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Malta Postal Museum

The Malta Postal Museum (Maltese: Mużew tal-Posta ta' Malta) is a postal museum in Valletta, Malta. It is run by the postal operator MaltaPost, and it was inaugurated on 17 June 2016. The museum is housed in a restored 20th-century townhouse in the centre of Valletta, close to the Grandmaster's Palace and the Church of Our Lady of Damascus.

Malta Postal Museum
Mużew tal-Posta ta' Malta
Façade of the building housing the Malta Postal Museum
Map
Established17 June 2016
Location135, Archbishop Street, Valletta, Malta, VLT 1444[1]
Coordinates35°53′55″N 14°30′53″E / 35.89861°N 14.51472°E / 35.89861; 14.51472
TypePostal museum
CuratorLara Bugeja
OwnerMaltaPost
Websitewww.maltapostalmuseum.com

History

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Main entrance of the museum

MaltaPost announced their intention to establish a postal museum in September 2010.[2] The Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) approved the conversion of a townhouse at no. 135, Archbishop Street, Valletta, to accommodate the proposed museum in 2012.[3] In 2014, the Postal Heritage Trust donated a Royal Mail van, a pillar box, a wall box and some postal uniforms to MaltaPost in order to exhibit them at the museum.[4]

The museum was inaugurated by President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca on 17 June 2016, and it was opened to the public on 20 June. The museum is supported by funding from the European Regional Development Fund of the European Union.[5][6]

A special postmark commemorating the opening of the museum was used at the Philatelic Bureau in Marsa on 17 June 2016.[7]

The building

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The museum is housed in a restored building at no. 135, Archbishop Street, Valletta, next to Our Lady of Damascus Church. The site was originally occupied by a house belonging to the noblewoman Caterina Vitale (known for the Hospital of Incurable Woman - Casetta), and it was later passed to the Monte della Redenzione degli Schiavi.[8] The building was destroyed by aerial bombardment during World War II in 1942.[9]

The present building which houses the museum was built as a three-story townhouse in 1947, to designs of the architect Giuseppe Cachia Caruana (1894-1981). A fourth storey was constructed after MaltaPost acquired the building in 2011.[10]

Collection and display

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The museum's ground floor

The Malta Postal Museum's collection consists of documents and artifacts related to the postal history of Malta from the 16th century to the present day,[6] along with every Maltese postage stamp issued from 1860 (the Halfpenny Yellow) to 2010. The collection is displayed so as to indicate the role played by the postal service at various points throughout Malta's history.[11]

The museum includes a gift shop, a section dedicated to children, and two galleries for temporary exhibitions. The first exhibition included artworks by Emvin Cremona, Malta's most prominent stamp designer.[11]

The museum is open to the public from Mondays to Saturdays.[6][12]

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  • Entrance 
    Entrance
  • Reception area (replica of post office counter) 
    Reception area (replica of post office counter)
  • Stairs 
    Stairs

See also

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Further reading

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  • Bugeja, Lara (December 2016). "The Malta Postal Museum". Vigilo (48). Din l-Art Ħelwa: National Trust of Malta: 32–34. ISSN 1026-132X.
  • Present premises before museum conversion
  • Reljic, Teodor (14 September 2016). "The reduced masterpieces of Emvin Cremona". Malta Today. Archived from the original on 15 September 2016.
  • Cardona, John A. (25 July 2016). "Postal Services at the Malta Postal Museum" (PDF). The Malta Philatelic Society Newsletter (8). Sliema Stamp Shop, Sliema: Malta Philatelic Society: 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 December 2016.

References

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  1. ^ Rix, Juliet (25 March 2019). Malta. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 130. ISBN 9781784770709.
  2. ^ "Maltapost To have its own postal museum". The Malta Independent. 24 September 2010. Archived from the original on 21 June 2016.
  3. ^ "House In Valletta to become postal museum". The Malta Independent. 6 June 2012. Archived from the original on 22 June 2016.
  4. ^ "Vintage Royal Mail van donated to Maltapost". Times of Malta. 3 March 2014. Archived from the original on 21 June 2016.
  5. ^ "MaltaPost launches the Malta Postal Museum". MaltaPost. 17 June 2016. Archived from the original on 21 June 2016.
  6. ^ a b c "Maltapost launches the Malta Postal Museum". Times of Malta. 19 June 2016. Archived from the original on 21 June 2016.
  7. ^ "Special hand postmark: Inauguration of the Malta Postal Museum". Gozo News. 15 June 2016. Archived from the original on 16 June 2016.
  8. ^ Denaro, Victor F. (1961). "More houses in Valletta" (PDF). Journal of the Malta Historical Society. 3 (2). Melita Historica: 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 March 2016.
  9. ^ Hoe, Susanna (2016). "Valletta". Malta: Women, History, Books and Places (PDF). Oxford: Women's History Press (a division of Holo Books). pp. 368–369. ISBN 9780957215351. OCLC 931704918. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 October 2016.
  10. ^ "Malta Postal Museum Valletta". MaltaGuide.pro. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  11. ^ a b "MaltaPost launches the Malta Postal Museum in Valletta". The Malta Independent. 20 June 2016. Archived from the original on 21 June 2016.
  12. ^ "The Order of St Michael and St George in Malta". Times of Malta.
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