Din l-Art Ħelwa (lit.'This Sweet Land') is a non-governmental and non-profit, voluntary organisation founded in 1965 by MalteseJudge 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, 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]
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 located 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 by Giuseppe Apap.[4]
