Rizal marker unveiled in Switzerland

MANILA, Philippines - The unveiling of the marker of Dr. Jose Rizal highlighted the celebration in Switzerland of the hero’s 150th birth anniversary.

Philippine Ambassador to Switzerland Leslie Baja led the unveiling of the Rizal marker at the Hotel Schweizerhof Bern on Dec. 14.

The plaque, provided by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, was placed at the entrance of the hotel where Jose Rizal stayed on June 4 and 5 in 1887.

While in Switzerland, Rizal visited Schaffhausen, Basel, Berne, Lausanne and Geneva. Markers have been installed previously in Schaffhausen and Geneva.

Rizal translated Schiller’s novel “William Tell” — a take on a Swiss struggle against oppression — into Tagalog.

The sculptor of the Rizal monument in Manila was Swiss artist Richard Kissling, who also made the statue of William Tell in Altdorf, Switzerland.

In his remarks, Baja noted the close relations between the Philippines and Switzerland. It has been 150 years since the establishment of the Swiss consulate in Manila.

Earlier in the year, the embassy organized an exhibit on the life and works of Rizal and established the Sentro Rizal at the embassy chancery.