This year Heritage Malta will be celebrating its 10th Anniversary!
Heritage Malta is the national agency for museums, conservation practice and cultural heritage. Created by the Cultural Heritage Act which was enacted in 2002, the national agency replaced the former Museums Department.
The agency officially started to function on the 1st of January 2003. Originally Heritage Malta was entrusted with the management of museums, sites and their collections but in 2005, the agency was also charged with the take over of the former Malta Centre for Restoration to become the national agency responsible for conservation.
Heritage Malta seeks to provide its various audiences with an enhanced experience during visits to the various sites and museums managed by the national agency. Cultural heritage can act as a catalyst for Malta’s tourism potential and consequently contribute significantly to the economy.
The agency has a specific educational section with special educational programmes targeting children of different age groups as part of organised school visits. These educational programmes are based on the educational curriculum and address specific areas of study in an edutainment way.
Heritage Malta is also committed to bring culture closer to the people through facilitating interpretation and accessibility both physical and intellectual. Whether through temporary exhibitions, public lectures, heritage trails or other specialised events, the agency ensures that it lives up to the motto of ensuring a future to our past.
Museums and Sites run by Heritage Malta and open to the public:
| Malta
National Museum of Archaeology – Valletta National Museum of Fine Arts - Valletta The Palace Armoury – Valletta The Palace State Rooms – Valletta National War Museum – Valletta Inquisitor’s Palace - Vittoriosa Malta Maritime Museum - Vittoriosa National Museum of Natural History - Mdina Domus Romana – Rabat St Paul’s Catacombs - Rabat Ta’ Hagrat Temples - Mgarr Skorba Temples – Mgarr Ghar Dalam Cave and Museum - B’Bugia Tarxien Temples - Tarxien Hal Saflieni Hypogeum – Paola Hagar Qim and Mnajdra Temples - Qrendi |
Gozo
Ggantija Temples – Xaghra Ta’ Kola Windmill – Xaghra Natural Science Museum – The Citadel Old Prison - The Citadel Archaeology Museum - The Citadel Folklore Museum - The Citadel |
Is this Heritage Malta’s official blog or just some enthusiast’s blog on HM activities? Why would HM bother having a blog when they have an official website where the information is communicated anyway? Thanks!
Thank you very much for your message.
Blogs and websites are not necessarily the same. In our case, a blog provides us with more freedom in order to disseminate current information, including press releases, current events and special offers. Websites usually require a certain amount of know how to be created and maintained. Therefore, this blog is useful since through it, Heritage Malta (HM) can disseminate current information faster. Additionally, a blog in a means of interaction, viewers can comment and share their views actively which is not always possible when a website is present.
Finally, HM website and blog are linked with one another. If you visit the blog’s ‘About’ section and click on Heritage Malta, you are directed to the website for further general information (which is not provided within the blog). Vice versa, if you visit the HM website and click on ‘Current Events’ or ‘News’, you are re-directed to the blog for further up-to-date information.
Basically both work hand-in-hand to disseminate information but their purpose is not identical as I tried to explain to you above.
Thank you for your feedback! I applaud to the idea of using more flexible means of communication and public outreach. Your FB page is one step towards that as well. Keep up the good work!
Last run of the course in ‘Preservation of Material Cultural Heritage’ to be held free-of-charge in GOZO. For more details call 23954247.
The Family Membership Card scheme is a most welcomed incentive for parents in their endeavour to educate their children. What baffles me is the requirement that the children have to bear the same family name. What about foster children who are being cared for by parents not carrying the same surname? Shouldn’t the same opportunity be give to these ‘families’/children? For most of these children, their residence within a foster family might provide them with a unique opportunity that they might have never had or might not ever have within their natural family.
Dear Mr Cilia, Thank you very much for your comment. In practice, Heritage Malta is already issuing family memberships, even where members of the same family share a different surname. Heritage Malta is in the process of formalizing this within the new guidelines that will be issued shortly in regards to membership.