Din l-Art Ħelwa
National Trust of Malta
AbbreviationDLĦ
Formation1965 (1965)
FounderMaurice Caruana Curran[1]
Legal statusNGO
PurposeMaltese heritage
Location
  • Palazzo Nobile, 133, Melita Street, Valletta
Official language
Maltese and English
Executive President
Alex Torpiano
Key people
Rosanne Zerafa
Websitedinlarthelwa.org

Din l-Art Ħelwa (lit. 'This Sweet Land') is a non-governmental and non-profit, voluntary organisation founded in 1965 by Maltese Judge Maurice Caruana Curran to safeguard Malta's cultural heritage and natural environment.[2] 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, all thanks to an army of dedicated volunteers. The organisation promotes the preservation and protection of historic buildings and monuments, 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.[1]

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).[1] Letter Ħ is part of Maltese alphabet.

The offices of Din l-Art Ħelwa are found at 133 Melita Street, Valletta.[3] The building is part of a large townhouse located at 130-135, Melita Street (formerly Strada Britannica).[4] In 1816, part of the house belonged to Maria Stivala.[5] The property was later owned by Antonio Giappone, and then owned by Giuseppe Apap.[4]

Properties managed

DLĦ flag at Mamo Tower in Marsaskala
A Din l-Art Ħelwa plaque at Għallis Tower

Din l-Art Ħelwa has the following properties under its care in Malta:[6][7]

  • Part of Palazzo Nobile, the head office of the organization
  • The Xutu Tower in Qrendi, Wied Iż-Żurrieq

Din l-Art Ħelwa has the following property under its care in Gozo:

Din l-Art Ħelwa has the following properties under its care in Comino:

References

  1. 1 2 3 Uwe Jens Rudolf; Warren G. Berg (2010). Historical Dictionary of Malta (2 ed.). Scarecrow Press. p. 68. ISBN 9780810873902.
  2. ↑ Thake, Conrad (2014). David Mallia (ed.). "Architecture in Post-Independence Malta: Past, Present and Future" (PDF). Melita Historica. Book Distributors Limited. 16 (3): 100. ISSN 1021-6952.
  3. ↑ "Notte Bianca Malta 2011, Valletta". Malta.com. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
  4. 1 2 Tribunale, Malta (25 March 2019). "Collezione di decisioni dei tribunali di Malta dal 1mo gennaro al 31 giugno 1841". Tip. Tonna. Retrieved 25 March 2019 – via Google Books.
  5. ↑ Zammit, Andrè (2010). "Valletta and Michele Cachia (1760 –1839) – A factual appraisal through his notebooks". In Joseph F. Grima (ed.). 60th anniversary of the Malta Historical Society: a commemoration. Zabbar: Veritas Press. pp. 407–432. ISBN 978-99932-0-942-3. OCLC 779340904. Archived from the original on 6 March 2017.
  6. ↑ "STATE OF THE HERITAGE REPORT" (PDF). Culture.gov.mt. 2014. p. 46. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  7. ↑ "Din l-Art Helwa: 50 years of protecting heritage July 1965 – July 2015 - The Malta Independent". Independent.com.mt. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
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