The National Museum of Natural History is headquartered in an 18th-century palace built by Grand Master of the Knights of St. John Antonio Manoel de Vilhena. The museum presents exhibits from many fields, devoted to, among others Maltese geology and paleontology, and the flora and fauna of the Mediterranean. The pride of the collection is the largest squid ever caught off the coast of Malta.
The museum was owned by the so-called Goodwill Moon Rock - a fragment of the moon rock, brought by the space mission Apollo 17. US President Richard Nixon in 1973 gave crumbs of rock to all countries of the world, including Malta. Valued at $ 5 million, the moonstone has been stolen by unknown attackers in 2004.
The museum has a rich collection of insects, shells and birds. Typical locations of individual species are presented on the dioramas. The facility also collects several hundred rocks and minerals, presented in raw and processed form (decorations, jewelry and everyday objects).
Attractions inside
