Rizal in Heidelberg

The clinic where Jose Rizal worked under the direction of oculist Otto Becker.

Bergheimerstr.20.

A small plaque marks the apartment where Rizal stayed in Grabengasse 12.

I meant to post this in 2007 right after a trip to Germany. My husband wanted to take daytrip to Heidelberg from Frankfurt. This was out of curiosity to see the town where Rizal lived and studied. We went on a rainy Sunday and found a beautiful town with little shops, lots of bookstores (it is a University town after all), and streets lined with cobblestones. We didn't get to visit the shrine itself but visited the places where Rizal lived (and supposedly wrote the Flowers of Heidelberg) and worked. It's worth the trip but we recommend NOT going on a Sunday when all the stores are closed. Our hotel had a shuttle to Heidelberg but one can also take the train. Thanks to the high speed autobahns - our ride took less than an hour.

Rizal is probably one of the the most famous Filipinos to go study abroad. He arrived in Heidelberg in 1886.