CHAPTER 10
Rizal in France and Germany
 After finishing his studies in Madrid, Rizal decided
to leave the Spanish capital and move to France and
Germany.
 His decision to migrate to these two countries was
due to his desire to specialize in ophthalmology, by
his desire to cure the eye ailment of his mother.
 RIZAL IN PARIS (1885-1886)
 When he migrated to Paris, he was already 24 years
old and a full-pledge surgeon.
 Before going into gay, Paris, Rizal went to
Barcelona, Spain to visit Maximo Viola
 Medical student from San Miguel, Bulacan
 He worked as an assistant at the eye clinic of Dr.
Louis De Wecker for 4 months, where he learned
the following :
 The actual performance of eye operation
 Recent studies on the eye ailment of the
eyes
 The various techniques of eye operation
 Outside his working hours in the eye clinic, he takes
visits to his fellow Filipinos.
 He frequented the residences of:
 Felix R. Hidalgo
 Pardo de Tavera
 Juan Luna
 His frequent contact with other Filipinos in the city
contributed immensely to his ability to learn and
speak French fluently
 He stayed with Juan Luna for some time in the
latter’s studio in Paris where Rizal became a model
in two of his canvasses:
 The Blood Compact
- Rizal posed as Sikatuna
 Death of Cleopatra
- Rizal as a priest
 RIZAL IN HEIDELBERG,
GERMANY
 He left Paris due to its high cost of living, which he
could not cope with.
 He arrived at Heidelberg on February 3, 1886
 University town of Germany
 For a time, he resided in a German boarding house
where he became friends with some German law
students.
 Because Rizal was a good chess player, his
boardmates recommended him to become a member
of Chess Players’ Club of Heidelberg.
 He became popular among these German law
students because he joined them not only in their
chess games but also in their beer drinking speers.
 After a few days, Rizal decided to transfer to a
boarding house close to the University of
Heidelberg.
 He was privileged to work at the eye hospital of the
university, under the tutelage of Dr. Otto Becker.
 In this university town, Rizal perfected the
techniques of diagnosing eye ailments, which he
learned under Dr. Louis de Wecker.
 While at Heidelberg, Rizal wrote letters to his
sisters, Maria and Trinidad.
 Rizal described Germany as a country of order
and obedience.
 From the same correspondence to Maria in
February, Rizal described the German student as:
 Affectionate
 Respectful
 Modest
 not boastful
 Women, however, were described by Rizal as tall,
stout and blonde
 His letter to his sister Trinidad, dated March 11,
1886 (May ibibigay kaming print out ng letter)
 The letter is from One Hundred Letters of Jose
Rizal by the National Heroes Commission
 He stressed so much the good qualities of
German women:
- Serious
- Studious
- Simple
- Industrious
- Not afraid in men
- Concerned about education
 A LAS FLORES DEL HEIDELBERG
 Rizal visited the different scenuc spots of Heidelberg
on weekends.
 He usually strolled around the city, not only to see its
church and theater but also to savor the cool
breeze of the Neckar River, which was teeming
with flowers.
 This scenery inspired Rizal to write a poem entitled
A Las Flores de Heidelberg (To The Flowers of
Heidelberg). (magbibigay din kami ng copy)
 on April 12, 1886.
 This poem, as translated by Derbyshire
 a poem of two of the greatest loves of man on
earth.
 It is a poem of remembrance and a poem of
the motherland.
 SUMMER VACATION AT
WILHELMSFELD
 After composing the poem. A Los Flores de
Heidelberg, Rizal took a three-month vacation at
Wilhelmsfeld
 a mountainous village at Heidelberg.
 he met Dr. Karl Ulmer, a pastor of the vicarage
of Wilhelmsfeld.
 Because Rizal became a friend of Pastor Ulmer,
he stayed with the former's family during the
entire duration of his summer vacation in the
said village.
 Owing to his pleasant disposition and
personality, as well as his talents in sketching
and languages Pastor Ulmer's wife greatly
admired Rizal.
 He returned to Heidelberg on June 2, 1886
remembering the hospitality and friendship accorded
to him by the Ulmers.
 The religious tolerance that the people practice in the
area is the things that he appreciated so much in his
stay in the German village
 He observed Pastor Ulmer being able to get
along well with the Catholic priest in the area
 something that will not be possible in the
Philippines as that time due to the dominant
belief of the friars that only themselves were the
only true purveyors of the words of God
 FIRST CORRESPONDENCE WITH
BLUMENTRITT
 after his summer vacation at Wilhelmsfeld on July
31, 1886, he sent his first correspondence with
Ferdinand Blumentritt.
 What impelled him to write Blume was the latter's
interest in ethnology and Philippine languages.
 Accompany his letter was a book entitled Aritme
authored by Rufino Baltazar Hernandez published
by the UST Press in 1868.
 Rizal's first correspondence impress Blumentritt
 the Director of the Aten of Leimeritz
 In return, Blumentritt sent Rizal two books.
 This marked the beginning of the frequent
communication between Rizal and Blumentritt
through the medium of writing.
 RIZAL TO LEIPZIG AND DRESDEN
 After attending the fifth centenary foundation day
celebration of the University of Heidelberg, Rizal
visited other cities in Germany.
 He arrived in Leipzig on August 14, 1886, on board
a train.
 Part of his activities in this city was attendance at the
lectures given by German professors in history and
psychology.
 It was at the University of Heidelberg where Rizal
came to know:
 Prof. Friedrich Ratzel, a well-known German
historian
 Dr. Hanz Meyer, a famous German
anthropologist
 It was also in this city where he translated Schiller's
William Tell into Tagalog, for the Filipinos to
become aware of the story of the champion of
Swiss independence.
 He also translated the Fairy Tales, written by Hans
Christian Andersen
 for the benefits of his young nieces and
nephews in the Philippines
 While at Leipzig, Rizal worked as a proofreader in
a publishing company
 He was fortunate enough to be accepted due to his
knowledge of German, Spanish, and other
European languages.
 Owing to the lower cost of living at Leipzig, he
stayed in the city for two months
 He left Leipzig on October 29, 1886 and went to
Dresden.
 It was at Dresden where he met Dr. Adolph Meyer
 the Director of Anthropological and
Ethnological Museum of the city.
 After his three-day visit to Dresden, he left
Dresden for Berlin by train.
 RIZAL IN BERLIN
 Rizal arrived in Berlin in the evening of November
1, 1886.
 He went to Berlin due to the following reasons
(Rivera et al, 1969):
 to further enhance his knowledge of
ophthalmology:
 to supplement his studies of languages and
sciences;
 to study and observe the political and
economic conditions of Germany;
 to join the circle of famous German scientists
and scholars; and
 to complete and publish his novel, Noli Me
Tangere.
 Rizal was fortunate enough to meet in person Dr.
Feodor Jagor
 the author of the book Travels in the Philippines
 This book was one Rizal admired so much when
he was still a student at UST.
 His admiration of this book was due to two
reasons.
- First, it predicted the collapse of the
Spanish regime in the Philippines.
- Finally, it prophesied the coming of the
Americans into the Philippines.
 His acquaintance with Dr. Jagor, through a letter of
introduction from Ferdinand Blumentritt,
resulted into his friendship with numerous German
intellectuals, like the following:
 Dr. Rudolf Virchow, a German anthropologist:
 Dr. Hans Virchow, a German professor of
Descriptive Anatomy; and
 Dr. W Joest, a famous German geographer; and
 Dr. Karl Ernest Schweigger, a noted German
ophthalmologist.
 His association with these German intellectuals led
to his membership in prestigious societies of
scholars and intellectuals in Berlin.
 On the recommendation of Dr. Jagor and Dr.
Meyer, Rizal was accepted as a member of the
following societies in Berlin:
 Anthropological Society;
 Ethnological Society; and
 Geographical Society.
 Acting on the invitation of Dr. Virchow, Rizal
presented a paper in German entitled Tagalische
Verkunst (Tagalog Metrical Art) to the
Ethnographic Society of Berlin.
 The paper was well appreciated, which proved that
Rizal was recognized for his scientific knowledge
in Europe.
 Life in Berlin was not that easy for Rizal.
 In the morning, he worked as an assistant in Dr.
Schweigger's clinic.
 In the evening he attended lectures at the
University of Berlin.
 At his boarding house, Rizal continued his physical
trimming exercises and practiced speaking German,
French, and Italian languages.
 Before resting in the evening, he took time to write
and complete his first novel.
 November 1886 to May 1887 – he found himself
penniless.
 His brother Paciano was unable to send him his
monthly stipend owing to crop failures in
Calamba.
 In order to eat, he had to pawn the diamond ring
given by his sister Saturnina and sell his books to
second-hand bookstores.
 Devoid of proper nutrition, he got sick with coughs
and colds, signs of tuberculosis.
 Penniless at Berlin, he thought of burning the
manuscript of his first novel. which he had
completed.