Rizal came to Wilhelmsfeld at the invitation of a Protestant pastor named Karl Ullmer, who was gracious enough to offer him lodging. He stayed at the small German town for three months, which spanned his 25th birthday and the writing of the final chapters of Noli Me Tangere. This short but memorable visit started a long friendship that eventually led to the declaration of Wilhelmsfeld as the sister city of Calamba, Laguna–Rizal’s hometown. Apart from the establishment of a Rizal Park and monument, Wilhelmsfeld also named one of its streets as Rizal Strasse. The German government even shipped a fountain from which Rizal used to drink spring water while he lived with Ullmer to Manila in 1961. It now stands at Luneta Park and is called the Rizal Fountain.
Tucked away in the forests of the Odenwald mountains, Wilhelmsfeld in the state of Baden-Württemberg occupies a special place in Philippine history. For a few months in 1886, the town was home to no less than the Philippines’ national hero, Jose P. Rizal: https://t.co/CrQjI7PRgl pic.twitter.com/vRD2iG4PUX
— DFA Philippines (@DFAPHL) July 4, 2018
