The Auberge de Provence in Republic Street is the present home of this important museum. The National Museum of Archaeology highlights an exceptional array of artefacts from Malta`s unique prehistoric periods. Huge blocks of stone, sacrificial altars, statues and large earthenware vases fill most of the available space. Smaller objects are displayed in glass show-cases. These are classified in chronological order starting with the Ghar Dalam Phase (3200 BC)and proceeding to the Copper Age and Temple period (3200 - 2000BC) and the Bronze Age (2000 - 800 BC).
National Museum of Fine Arts, South Street, Valletta (photo above)
The National Museum of Fine Arts houses a large and varied collection of fine arts, ranges from the early Renaissance to modern times. The collection of works from the 19th century is particularly interesting as it reflects the historical changes in the governance of the Maltese Islands to a British colony, and includes a painting of the Grand Harbour by J.M.W. Turner.
National Museum of Natural History, Mdina
Housing many historically important collections, the National Museum of Natural History is the national cache of many and varied biological specimens of all types imaginable. The collection represents both life and earth sciences with the reference collection holding rocks and minerals, birds, birds` eggs and nests, mammals, diverse fish species, as well as thousands of local and exotic shells and insects. The fossil collection contains a number of large fish and other marine fauna found embedded in limestone rocks.|
National War Museum, Fort St. Elmo, Valletta
The National War Museum can be found at the Lower Fort in the Fort St Elmo complex. It houses artifacts from both World Wars, including one of the famed Gladiator fighters which defended Malta during World War II. The entrance is by the east end of the French Curtain. The museum houses a small and poignant collection with exhibits from 1798 to 1945. The pièce de résistance is the George Cross, awarded to the whole population on April 15, 1942.
Palace Armoury, Merchants Street, Valletta
The Palace Armoury is one of the world`s greatest arms collections housed in their original buildings, and ranks among the most valuable historic monuments of European culture. Although only a fraction of its original splendour, the Armoury still contains abundant material of Italian, German, French and Spanish origin from principal arms production centres dating back to before, during and after the Great Siege.
St John's Co-Cathedral Museum, St. John`s Street, Valletta
On display are treasures of the Knights, including vestments, portraits of Grand Masters (look out for Antoine de Favray`s rendition of the decadent Pinto), tapestries and the monstrance built to hold the reliquary of the right hand of St. John the Baptist. The Cathedral Museum contains a number of notable items, including 14 Flemish tapestries after cartoons by Peter Paul Rubens and Poussin.
The Toy Museum in Valletta houses an impressive private collection of model cars, ʻplanes and boats from the 1950s, as well as dolls, farmyard animals and train sets. Set on three floors it houses Maltese as well as toys from all over the world from the 1950s onward.
Wignacourt Museum, Rabat
The Wignacourt Museum is housed in a baroque palace just outside Mdina and Rabat, not far from where St. Paul`s Grotto is located, together with the crypt and the Parish church both dedicated to St. Paul. This site presents a wealth of historical material comprising archaeological artifacts, old maps and books, sculpture, coins, furniture, delicately embroidered vestments, drawings as well as a baroque chapel, an underground air raid shelter and catacombs all under one roof.
