Heritage Malta celebrates its new brand identity with a special Open Day at Valletta sites

As part of the events celebrating the launch of Heritage Malta’s new brand identity, and in line with the spirit of the agency’s new slogan ‘Part of us’, a special Open Day is being held next Sunday, 5th June, at four Heritage Malta sites and museums in Valletta.

The sites, which will be open to the public free of charge, are the Grand Master’s Palace, MUŻA, the National Museum of Archaeology and Fort St Elmo. A number of interesting artefacts will also be exhibited in the capital’s main squares.

The public will have the opportunity to visit the Grand Master’s Palace , currently closed due to the extensive restoration project being carried out in its halls and corridors. Visitors will be able to appreciate the progress accomplished so far, particularly in the Uccelliera (previously the offices of the Speaker of the House of Representatives) and the Armoury (the hall where Parliament used to convene until a few years ago). Details about the Palace and the ongoing works will be given during seven guided tours, commencing on the hour from 10.00am onwards. A maximum of 40 people will be allowed in each tour, on a first-come first-served basis. Entrance will be through the Palace’s back door in Merchants Street. No one will be allowed inside the Palace except as part of a guided tour.

At Fort St Elmo there will be re-enactments starting every hour from 10.00am onwards. Legio X Fretensis Malta will be re-enacting scenes from civil and military life in Roman times, while Show of Arms will be shedding light on the late Medieval period through re-enactments that will include sword fighting and firing of arms. An old bus which forms part of the National Collection will be exhibited at the fort as well.

Four guided tours will be conducted at the National Museum of Archaeology. The ones starting at 10.00am and 1.00pm will be in Maltese, while those at 11.00am and 2.00pm will be in English.

There will also be two guided tours at MUŻA – one in Maltese at 10.00am and another in English at 2.00pm. These tours have been planned through a joint collaboration between the museum’s curatorial team and Heritage Malta’s Education and Outreach Unit. Worksheets will be given out to help participants – both children and accompanying adults – search and discover more about the collections on display.

In conjunction with next Sunday’s special Open Day, an exhibition of artefacts is being launched on the same day across all Heritage Malta museums and sites. It will run until the end of June, with the diplayed objects evoking the voyage on which Heritage Malta is embarking with its new brand identity. Through this exhibition, using recycled material for the set-up, the agency will also be strengthening its commitment towards environmental sustainability. All participants in next Sunday’s Open Day will receive a bookmark commemorating the exhibition.

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