Mdina’s natural history museum still top draw for young visitors

Malta’s national museum of natural history in Mdina has emerged as the most popular heritage attraction for family outings with younger kids.

Data on the number of visits to historical sites by primary and secondary school students, who are entitled to a heritage access card for free entrance together with two accompanying adults, shows the dated museuem remains on top despite its austere decor and the absence of interactive features.

Housed in the 18th century palace built for Grand Master Manoel de Vilhena, which later was turned into a cholera hospital and sanitorium under British rule, the Museum of Natural History today houses 850 pieces of rocks and minerals, a flying squid washed ashore in the 1980s, a 4,000-year-old mummified Nile crocodile, the skull of a False Killer Whale and the tooth of a Megalodon shark.

In 2022, a total of 27,938 students and accompanying adults were granted free access to all heritage sites in Malta and Gozo, except for the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum.

The most popular heritage site among beneficiaries of this card were the Museum of Natural History (2,360 visits), followed by the Għar Dalam cave and museum (2,216 visits) whose exhibits include the skeleton of a dwarf elephant.

Also popular among this cohort are the Ġgantija Temples (2,061), the Old Prison in Gozo (1,668), Ħaġar Qim (1,612 visits) and Mnajdra (1,521 visits).

A further 10,850 students visited heritage sites during school visits. The most visited site during school visits was Ħaġar Qim (1,708 visits) followed by the Museum of Natural History (1,290 visits), Mnajdra (864 visits) and Għar Dalam (829).

7,256 people also visited heritage sites with the  senior citizens card, which grants free access to heritage sites to anyone over 60 and two accompanying youths.

The contemporary arts museum Muża in Valletta was the most visited by senior citizens and accompanying youths (672) followed by  Ġgantija (533) and the Natural History Museum (480).

Among the paying public – which includes tourists – the most popular sites were Ġgantija in Gozo (117,571 visits) followed by Ħaġar Qim Temples (101,162 visits) and St Paul Catacombs (99,250 visits)