Marsalforn
Marsalforn is a village on the north coast of Gozo, the second largest island of the Republic of Malta. It is situated between the hills of Xaghra and Żebbuġ and belongs to the municipality Żebbuġ. Marsalforn is one of Gozo's most popular seaside resorts.
Name
" Marsalforn " is a compound name: " Marsa " comes from Arabic and means in German " port " or " bay ". About the second part of the name there are different views: The Maltese word " forn " in German means " bakery ", but it is very unlikely that the place name is because you never built a bakery in a region with such a low population. Even more likely is the reference to a ship type - as in other places in Gozo. In this case provides the Illyrian word " Liburna " of (Greek: livurna; Arabic: lifurna ) to. However, the name may also come from the word " forna ", with the fishermen from Gozo denote a formed from the sea cave. In Marsalforn, there are several of these caves; the best known is Għar Qawqla (German: Cave on the steep mountain).
History
The place Marsalforn has a history that dates back to Roman times. Until the 16th century its port was very important for Gozo. Food from Sicily were unloaded here and passengers to Licata and other ports on the Continent embarked here. The importance Marsalforn was the 16th century and early 17th century grew faster in late, that the Knights of St John - then the rulers of Malta - even thought to demolish the ancient citadel of Gozo in the middle of the island and a new city on the to build the port. The resistance of the population of Gozo led but to the fact that these plans were never realized. The people claimed that they were too poor to pay additional taxes to pay for the move, and that the circumstances of their move from Victoria Rabat to Marsalforn are too big. With the development of Mgarr, Gozo and Malta as between Ferry and building defensive towers to protect the waterway between Gozo and Malta, Marsalforn lost its importance and was for many centuries a quiet fishing village where only fishermen and their families lived.
Economy
The development of tourism in the 20th century on the Maltese Islands led the economic development of the village away from the fishery. Although today the fishing still plays a certain role, but tourism has the most jobs for the people. The place has a sandy beach with promenade lying behind, in which many hotels, restaurants and apartment buildings located. Further, the location of one of the most famous dive sites Gozo, hence you will find many diving schools and diving centers.
In the last thirty years there has been a veritable urbanization and the place stretched along the crescent-shaped bay to Qbajjar from. The growing tourism led to the construction of several hotels, guest houses and apartment buildings. In addition, the desire of many wealthy residents of Malta and Gozo led for a second home in Marsalforn and the involvement of foreign investors to increased land requirements.
An effect of tourism is a tactile seasonal change in the character of the village. In winter, when few tourists are there and many second homes are not used, it is quiet and peaceful. In summer, however, the village is a busy place full of Maltese and foreign visitors.
Attractions
In the south of Marsalforn is a fertile valley of the same name. It is surrounded by several rock bars. The most famous is tal- merżuq (German: Hill of Our Saviour ), on which the statue stands Tas - Salvatur. As recorded in the book of Acts, the apostle Paul was shipwrecked in Malta, and one legend has it that he left Marsalforn from his trip to Sicily and Rome. Today we refer to this legend in the village coat of arms, showing a snake curling around a sword. This recalls the episode of Paul, who is said to have here unscathed the bite of a poisonous snake.
The village church is also the shipwreck of St. Dedicated to Paul. Originally created in the 14th century, it was expanded several times. The foundation stone of the present church was laid in 1730. The village feast is celebrated on February 10.