Minister for Justice, Culture and Local Government Owen Bonnici has welcomed members participating in an international conference entitled 'A high quality Baukultur for Europe - examples from the Alpine and Mediterranean context,' held at MUŻA.

Baukultur is an aspect of cultural identity and diversity. It holistically embraces every human activity that changes the built environment, including every built and designed asset that is embedded in and relates to the natural environment.  This concept encompasses a vital role which culture plays in the environment shaped by us as people. This has led us to look into innovative and inclusive ways to safeguard architecture of quality, whilst also seeing its potential to contribute to the well-being of our societies.

Speaking at the conference, Minister Bonnici referred to various examples of Baukultur which are present in our islands, including MUŻA, which is a living example of this concept. "As a Government, we are working towards strengthening the culture sector, especially since it holds a significant role in our identity. Malta has an extensive history, and testament to this are the numerous buildings and sites found in many localities around the island that depict the former," he continued.

Bonnici also stated that, "through our work, we strive to create and maintain high-quality locations which continue to contribute to our country's cultural ecology in a manner that they are available to the public. Our strategy when it comes to culture and the built environment is to ensure that we maximise the use of these buildings and sites in a way that they are appreciated for their architecture and history as well. In fact, numerous historical buildings in major locations have been repurposed - forts from the 16th and 17th century have been turned into museums and visitors' centres."

The conference saw the participation of different experts from various sectors and countries, including Malta, Switzerland, San Marino and Liechtenstein, and the participation of the Restoration Directorate, Heritage Malta, the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage. The conference was organised in collaboration with the Culture Directorate.