Today, June 19, the Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt joins the entire Filipino nation in commemorating the 160th birth anniversary of the Philippine national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal.
In the spring of 1886, Rizal attended lectures in Opthalmology in the ancient university town of Heidelberg. In order to save rent from expensive boarding houses near the university, he started correspondences with German Pastor Karl Ullmer who invited him to stay in his vicarage in Wilhelmsfeld (about 20 minutes away from Heidelberg). In this unassuming German town, Rizal established a great friendship between the Philippines and Germany which remains to this day.
We pay tribute to the legacy of Rizal in Germany as we offer flowers in his monument at the Rizal Park in Wilhelmsfeld.
Maligayang Kaarawan, Dr. Jose Rizal!