On the occasion of the 155th birth anniversary of our national hero Dr. José Rizal, the Sentro Rizal of the Philippine Embassy in Berne inaugurated the “miniature replica” of the Rizal Monument in Luneta.
Embassy personnel led by Ambassador Joselito A. Jimeno graced the inauguration of the Rizal Monument replica. In his message, the Ambassador called on all Filipino public servants to emulate the teachings of Dr. Rizal on freedom, love and service for the country.
Ambassador Jimeno (3rd from left) with Embassy personnel
The Rizal Monument in Luneta was sculpted by Swiss sculptor Richard Kissling in Wassen, Gotthard region of Switzerland. The city was home to the Rieswald quarry where the Gotthard granite used for the obelisk and shaft of the Rizal monument that now stands proud in Rizal Park in Manila came from. The Luneta monument was even briefly exhibited in Wassen before it was shipped to the Philippines in 1912.
José Rizal travelled to Switzerland in June 1887 and visited the cities of Schaffhausen, Basel, Berne, Lausanne and Geneva. Rizal markers are to be found in Schaffhausen, Berne and Geneva.
During his stay in Switzerland, Rizal took a keen interest in the exploits of the Swiss legendary hero William Tell. Rizal translated into Tagalog the story the novel of Wolfgang von Schiller onthis famous Swiss folklore hero of the Gotthard region.
The miniature replica of the Rizal Monument
The production of the replica was financed by the Knights of Rizal, and was sent by the National Parks Development Committee to the Embassy through the kind assistance of the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Office of European Affairs.
The miniature replica of the Rizal Monument is now permanently housed in the Sentro Rizal of the Embassy Chancery.
