Gozo Nature Museum

From million-year-old fossils to beautiful butterflies and even moonstone fragments, the Gozo Nature Museum is a wonderful journey in the realm of Gozo’s natural resources and their use by the island’s inhabitants.

Situated behind the Courts of Justice at the Citadel in Victoria, the museum is housed within a cluster of three interconnected domestic buildings dating back to the 1600s, which boast several authentic architectural features. The property served as an inn in later years and was also utilised as a shelter by families who sought refuge during aerial bombings in the Second World War.

The exhibits on the ground floor relate to geology, minerals, human and animal evolution, and marine life. The geology section has on display marine organisms deposited on the sea floor between 35 and 5 million years ago, as well as fragments of fossil bones from the Maltese Islands. Most specimens in the mineral collection were generously donated by Dr Lewis Mizzi, a Gozitan lawyer and mineralogist of fine repute.

Among the highlights at ground level are four tiny moonstone particles accompanied by a small Maltese flag. The moonstone fragments were gathered from the moon’s surface by the crew of Apollo II and donated to the Maltese people by American President Richard Nixon.

The upper floor is reserved to the study of insects, flora and ecosystems of the Maltese Islands, particularly of Gozo. The entomology room holds a small but impressive collection of exotic and local insects, butterflies and moths. An important specimen on this floor is the Malta Fungus, formerly believed to grow only on Fungus Rock in Dwejra, Gozo.

A small garden at the back of the museum is dedicated to garigue flora where visitors may observe examples of typical indigenous plants.