Gozo Nature Museum

Natural Science Museum on the right

The Gozo Nature Museum,[1] formerly known as the Natural Science Museum, is a museum in Victoria, on the island of Gozo, Malta. Open to public since 1991, the museum is housed in a group of houses in the Cittadella, the oldest part of the city. These houses date back to various ages: the older one, which was an inn, to 1495; the other to the 17th century.[2][3]

The Natural Science Museum shows collections "relating to the Island’s geology, minerals, marine life, insects, local habitats and ecosystems"[3] as well as national plants (including the Maltese Rock Centaury), human and animal evolution.[3]

During later years, this building was used as an inn for visitors, and is mentioned in Thomas McGill’s “Handbook, or Guide, for Strangers visiting Malta” of 1839,[4] and described as:

an excellent house of entertainment offering clean and comfortable beds and reasonably-priced dinners.

During World War II the building served as a shelter for families during aerial bombings.

The buildings which house the museum are listed on the National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Gozo Nature Museum". Heritage Malta. Archived from the original on 10 January 2018.
  2. ^ "Archaeology Museum". Malta Information Technology Agency. Retrieved 12 March 2010.
  3. ^ a b c "Heritage Malta Museums". Heritage Malta official website. Retrieved 12 March 2010.
  4. ^ A hand book, or guide for strangers who visiting Malta. Tonna. 1839. p. 144. Retrieved 12 March 2010.
  5. ^ "Natural Science Museum" (PDF). National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands. 28 December 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2015.[dead link]

36°02′48″N 14°14′20″E / 36.0467°N 14.239°E / 36.0467; 14.239