Last chance to visit The Museum of Natural History's 50th anniversary photo exhibition
This year, Malta’s National Museum of Natural History celebrated its 50th anniversary since opening in 1973. For the latter half of 2023, a celebratory photography exhibition has been open at Palazzo Vilhena. This December, don’t miss out on your last chance to have a look for yourself.
As announced by Heritage Malta Chairman Mario Cutajar, the museum will benefit from a €300,000 investment in 2024. The National Museum of Natural History can be found within the opulent Baroque style walls of Palazzo Vilhena in Mdina. However, it was actually originally located in Valletta, that was until it got destroyed due to bombings in the Second World War. Unfortunately, many historical collections and domestic specimens were lost as a result. In 1966, the government decided to repurpose the Palazzo Vilhena in Mdina for the museum, as it had been closed for a decade. The restoration process to open the museum began that same year, the museum reopened in June of 1723.
Fast forward 50 years and the museum is still standing tall. With 10,000 rocks and minerals, and ten times as many specimens, the National Museum of Natural History is now the most popular heritage attraction for families with young children. In honour of the milestone, Heritage Malta exhibited a series of 50 photos in the museum itself, documenting its history throughout the years. Allow each picture to transport you back in time to 1973, through the highs and lows of the years that followed, and all the way up to the present.
palazzo vilhena
The collection of monochrome images highlights the key moments that have shaped the museum’s unique story and its ever-expanding collection of fascinating artefacts, which pique an equal amount of interest in the most well-versed researchers and visiting kids alike. Furthermore, the collection comes as a companion piece to a similar-titled photographic book, ‘The National Museum of Natural History: 50 Years in Mdina, A Photographic Journey’, which was published on the date of the museum’s opening, June 24, and compiled by John J. Borg, the museum’s Senior Curator.
Don’t miss out on your chance to witness this fascinating display before it closes on December 30th. The exhibition is open at Palazzo Vilhena in Mdina on all days except Monday, from 9 am to 5 pm.
Get your tickets on Heritage Malta’s official site here!
