Visitors to the Grand Master’s Palace in Valletta now have access to nine new halls that have never been open to the public.
An official ceremony held at the Piano Nobile of the palace marked the opening of these newly accessible spaces, which have undergone extensive restoration. This included works on the decorated wooden ceilings, frescoes and paintings, damask and painted wall coverings, as well as flooring made of both marble and flagstones.
These rooms formed part of the Grand Master’s summer apartment, among them the drawing room and the study, the bedroom and the chapel. The cabinetto di curiosità (cabinet of curiosities), the conventual chaplain’s room and the treasury office were also opened, along with three other halls now hosting thematic exhibitions focusing on different chapters in the palace’s history: the French period, the Order of St Michael and St George, and the Maltese Parliament, which until a few years ago was convened in this very building.
Many of the spaces in question include furniture and artefacts from the 16th to 18th centuries, donated to the agency earlier this year by local collector Paul Zammit as part of a generous donation in memory of his parents.
This was one of the largest and finest donations the national collection has ever received since the establishment of the museum’s administration committee in 1903, Heritage Malta said.
The Grand Master’s Palace was reopened to the public in January 2024, following the completion of the restoration project’s first phase. The project entails an investment of more than €40 million by the government, €18 million of which are co-financed by the EU as part of the European Regional Development Fund.
Addressing those present, President Myriam Spiteri Debono acknowledged the great efforts of all those who worked so that the halls could be opened to the public. The president also mentioned Zammit’s donation, describing it as an invaluable act which will allow artefacts from the epoch to continue to be appreciated by future generations.
She also encouraged collectors and owners of similar artefacts to follow his example and donate such objects so that they may be appreciated more widely, be they paintings, furniture or even manuscripts and rare publications that can strengthen Malta’ National Archives and Library.
Also present for the event were Prime Minister Robert Abela; Minister for Culture, Lands and Local Government, Owen Bonnici; Minister for European Funds and Implementation of the Electoral Programme, Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi; and Noel Zammit, Heritage Malta’s CEO.
For information about the Grand Master’s Palace opening hours and tickets, click here. Please note that on June 21, the palace will close at 5pm (last admission at 4.30 PM) and will then reopen for the Museums by Candlelight event from 7pm to midnight.
