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In an island so rich with history and culture, no holiday is complete without a visit to one or more of its many museums. It is where a wealth of artefacts and architecture from the greater part of Malta’s history is displayed. Malta’s national collections are in fact a voyage of discovery of man and his environment from his earliest settlement here in caves some 7,400 years ago to his present-day cultural ideas articulated in modern art.
The sun, the sea and blue skies are no Maltese monopoly in the Mediterranean, but the unique Neolithic temples, the various museums, the history and the culture are, together, an amazing reality in such a small piece of territory. The museums are also worth visiting as buildings in their own right.
Many of the collections are housed in magnificent, baroque palaces built by the Knights of Malta. The National Museum of Archaeology is in the Auberge de Provence, an inn of residence of one of the eight ‘langues’ of the Knights. Its richly-painted, upper salon is an architectural gem.
The National Museum of Fine Arts is housed in an exuberant Rococo building dating from the 1570s but which later served the British Mediterranean fleet. But there are museums also in domestic dwellings where Malta’s national museums offer an insight into the life and times of the islanders, from the ruled to the rulers.
The Foklore Museum in Gozo not only documents the rural trades but is also among the best-preserved medieval, domestic dwellings on the islands.
Ta’ Kola Windmill, still in working condition, is a step back in time to the work of the miller and bears witness to a thriving rural economy.
As one would expect of a maritime nation, Malta has plenty of memorabilia charting her seafaring past. The Malta Maritime Museum in Birgu and the War Museum in Valletta relate the stories and document the facts.
From man to fauna and flora, these collections chart the Islands. A visit to the natural history museum will help you discover a diversity of plants, insects and small mammals that are still found on the Islands, as well as strange remains of species long extinct. And you thought a week’s holiday would be enough?
For more information on Malta’s national museums visit www.heritagemalta.com
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The Carmelite Church and Priory Museum, Mdina. Recently opened to the public, the Carmelite friars who reside here invite you to experience both the spiritual and the daily way of life of their predecessors in this spectacular 17th century priory. For more information call on tel: (+356) 2702-0404 or visit www.carmelitepriorymuseum.com
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