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Dr. Jose Rizal is widely celebrated as a martyr in the Philippines. He was executed by the Spanish Army on Dec. 30, 1896 after being allegedly to a national secret society.
Although Rizal never had connections with secret society, he had published books educating the general public of the Spanish colonial authorities in power at the time. Two books in particular angered the Spanish elite, “Noli me Tangere” and “El Filibusterismo.”
The Filipino Community in Austria brought a great sense of remembrance on December 29, 2021 at the Philippine Embassy in Vienna – in honor of Jose Rizal Day.
It is a historical fact that Dr. Rizal made a brief visit in Vienna on 20-24 May 1887 and stayed at the Metropole Hotel in Vienna’s 1st District. To commemorate this visit of Dr. Jose Rizal in Vienna, a historical marker had been installed at the said building located at the Leopold Hof Bldg., Franz Josefs Kai 31-33, corner Morzinplatz 4, 1010 Vienna. The installation was done on 19 June 1995.
Dr. Jose Rizal had also a meeting in Austria with the Austrian scholar, Prof. Ferdinand Blumentritt. Historically, Prof. Ferdinanad Blumentritt encouraged Dr. Jose Rizal to finish writing his two novels which pushed the Philippine Revolution of 1896 that eventually concluded the bestowing of independence of the Philippines from Spain.
The marker, containing a German text reads as follows in its English translation:
Dr. José P. Rizal
(1861 – 1896) Dr. José P. Rizal, national hero of the Philippines, stayed at the Metropole Hotel on 20 to 24 May 1887 on this site. An Austrian schoolmaster, Professor Ferdinand Blumentritt supported Rizal’s campaign in Europe against the Spanish colonial regime in the Philippines.
- hector pascua
