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The Ministry for Health, the Elderly and Community Care is inviting the general public to visit Palazzo Castellania during Notte Bianca. Located on the corner of Merchants and St John’s Streets, the Castellania Palace, an ornate Baroque building, was originally built by the Knights as the Law Courts. It was designed by the Maltese architect Francesco Zerafa and completed in 1760, during the time of Manuel Pinto da Fonseca, the Grand Master from 1741 to 1773. The statues on either side of the first floor balcony represent Justice and Truth and are the work of the Sicilian sculptor and convict Gianni Puglisi.

In 1905, the Palace served as a laboratory by Sir Temi Zammit. In this laboratory he discovered the micro organism known as brucellosis, often referred to as Maltese Fever. In a ground breaking scientific discovery, Sir Zammit found out that the micro organism was present in fresh goat’s milk. This discovery indicated the need to pasteurise milk before consumption. The public may explore the laboratory and various medical apparatus used at the time, which are conserved in their original state.

Those visiting will be enjoying a programme of various events related to the palace’s historic past.

The programme includes the following:-

19:30 and 22:30 – Jackson’s Zaqq u Tanbur (Folk Group), Internal Yard, Ground floor
20:30 – Tal-Fuklar (Folk Group), Internal Yard, Ground floor
21:00 – Fire Dragon – Performance through the passion of Fire and Creativity, Internal Yard, Ground floor
20.00 – 24:00 – A re-enactment of a typical 1769 hearing of a court case entitled ‘A Case in Castellania’, written by George Peresso and directed by Manuel Cassar – Main boardroom, 2nd floor
20:00, 21:00 and 23:00 – Popular classical music by the University Junior College ensemble – Main boardroom, 2nd floor
20:00 – 24:00 – A re-enactment entitled ‘Sir Temi Zammit’ written and directed by Manuel Cassar – Sir Temi Zammit Laboratory

Exhibitions:

Mental Health Awareness – Mental Health Professionals to distribute information to visitors regarding various Mental Health conditions – 2nd Floor

Living a Healthy Lifestyle – Various professionals from the Health Promotion Directorate will be available for consulation 2nd floor (Visitors can subscribe to receive a DVD of Healthy Recipes, free of charge)