10 January 2017 — The Philippine Embassy and Permanent Mission in Vienna honored the life and works of Dr. Jose Rizal, Philippine national hero, in a ceremony in Vienna on December 30, 2016, on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of his death.
The celebration of Rizal Day in Austria was an occasion to reflect on the continuing relevance of the heroism and nationalism of Dr. Jose Rizal.
Philippine Embassy officials also recalled that Dr. Jose Rizal had visited Vienna and other cities in Austria 1887. In Vienna, he stayed at the Metropole Hotel, which was located at Morzinplatz, close to the present site of the Philippine Embassy. Rizal considered Vienna the ‘Queen of the Danube’ because of its beautiful buildings, religious images, and culture.
Dr. Rizal also had a great friendship with an Austrian professor, Ferdinand Blumentritt, with whom he corresponded until his death. Professor Blumentritt introduced Dr. Rizal to many of the leading intellectuals in Vienna. END