A year at the museums - No. 4: The Gozo Folklore Museum

The Gozo Folklore Museum in the Citadel, Victoria is one of - if not the - most delightful of all the museums in Malta and Gozo. It is housed in two adjoining mediaeval town houses in Milite Bernardo Street in the Citadel. The houses were probably built towards the end of the 15th or the beginning of the 16th century. The architectural features are in the Sicilian style and may owe something to the influence of the Chiaramonte family of Sicily and southern Italy, when they were Counts of Malta in the late 14th century. It seems probable that this style survived locally after it had become obsolete in Sicily.

The houses are considered an outstanding example of late mediaeval domestic architecture. To ensure their preservation, these houses were rehabilitated into the current Folklore Museum in 1983.

The museum is reached from the cathedral square, keeping the cathedral on your right, up a narrow alleyway to the left of the church.

What is particularly pleasant about a visit to this museum is the fact that it has been so well laid out, and is in total empathy with its setting.

It is a little like stepping back in time and being a fly on the wall of a 16th century dwelling. The interior exhibits a wide range of items depicting the domestic, rural and traditional ways of life of Maltese and Gozitans in past centuries.

The exhibits displayed on the ground floor pertain to rural trades and skills, such as agriculture and stone-masonry. Several traditional agricultural implements, including ploughs, sickles, spades, winnowing forks, shovels etc... together with a selection of grinding mills can be seen.

There are also traditional stone-dressing tools, as well as a large selection of tools used by carpenters and blacksmiths. The mezzanine floor exhibits domestic Gozitan crafts, such as lace making, weaving and bookbinding. Upstairs you will see items relating to hobbies such as hunting, also the models of miniature churches, complete with all the internal paraphernalia.

There is also an interesting selection of traditional costumes, a collection of elaborately worked clay statuettes, an ex-voto collection and a number of pieces of traditional furniture. The small garden at the rear of the museum allows a wonderful view of Victoria and much of the surrounding area.

The Folklore Museum is open from Monday to Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m, with the last admission at 4.30 p.m. Ostensively this would mean just 30 minutes to look round the building, far too little time, so get there earlier. This unsung and less well-known museum is actually one of the jewels in Gozo's considerable crown... don't miss it.

As with all our museums and galleries, the Folklore Museum is closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, also on New Year's Eve, New Year's Day and Good Friday.

Entry fees are €2.33 for adults, €1.25 for students and senior citizens. Children between five and 11 years pay just €0.58 and any kids below this age enter free.

To contact the Gozo Folklore Museum:

Address: Folklore Museum, Milite Bernardo Street, The Citadel, Victoria VCT 104, Gozo
Tel: ( 356) 2156 2034
Fax: ( 356) 2155 9008