National Museum of Natural History

The National Museum of Natural History walks you through Maltese flora, fauna, fossils collection and more

The Malta National Museum of Natural History is located in the old capital, Mdina, within the eighteenth century Magisterial Palace of Justice. The museum was officially opened in 1973 and until then it served as offices for the local government and as a temporary hospital. The museum is a national repository of biological specimens mainly relating to Malta. 

The museum houses historically important collections with over 10,000 rocks, 3,500 birds, 200 mammals, eggs and nests, over 200 types of fish, thousands of shells and insects from Malta and abroad and a very impressive fossils collection. The current display not only covers insects, birds and habitats but also human evolution and the marine ecosystem. The Geology and Palaeontology exhibitions are of particular merit.

The national bird - the Blue Rock Trush (in Maltese, Il-Merill) and the national plant of Malta - the Maltese Centaury (Widnet il-Bahar) have been awarded a special section of the museum. There is also a reference library on natural sciences with over 4,000 titles mainly dedicated to the eighteenth and nineteenth century publications.

A visit to The National Museum of Natural History in Malta is not only very interesting for people of all ages but also highly educational thanks to the clear and detailed displays.