() is a non-governmental and non-profit, voluntary organisation founded in 1965 by Maltese

Judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

Maurice Caruana Curran to safeguard Malta's cultural heritage and natural environment. Since its foundation, Din l-Art Ħelwa has restored numerous cultural sites of historic and environmental importance and currently has the guardianship of a number of them. Many of the sites are open to visitors and for events, thanks to an army of dedicated volunteers. The organisation promotes the preservation and protection of historic buildings and

monuments A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...

, the character of Malta's towns and villages, and places of natural beauty. It is very active in campaigning against proposed construction which infringes planning laws or policies, and regularly objects to planning applications, taking legal action to halt development in some cases. The NGO stimulates the enforcement of existing laws and the enactment of new ones for the protection of Malta's natural and built heritage.

Name and offices

The name of the organization is derived from the first verse of '' L-Innu Malti'', Malta's national anthem: ''"Lil din l-art ħelwa..."'' (This fair land). Letter Ħ is part of Maltese alphabet. The offices of Din l-Art Ħelwa are located at 133 Melita Street,

Valletta Valletta ( ; , ) is the capital city of Malta and one of its 68 Local councils of Malta, council areas. Located between the Grand Harbour to the east and Marsamxett Harbour to the west, its population as of 2021 was 5,157. As Malta’s capital ...

. The building is part of a large townhouse located at 130-135 Melita Street (formerly Strada Britannica). In 1816, part of the house belonged to Maria Stivala. The property was later owned by Antonio Giappone, and then by Giuseppe Apap.

Properties managed

Din l-Art Ħelwa has the following properties under its care in Malta: *Part of Palazzo Nobile, the head office of the organization * Foresta 2000, a forestation site in Mellieħa * Wignacourt Tower, St Paul's Bay * White Tower, Ahrax, Mellieha * Saint Mark's Tower, Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq * Msida Bastion Historic Garden,

Floriana Floriana ( or ''Il-Floriana''), also known by its title Borgo Vilhena, is a Floriana Lines, fortified town in the Port Region, Malta, Port Region area of Malta, just outside the capital city Valletta. It has a population of 2,205 as of March 2014 ...

* Mamo Tower,

Marsaskala Marsaskala, sometimes written as Marsascala is a seaside town in the Southern Region, Malta, Southern Region of Malta. Originally a fishing village, it has grown into a tourist destination and a permanent hometown for an ever-growing population. ...

* Għallis Tower, Salina, Naxxar * Saint Agatha's Tower (the Red Tower), Mellieħa * Delimara Lighthouse, Delimara * Chapel of the Annunciation, Ħal-Millieri,

Żurrieq Żurrieq ( ) is a town in the Western Region of Malta. It is one of the oldest towns in the country, and has a population of 11,823 inhabitants as of March 2014. Żurrieq is one of the 10 parishes to be documented in 1436 and is dedicated to S ...

* St. John the Evangelist Chapel, Ħal-Millieri, Żurrieq * Chapel of St Roque, Żebbuġ * Chapel of Bir Miftuħ * The Church of Our Lady of Victory in Valletta * The Xutu Tower in Qrendi, Wied Iż-Żurrieq Din l-Art Ħelwa has the following properties under its care in

Gozo Gozo ( ), known in classical antiquity, antiquity as Gaulos, is an island in the Malta#The Maltese archipelago, Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After the Malta Island, island of Malta ...

: * Dwejra Tower * Saint Anthony's Battery Din l-Art Ħelwa has the following properties under its care in

Comino Comino () is a small island of the Maltese archipelago between the islands of Malta (island), Malta and Gozo in the Mediterranean Sea, measuring in area. Named after the cumin seed, the island has a permanent population of only two residents a ...

: * Saint Mary's Tower * Saint Mary's Battery

References

External links

Din l-Art Ħelwa website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Din l-Art Helwa

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

History organisations based in Malta 1965 establishments in Malta Organizations established in 1965 Heritage organizations