,
the prison was not to fall into disuse. In fact, the number of inmates seems to have increased as the galleys were no longer
used as a penal measure.
From the mid-19th century, another building within the Citadel started functioning as a prison and continued to serve
this purpose until it closed down in 1962. At first, the new prison was in use simultaneously with the old one which, for
some decades, continued to house those awaiting trial.
Today, the entrance hall houses a permanent exhibition on fortifications to be found on the Island of Gozo. The individual
cells, next to a central courtyard and surrounded by a narrow corridor, are still well-preserved in their original state.
(Heritage Malta site)
Palace Armoury
The Palace Armoury is one of the world’s greatest arms collections housed in their original buildings, and ranks
among the most valuable historic monuments of European culture.
The Knights of St John were a unique brotherhood of resolute warrior monks. From Malta, their island stronghold, these
combatant aristocrats from the noblest houses of Europe, carried out their relentless crusade against the Ottoman Turks. The
Palace Armoury is certainly one of the most visible and tangible symbols of the past glories of the Sovereign Hospitaller
Military Order of Malta. (Heritage Malta site)
Roman Domus
The mosaic pavements in the ‘Roman house’ at Rabat rank among the finest and oldest mosaic compositions
from the western Mediterranean, alongside those of Pompeii and Sicily. They were discovered in 1881 just outside Mdina in
the remains of a rich and sumptuously decorated town house of the Roman period.
(Heritage Malta site)
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