Culture

Malta can look back on a thousand-year-old history and travelers will spot these tracks and testimonies everywhere. The eventful history of the island goes back to the year 4,000 B.C. The small Maltese island has impressive cultural monuments of different epochs. At the sight of temple complexes from Stone Age, Roman aqueducts or the impressive fortifications of the Order of Malta you will feel like being in a huge outdoor museum. The island was conquered by the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Ostrogoths, Arabs, Normans, Spanish and from 1530 on also by the Order of St. John who since then is called «Order of Malta». After the victory over the Napoleonic brigade in the year 1800, Malta was British until its independency in the year 1964.
Despite the long membership to the British Empire that also introduced the English language, the islanders kept their own language, the Maltese. The Maltese has its origin in the Arabic and was enriched by Italian influences. Today it is the second official language.
The Maltese consider themselves a mixed race that was formed by the different conquests. On the one hand the residents present the Italian and Arabian frankness and hospitality, on the other hand also the British accuracy as well as the French savoir-vivre that makes every day a feast is noticeable.