German is the most widely spoken native language in the European Union. It is spoken by 120 million people in Europe. German Sprachraum refers to the Central Europe German-speaking area, which includes Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It is also an official language in South Tyrol (Italy), Belgium and Luxembourg, and a minority language in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Namibia.

German has often been referred to as the language of the Dichter und Denker or the writers and thinkers. For example, the great Johann Wolfgang von Goethe – author of the epic Faust – is considered one of Germany’s greatest national treasures. Other notable thinkers are Kant, Marx, Humboldt, Kafka and Nietzsche.

The first printed book was written in German. The Gutenberg Bible, published in 1454, was the first book printed by using movable type, which spawned the age of the printed book. The German book market produces around 60, 000 new publications every year. It represents 18% of all the books published worldwide.

German is furthermore central in the field of tourism and in the hospitality industry due to the influx of tourists from German-speaking countries who are avid travelers and are noted as the world’s biggest spenders when on holiday. The need for German-speaking staff continues to grow both in Malta and around the world.

As noted by the Goethe Institute, an institution set up to promote the learning and culture of German around the world, knowledge of German is beneficial for global business connections and increases job opportunities with German and foreign companies. Knowledge of the language is central for effective communication and to build stronger relations with German business partners.

• Germany became an independent state in 1871, when the German Empire was proclaimed. However, some will say that Germany really became a modern country in 1990, when West and East Germany were reunited.

• Reading is has deep roots in German culture. These days, Frankfurt’s Book Festival is easily the largest of its kind in the world.

• Bread is also a key symbol of German identity, and the country’s 17,000 bakers create over 300 different styles.

• Football dominates German recreation. There are 26,000 football clubs in Germany, with over 6 million members, and the national team is hugely successful, having won 4 World Cups.

• Germans love to travel, and their money travels too. In fact, they spend more abroad than any other travellers.

• When children enter school, they receive a cone of gifts called the Schultüte. Containing toys or sweets, the cone is a symbol of entering “serious” life – and a way to ease the stress of being in a strange environment.

• No city in the world has more canals than the German capital, which hosts 120 miles of waterways. Great for sailing excursions!

• Berlin also hosts a museum dedicated solely to Currywurst (curry sausages). That’s no surprise, as Berlin natives eat 70 million of them every year.

• Over 30% of Germany is covered in forest, so that means that its 80 million people are squeezed in between the trees!

• Germany really is a fairy tale land. The Grimm Brothers dedicated their lives to collecting German folk tales and weaving them into tales that have been a part of children’s bedtimes around the world for centuries. Germany still proudly celebrates the Brothers’ gift for storytelling all along its Fairy Tale Route. It is believed that they drew inspiration for their magical stories from their surroundings: places across Germany where they were born, spent their formative years, studied and worked.