El Filibusterismo

● He wrote the following chapters of El Filibusterismo during his stay in Brussels from
January to August 1890: Chapters 1-5, 7-9, 11-17, 19-25, and 32-39.

Wrote for the newspaper La Solidaridad

● La Solidaridad was a newspaper based in Barcelona and Madrid. La Solidarided was a
newspaper that represented the views of the Filipino Propaganda Movement, which
aimed to reform the Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines. Some of the things that
Rizal wrote for La Solidaridad were essays on various topics such as education, culture,
religion, colonial administration, and Filipino identity. Articles that criticized the abuses
and corruption of the Spanish friars and officials exposing their hypocrisy, greed, and
oppression of the Filipino people as well as poems that expressed his love for his
country, his hopes for its future, and his admiration for its heroes. He also wrote poems
that denounced the injustices and tyranny of the colonial regime.

Met a friend and wrote letters to his family

● Dr. Ferdinand Blumentritt was an Austrian teacher, lecturer and author of articles and
books on the Philippines and its ethnography. He met Jose Rizal, the Philippine national
hero, through a letter in July 1886. During his stay, he wrote letters to his family in the
Philippines to update them on his life and studies. He also sent them copies of his books
and articles, as well as gifts and money.

Worked at a clinic
● Rizal worked at Heidelberg Eye Clinic on February 1886

Studied German culture

● He studied german literature, history, philosophy, and the German language, which he
became fluent. He also visited the various cities such as Cologne, Bonn, and Heidelberg,
where he admired the beauty and culture of Germany.

Participated in sports, such as gymnastics, target practice, and fencing

● Jose Rizal was considered of small stature, 5.28 feet or around 5’3.5”, to make up for it,
he did gymnastics regularly in college. He also engaged in fencing as surprised his
family with his skills in handling a sword when he sparred with the best swordman in
town.

La Solidaridad
● The La Solidaridad was a newspaper published in Spain by Filipino exiles who
advocated for reforms in the Philippines under Spanish colonial rule. Jose Rizal, is a
Filipino nationalist and writer, was one of the contributors to the newspaper. He wrote
essays and articles that exposed the social and political problems in the Philippines and
called for a peaceful change.
● The La Solidaridad published new articles biweekly and was founded by Graciano Lopez
in Barcelona in 1888.
● Some of the main personalities who wrote for the paper were José Rizal, Marcelo H. del
Pilar, Graciano López Jaena, Mariano Ponce, and Antonio Luna.
○ Marcelo H. del Pilar was the editor of La Solidaridad after replacing Graciano
López Jaena on December 15, 1889. Under his editorship, the aims of the
newspaper expananded and soon caught the attention of Spanish politicians.
○ Mariono Ponce co-founded La Solidaridad with Graciano Lopez-Jaena. It is said
that Mariano Ponce has the biggest contribution behind the La Solidaridad
framework and it’s success because he leads the financial department, content
organization, and publishing distribution.
○ Antonio Luna was one of the propagandists in Spain and wrote articles for La
Solidaridad. During his time, he wrote under the panname of “Taga-Ilog” and
commission Pedro Serrano Laktaw to secretly organize Masonic Lodges in the
Philippines to strengthen the propaganda movement.
La Solidaridad was a newspaper published in Spain by Filipino exiles who advocated for
reforms in the Philippines during the late 19th century.Some of the things Jose Rizal did in
Brussels, Germany are:

- He continued writing his second novel, El Filibusterismo, which he started in Calamba in 1887.
- He wrote several articles for La Solidaridad, the newspaper of the Filipino reform movement in
Spain.
- He met and befriended Dr. Ferdinand Blumentritt, a German scholar and expert on Philippine
affairs.
- He visited various cities along the banks of the Rhine, such as Cologne, Bonn, and
Heidelberg, where he admired the beauty and culture of Germany.
- He studied German literature, history, and philosophy, and learned to speak German fluently.
- He translated Friedrich Schiller's poem "Wilhelm Tell" into Tagalog.
- He wrote a letter to his family describing his impressions of Germany and expressing his love
for his country.

Dr. Ferdinand Blumentritt** was an Austrian teacher, scholar and author who wrote extensively
about the Philippines and its culture. He became a close friend and confidant of **Jose
Rizal**, the Philippine national hero, after they exchanged letters in 1886. Blumentritt
translated Rizal's first novel, Noli Me Tangere, into German and wrote the preface to his
second novel, El Filibusterismo. He also supported Rizal's advocacy for political reforms
in the Philippines through the publication La Solidaridad.

According to Rizal's own account, he wrote the following chapters of El Filibusterismo during his
stay in Brussels from January to August 1890: Chapters 1-5, 7-9, 11-17, 19-25, and
32-39. He wrote Chapters 6, 10, and 18 in Madrid, Spain; Chapter 26 in Paris, France;
Chapters 27-31 and 40-46 in Berlin, Germany; and Chapter 47 in Wilhelmsfeld,
Germany. The novel has a total of 64 chapters.