Rizal in Switzerland

Rizal in Switzerland

Jose A. Fadul

Raleigh | London | Toronto | Bangalore

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Published by Lulu Press, Inc. Copyright 2013 by Jose A. Fadul and Lulu Press ALL RIGHTS RESERVED No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any meanswhether virtual, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the written permission of the copyright owner.

ISBN 978-1-304-24829-9 (hardback, black-&-white) 978-1-304-68264-2 (paperback, full color) 978-1-304-69042-5 (eBook)

Basal Text: Calibri 11 points Display Types: Arial, Arial Narrow, Microsoft Sans Serif 2 Paper Stock: Book paper 80 g/m , 100% recyclable Cover: A 1794 Map of Switzerland printed and sold by Laurie & Whittle

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Contents

Acknowledgements Dedication Picture Credits

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Rizal in Switzerland References

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Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Appendix: Summary of Rizal’s visit in Switzerland with updates on Rizal markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

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Acknowledgments I would first and foremost thank my wife, Susan, for the help and support she has given me in writing this book. Not only has she put up with me during the process (and the several months of research that proceeded), but she has also contributed substantially to the book by helping me to create images, as well as acting as a sounding board for new ideas. I would also like to thank my octogenarian mother, the English teacher, for reading most of the book and providing much need feedback and corrections, in spite of her relatively recent second stroke. I also acknowledge the support, feedback, and encouragement of many of my friends and colleagues in De la Salle-College of Saint Benilde. In particular, I thank Darren Dumaop, Vincent Soriano, Ronaldo Pante, Alexander Gonzales, and Mario Marayag. Their feedback and wisdom greatly helped to improve the quality of the book. I must also thank everyone who contributed to my trip to Switzerland, which formed the basis for this book. I thank my Chair, Prof. Rene Valladolid, Dean Remedios Lorica, and VP for Academics Robert Tang, for supporting my leave and my request for a travel grant to Zurich. It was for a paper presentation on the social network analysis of Rizal’s life and works, and it gave me the opportunity to visit many of the places in Switzerland where Rizal had been. I also thank Lulu Press for giving me the opportunity to have this book published. I particularly acknowledge all the editors who contributed to the process and the final product, including Ken Anderson and Ron Miller. Finally, I would like to thank the many Rizal teachers and Rizalists who continue to inspire me by their own contributions that push the boundaries of what is possible to know, understand, and teach regarding our National Hero and ourselves as a Nation of Filipinos.

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This book is dedicated to a Swiss man from Lausanne who chose a Filipina for a wife; this book is also dedicated to all Filipinos who are now residing in Switzerland.

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Picture Credits The author and his publisher have made every effort to contact all holders of copyright works. All copyright holders that we have been unable to reach are invited to contact the author or his publisher so that full acknowledgment and remuneration may be given in subsequent editions.

Page x - xi: A 1794 Map of Switzerland, Laurie & Whittle; page 1: Old pictures of Switzerland; page 2: Map of Switzerland from an old book being kept by the heirs of Paciano Rizal, Paciano’s House Library, Laguna; page 3: Jose Rizal University’s Rizaliana Website showing dates of Rizal’s travels; page 4: A mosaic of William Tell at the Swiss National Museum; page 5 top: A depiction of the apple-shot scene of William Tell and his son in Sebastian Münster’s Cosmographia (1554 edition); page 5 bottom: William Tell’s Leap (Tellensprung) from the boat of his captors at the Axen cliffs / study by Ernst Stückelberg (1879) for his fresco; page 7 top: Latter heads of the Habsburg Monarchy: Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor and his wife Infanta Maria of Spain with their children; page 7 bottom: An old map showing the growth of Habsburg Dominions; page 8: Europe after the Congress of Vienna in 1815; page 9 top: The Congress of Vienna, 1814-1815; page 9 bottom: John Calvin; page 12: The original draft of Rizal’s Liga Filipina in his own handwriting; page 15: A page of Rizal’s Tagalog translation of the 68-page manuscript of the drama Wilhelm Tell, in Rizal’s original handwriting; page 16: Page 4 of Rizal’s Guillermo Tell Tagalog translation where he was translating Schiller’s call for freedom; page 17: “Rütlischwur” Johann Heinrich Füssli (1780); page 31 top: Hotel Müller in the early 1900—Francis Yumul Collection; page 31 bottom: Memorial plaque installed on the front façade of Hotel Muller on December 20, 1961 on the occasion of the birth centennial of Dr. Rizal in 1961 with the following inscriptions, “JOSE RIZAL (1861-1896) National Hero of the Philippines. Rizal, with Dr. Maximo Viola, stopped at Hotel Muller, 2-3 June 1887” Francis Yumul Collection, cropped and color-corrected via Microsoft Office 2010 by the author; page 32: Drinking beer in Basel, by the author; page 33 top: Bern edition of Schiller’s Wilhelm Tell; page 33 bottom: Unveiling of Rizal marker in Bern led by Philippine Ambassador to Switzerland Leslie Baja at the Hotel Schweizerhof, Bern on Dec. 14 2011; page 34: Present-day Lausanne showing portion of Lake Geneva in the background, by the author; page 37: one of the five Jose Rizal Markers in Switzerland, in Geneva—top, J. Teodoro via Panoramio; Unveiling of the marker—bottom left and right, Fabienne Muller, Geneva; page 38 top: Swiss postage stamp issued from 1881-1889—from the author’s private stamp collection; below: a set of stamps featuring the monuments of the national heroes of the two countries--Dr. Jose P. Rizal of the Philippines and William Tell of Switzerland--both designed and executed by the renowned Swiss sculptor, Richard Kissling. The commemorative souvenir sheet released together with these stamps features prominent natural landmarks and tourist attraction of the two countries -- the Mayon volcano of the Philippines which has long been-heralded for its near-perfect cone and the Matterhorn, the famous “peak” of the Swiss Alps which has been a symbol of Swiss culture; page 39: various Swiss stamps from the author’s private stamp collection; page 40-41: An 1860 Map of Switzerland once in the possession of the heirs of Maximo Viola; page 42 & 44: Swiss coins, Zurich Money Museum. Front and back cover: A 1794 Map of Switzerland, Laurie & Whittle; inset picture of the author on the back cover, Shutter Panda Photography.

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Switzerland is a land-locked country in the heart of Europe occupied by the mountain ranges of the Alps, bordered on the north by Germany, on the west by France, on the east by Austria and Liechtenstein, and on the south by Italy. With a total area of about 40,000 square kilometers, Switzerland is about one-eighth the size of the Philippines.

Old pictures of Switzerland

Switzerland is a land of great natural beauty: lakes, valleys, and mountain peaks present a splendid panorama to tourists from all over the world, and derives much of its revenue from the tourist industry. From all over Europe and the rest of the world, millions of tourists visit Switzerland annually to enjoy the scenery, engage in sports or regenerate their health in the clean air and bright sunshine of the Swiss Alps.

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Rizal in Switzerland Relations between the Philippines and Switzerland may be traced back to the early 1800s when Swiss traders, missionaries and travellers ventured to East Asia. The opening of an official Swiss representation in the Philippines was first considered by the Swiss Federal Council (Cabinet) in 1851. This initiative led to the establishment of a Swiss honorary consulate in Manila, the first in Asia, in 1862. That year, Jose Rizal was still a toddler. Rizal, as a young boy, may have read about the beauty of Switzerland while still in the Philippines--because months after his medical studies, while in Germany in May of 1887, when the opportunity came for him to travel around Europe with his compatriot-friend Maximo Viola, Rizal included a few weeks in Switzerland in their itinerary and took account of spending his 26th birthday (June 19, 1887) in that country. In fact, Rizal and Viola visited five Swiss cantons: Schaffhausen, Basel, Berne, Lausanne and Geneva during that month of June, 1887.

Map of Switzerland from an old encyclopaedia, with pencil marks made by Rizal’s nephews and nieces, presently with the heirs of Paciano Rizal

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Jose Rizal University’s Rizaliana Website showing dates of Rizal’s travels http://www.joserizal.ph/tr23.html

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Rizal in Switzerland However, the more important reason why Dr. Jose Rizal went to visit Switzerland was that he wanted to know more about its glorious history. Rizal was familiar with the heroic exploits of Guillermo Tell (William Tell), the legendary hero of Switzerland. Hence, he was very eager to learn more about the country, the people and their culture. Perhaps Rizal even toyed with the idea that he can be the William Tell of the Philippines, since according to one of his latter biographers Ambeth Ocampo, Rizal was “conscious of becoming a hero”.

Mosaic of a scene in William Tell at the Swiss National Museum, Zürich

Earlier, during his stay in Germany, Rizal had translated from German to Tagalog a historical drama dealing with the Swiss people’s fight for justice, unity and freedom from foreign domination: Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller’s Wilhelm (William) Tell. An extant letter from Matías Belarmino of Calamba, dated 8 October 1890 revealed that Rizal earlier communicated to his brother Paciano, asking him to send a copy of the manuscript of Guillermo Tell to a friend in Madrid. 4


A depiction of the apple-shot scene of William Tell and his son Walter in Sebastian Münster’s Cosmographia (1554 edition) that Rizal may have seen while still studying in Ateneo and University of Santo Tomás

William Tell’s Leap (Tellensprung) from the boat of his captors a study by the Swiss artist Ernst Stückelberg (1879) for his fresco

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(Actually, the Habsburg Monarchy or Habsburg Empire is an unofficial appellation amongst historians for the countries and provinces which were ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg (1278–1780), and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine (from 1780), between 1526 and 1804. The “Habsburg Monarchy” or “Habsburg Empire” term was born only posteriorly in the early 19th century, which referred to the Habsburg dominions between the 1526–1804 period. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague. From 1804 to 1867 the Habsburgs ruled the Austrian Empire and from 1867 to 1918 Austro-Hungarian Empire. The head of the House of Habsburg was often elected as emperor of the Holy Roman Empire until its dissolution in 1806. However, the two entities should not be considered coterminus, as the Habsburg Empire covered many lands beyond the Holy Roman Empire, and not all of the Holy Roman Empire was de facto under direct Habsburg control at any given time. The Habsburg family originated with the Habsburg Castle in modern Switzerland and after 1278 came to rule in Austria (“the Habsburg Hereditary Lands”). The Habsburg family grew to European prominence with the marriage and adoption treaty by Emperor Maximilian I at the First Congress of Vienna in 1515, and the subsequent death of adopted Louis II of Hungary and Bohemia in 1526. In some contexts, the term “Habsburg Empire” may also refer to the extended Habsburg family possessions once ruled solely by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, or to the Spanish Empire ruled by the senior Spanish branch of the house.)

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Rizal in Switzerland Rizal knew that while there is no solid proof that the hero William Tell really existed, the play was based and inspired by actual events that took place during the 13th Century in that place that is now Switzerland. During that time, the people were under the tyrannical rule of the Habsburg Monarchy. Rizal soon noted parallels between the oppression of the Swiss by the Habsburgs and the subjugation of the Philippines by the Spaniards. Latter heads of the Habsburg Monarchy: Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor and his wife Infante Maria of Spain with their children

An old map showing the growth of Habsburg Dominions

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Rizal in Switzerland Rizal gathered that it was in 1291 when those from three nearby regions or cantons (Schwyz, Uri, and Unterwalden) united themselves and organized a league to defend their common area. That league was the beginning of Switzerland as a nation and also of Switzerland’s long fight for independence. The struggle for independence culminated in 1815 when the country became a confederation of more than a dozen cantons; the European powers during the Congress of Vienna—held a year earlier and continued the following year—guaranteed its perpetual neutrality and agreed that Switzerland should enjoy the blessings of liberty and independence for all times.

Europe after the Congress of Vienna in 1815, recognizing Switzerland

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The Congress of Vienna, 1814-1815

As a neutral country, anyone who seeks protection in Switzerland cannot be turned over to a foreign government for a political crime. Safety is granted to political refugees under their Constitution. Because of this Switzerland has become a place for radical thinkers, reformers and revolutionaries. One of its famous citizens was John Calvin, a leader of the Protestant Reformation in Switzerland and a close friend of Germany’s Martin Luther. Calvin was born in France, but he settled in Geneva where he greatly influenced the religious, social, political and economic life of the city for many years. (Rizal have read the works of John Calvin and Martin Luther but remained a Roman Catholic despite the fact that he once stayed as a paying border with a Lutheran pastor, Karl Ullmer, in Wilhemsfeld, Germany for a few weeks. Rizal’s latter views on the purgatory, confessing to the priests, praying to the saints, the infallibility of the Pope, and liberty of conscience, began to have a Reformed or Calvinistic flavour though.) John Calvin (July 10, 1509 - May 27, 1564)

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Rizal in Switzerland Other famous people who were born or died in Switzerland:  Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna of Russia (1853–1920), Duchess of Edinburgh, died in Zurich

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Richard Avenarius (1843–1896), Philosopher, died in Zurich

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Elias Canetti (1905–1994), novelist, died in Zurich

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Wilhelm Filchner (1877–1957), explorer, died in Zurich

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Patrick Geering (born 1990), ice hockey player, born in Zurich

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James Joyce (1882–1941), Irish novelist, died in Zurich (buried at Fluntern Cemetery in Zurich)

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Carl Jung (1875–1961), psychiatrist, lived and died in Zurich

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Otto Klemperer (1885–1973), German conductor, died in Zurich (buried at Israelitischer Friedhof Oberer Friesenberg)

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Hugo Koblet (1925–1964), cycling champion, born in Zurich

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Antonio Ligabue (1899–1965), Italian painter, born in Zurich

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Conrad Ferdinand Meyer (1825–1898), poet, born in Zurich

Diego Benaglio (born 1983), footballer, born in Zurich Severin Blindenbacher (born 1983), ice hockey player, born in Zurich Felix Bloch (1905–1983), physicist, born in Zurich Heinrich Bullinger (1504–1575), reformer and theologian, died in Zurich Alfred Escher (1819–1882), politician, business leader and railways pioneer, born and died in Zurich Max Frisch (1911–1991), novelist, born and died in Zurich Christoph Froschauer (c. 1491–1564), Printer of the Froschauer Bible, died in Zurich Conrad Gessner (1516–1565), naturalist, born and died in Zurich Marcel Grossmann (1878–1936), mathematician, died in Zurich Otto Hunziker (1873–1959), pioneer in the international dairy industry, born in Zurich

Gottfried Keller (1819–1890), poet, born and died in Zurich Amanullah Khan (1929–1960), deposed Afghan reformist King, died in Zurich

Johann Kaspar Lavater (1741–1801), poet and physiognomist, born in Zurich Hugo Loetscher (1929–2009), writer, born and died in Zurich Dieter Meier (born 1945), conceptual artist and musician with electronica group Yello, born in Zurich Wolfgang Pauli (1900–1958), physicist, died in Zurich

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Rizal in Switzerland 

Hermann Klaus Hugo Weyl (9 November 1885 – 8 December 1955) Mathematician, died in Geneva

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Shefqet Vërlaci (1877–1946), 12th Prime Minister of Albanian Kingdom (1939–1943), died in Basel

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Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi (1746–1827), educational reformer, born in Zurich

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Johann Jakob Scheuchzer (1672–1733), scholar, born in Zurich

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Jean Piaget (1896–1980), Swiss developmental psychologist and philosopher, pioneer of the constructivist theory of knowing, born in Neuchâtel, died in Geneva.

Roland Scholl (1865–1945), chemist, born in Zurich Johanna Spyri (1827–1901), author of Heidi, died in Zurich Raynold Kaufgetz (1797–1869), economist, born and died in Zurich Huldrych (or Ulrich/Ulricht) Zwingli (1484–1531), Pastor-Theologian, born in Wildhaus, St. Gallen; died in Kappel, Zurich

Other famous residents of Switzerland:  Albert Einstein, German-born theoretical physicist who developed the General Theory of Relativity, 1921Nobel laureate, (resided in Zurich in 1896–1900, 1909–1911, and 1912–1914)

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James Joyce, Irish novelist and poet, (resided in Zurich in 1915–1919)

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Thomas Mann, German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and 1929 Nobel laureate, known for his series of highly symbolic and ironic epic novels, noted for their insight into the psychology of the artist and the intellectual, (resided in Zurich from 1933 through 1942)

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Manuel Rivera-Ortiz, American documentary photographer of Puerto Rican descent, the author of several photographic collections and the recipient of a number of awards, (2008 -present)

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Kurt Tucholsky, German-Jewish journalist, satirist and writer, (1932–1933)

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Tina Turner, singer, dancer, actress, author, and choreographer, (resident since April 2013)

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Tristan Tzara, Romanian and French avant-garde poet, essayist and performance artist, (1896–1963)

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Richard Wagner, German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is primarily known for his operas, (1849–1861)

Vladimir Lenin, Russian communist revolutionary, politician and political theorist, (resided for several months in Zurich in 1917)

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Rizal in Switzerland Lacuna and Krämer, authors of Rizal’s Heritage Trail in Europe, thought that Rizal was indeed fascinated by the colorful history

of Switzerland, “for when he finally returned home to the Philippines in 1892, he immediately organized La Liga Filipina, which was more or less similar in objectives to the early league formed by the three original cantons of Switzerland.” They noted that the main purposes of Rizal’s Liga Filipina were: 1) to unite the entire archipelago into a compact, vigorous, and homogeneous body, 2) to have mutual protection in every existence and need, and 3) to defend against all violence and injustice.

The original draft of Rizal’s Liga Filipina in his own handwriting

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Rizal in Switzerland Rizal was, no doubt, further influenced by Schiller’s William Tell, because in his second novel, El Filibusterismo, he had paraphrased several passages from the William Tell and incorporated them in El Filibusterismo. For example, compare the following excerpts from the William Tell and the El Filibusterismo: Excerpt from the William Tell (a Swiss Freedom Fighter): “Yes! A tyrants’ power has a limit! When man, oppressed, has cried in vain for justice And knows his burden is too great to bear, With bold resolve he reaches up to heaven To seize those rights which are for ever his, As permanent and incorruptible As are the stars upon the crystal round. The primal state of nature is regained Where man stands face to face with his oppressor. When every other means has failed, he has At last resort the sword in mortal combat. It is our right, in face of violence, to guard our own. Our country is at stake, For wife and child we pledge our lives, our all.”

Now, compare this excerpt from the El Filibusterismo (Father Florentino): “I cannot read the thoughts of the Inscrutable! I know that He has not abandoned those people in their supreme moments confided in Him and made Him the judge of their oppression; I know that His arm has never failed when Justice trampled upon and all resources exhausted, the oppressed seized the sword and fought for his home, for his wife, for his children, for his inalienable rights, which

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Rizal in Switzerland as the German poet says, shine eternal and censured not in the heaven like the stars themselves! No, God who is justice cannot abandon His cause, the cause of liberty without which no justice is possible.”

In the abovementioned excerpt from the El Filibusterismo, the “German poet”, mentioned by Rizal refers to J. C. Friedrich von Schiller (1759-1805) the famous German poet, dramatist, historian and philosopher who wrote the drama William Tell between 1803 and 1804. Rizal knew that Schiller had never been to Switzerland but being a historian he was well informed about the Swiss people. Rizal may have known also that Schiller was inspired to write the play about the legendary Swiss marksman William Tell, by his wife Charlotte “Lotte” von Lengefeld (1766–1826) who knew the country from her and her parents’ personal experiences. In a letter dated 15 September 1886 sent to Rizal in Leipzig, Germany by Evaristo Aguirre who was in Madrid, the latter mentioned that he was glad that Rizal “has finished his little work [Noli Me Tangere] and is now translating Schiller’s Guillermo [William] Tell. It is apparent that Rizal did not translate Schiller’s William Tell to Tagalog just to give his nephews and nieces something to read and tickle their imagination. Neither did he do so just to practice his skill in translating words, phrases and sentences from Spanish to German to Tagalog. It appears that he chose to work on it because he believed that he could use it to ignite the Filipinos’ passion for liberty and independence. Evaristo Aguirre was son of a Spaniard who grew up in Kawit, Cavite. He is a friend and contemporary of Rizal, using Cauit as his pseudonym. He later sided with the Filipinos in their fight against Spain. 14


A page of Rizal’s Tagalog translation of the 68-page manuscript of the drama Wilhelm Tell, in Rizal’s original handwriting In early 2009, Ramon Guillermo published his comprehensive study of Rizal’s 1886 Tagalog translation of Schiller’s last and most famous play, Wilhelm Tell (1804) using discursive and textual analysis.

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Page 4 of Rizal’s Guillermo Tell Tagalog translation where he was translating Schiller’s call for freedom. “Eine Grenze hat die Tyrannen macht”, [“Ang kapangyarihan ng isang manlulupig ay may hangganan”] which literally means “A tyrant’s power has a limit” says a Swiss freedom fighter, in Wilhelm Tell. By mid-2009, German author and blogger Hilja Müller observed that William Tell’s influence on Rizal is still as little-known in the Philippines as the work itself, and yet Filipino children already seem to study every detail in the life of Rizal in school.

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Rizal in Switzerland Rizal studied and carefully translated the Rütlischwur (or Rutli Oath), a legendary oath of the Old Swiss Confederacy, taken on the Rütli, a meadow above Lake Lucerne. The oath is notably featured in the 1804 Wilhelm Tell drama by Schiller. Rizal realized that while Wilhelm Tell became a major figure in the later versions of the events surrounding the Rütlischwur, he is not mentioned in the earlier accounts. The Rütli oath is first mentioned in the White Book of Sarnen (1470). Its canonical form is that of the 16th century Chronicon Helveticum of Aegidius Tschudi. According to Tschudi, the three oathtakers (Eidgenossen) were Werner Stauffacher for the Schwyz canton, Walter Fürst for the Uri canton, and Arnold of Melchtal for the Unterwalden canton. Rizal noted that the figures of the three oath takers or Eidgenossen during the 16th century merged with the legend of William Tell and became known as “the Three Tells”. He read on the impersonations of the Three Tells in historical costume that played a role during the Swiss peasant war of 1653. Rizal further noted that Tschudi dates the event to November 8, 1307. Its historicity is uncorroborated, but also not implausible, the 1307 date falling in a period of a series of similar treaties such as the Federal Charter of 1291 and the pact of Brunnen of 1315, the pact of Uri and Urseren of 1317, the pact with Lucerne in 1332, the Zürich guild revolution of 1336, all part of a larger communal movement finally countered by the imperial Golden Bull of 1356 and culminating in the Battle of Sempach of 1386. 17

Rizal in Switzerland In Schiller's drama, this oath of the mentioned three men takes place in Walter Fürst’s house in Altdorf and basically consists of a promise to meet again on August 1st on the Rütli meadow and to bring with them leading and brave men of the three cantons to decide upon a common action plan. Most notably, among the representatives of Unterwalden was Konrad Baumgarten, a free and wealthy man who killed, in his own residence, the local Habsburg sheriff Wolfenschiessen with an axe in defence of his wife Itta Baumgarten against the sheriff's attempt to violate her. On the other hand, William Tell refused the invitation to come to the Rütli as he was of the opinion that the strong shall act on his own and was skeptical about any common actions. The version of the oath that Rizal used is found in the play “Wilhelm Tell” by Schiller written in 1804: (German wording) Wir wollen sein ein einzig Volk von Brüdern, in keiner Not uns trennen und Gefahr. Wir wollen frei sein, wie die Väter waren, eher den Tod, als in der Knechtschaft leben. Wir wollen trauen auf den höchsten Gott und uns nicht fürchten vor der Macht der Menschen.

(Rizal’s Tagalog translation) Nais namin ay maging isang katauhan ng pagkakapatiran, na hindi magwawalay sa panganib, ni sa kahirapan. Nais namin ay maging malaya, gaya ng aming mga ninuno noong sinauna, at ang mamatay kaysa sa mabuhay sa pagkaalipin. Nais namin ay magtiwala sa isang Kataas-taasang Dios at hindi matakot sa taong may kapangyarihan.

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Rizal in Switzerland (English translation of Rizal’s Tagalog translation) We want to be a single People of brethren, in danger never to part, nor in distress. We want to be free, as our Fathers were, and rather die than live in slavery. We want to trust in the one highest God and never be afraid of man in power.

Rizal learned that the development of Switzerland as a federal state in the first half of the 19th century (1803-1848) revived symbols of the period of growth of the Old Swiss Confederacy in the Late Middle Ages, including the legends of William Tell, Arnold Winkelried and the Rütli oath. Patriotic songs such as the Sempacherlied as well as Schiller’s play had an important position, and shooting competitions or tirs became an important symbol of the common cause and military readiness of the Confederacy. After the establishment of the federal state, the Rütli oath became associated with the Swiss Federal Charter, a document dated to 1291. Rizal noted that this choice was not straightforward, as it went against Tschudi’s date of 1307, and historians could enumerate more than 80 similar documents of the period of 1251 to 1386. Even then, the decision was practical, as the modern Swiss capital of Bern was going to celebrate the 700th anniversary of the city’s foundation in 1891 and it was convenient to place the 600th anniversary of the Confederacy in the same year. However, in Central Switzerland, the opportunity of re-dating the event was somewhat resented at that time, and the Rütli oath continued to be dated to 1307. Rizal didn’t know that much later, August 1 will become the Swiss national holiday to this day. It now marks the date of the Swiss Federal Charter (dated to “the beginning of August, 1291”), and thus the Rütli oath. 19

Rizal in Switzerland Rizal’s translation of the Rütli oath to the language understood and used by his countrymen cannot be overemphasized. Rizal was in effect hinting that what the Swiss had done can be emulated by the Filipinos. Had Rizal not written his two famous novels, still his act of conveying the message of the Rütli oath alone already made him one of the significant players in the development of Philippine nationalism. With it Rizal succeeded in igniting the Filipinos’ passion for liberty and independence. Book author Hilja Müller observed that the story about the freedom-fighter William Tell was a political revelation for Rizal, and that Rizal’s translation of “William Tell” was an expression of his politically brilliant thinking. The original manuscript is stored like a treasure under lock and key in the National Library in Manila. There it must remain, say German and Swiss officials from the literary archive in Marbach who examined the pages in May 2009 to determine whether restoration work was needed. The Tagalog “Tell” manuscript should not be exposed to light excessively because the purple ink that Rizal used would continue to fade. Yet Rizal’s reputation to Filipinos, to the Swiss, and to the rest of the world shall remain unfading, even beyond hundreds of years after his death. Every now-and-then new Jose Rizal plaques are installed to commemorate the stay of Rizal in the various cantons of Switzerland.

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References Bergier, Jean-François. Wilhelm Tell: Realität und Mythos. München: Paul List Verlag, 1990. Engel, Manfred: “Schiller und wir – Ferneausgroßer Nähe”. Oxford German Studies 37 (2008) 1: 37–49. Evans, Robert John Weston, The Making of the Habsburg Monarchy, 1550–1700: An Interpretation. Oxford University Press, 1979. Fadul, Jose (2002/2008). A Workbook for a Course in Rizal. Manila: De La Salle University Press. ISBN 971-555426-1 /C&E Publishing. ISBN 978-971-584-648-6. Filipinos in History. Vol III. Philippine Theater. Manila: National Historical Institute, 1996. Fiske, John. Myths and Myth-Makers: Old Tales and Superstitions Interpreted by Comparative Mythology, 1877. Guerrero, Leon Ma. (2007). The First Filipino. Manila: National Historical Institute of The Philippines (1962); Guerrero Publishing. ISBN 971-93418-2-3. Guillermo, Ramon. (2009). Translation and Revolution: A Study of Jose Rizal's Guillermo Tell. University of Hawai’I Press. Distributed by Ateneo de Manila University. ISBN 978-971-550-578-9. Head, Randolph C. “William Tell and His Comrades: Association and Fraternity in the Propaganda of Fifteenth- and Sixteenth-Century Switzerland.” in The Journal of Modern History 67.3 (1995): 527–557. Hof, Ulrich (2006). “Von den Chroniken der alten Eidgenossenschaftbiszurneuen «Geschichte der Schweiz – und der Schweizer»”. Geschichte der Schweiz und der Schweizer (in German) (4th ed.). Schwabe. ISBN 3-7965-2067-7.

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Rizal in Switzerland Joaquin, Nick (1977). A Question of Heroes: Essays and criticisms on ten key figures of Philippine History. Manila: Ayala Museum. Kalaw, Teodoro. “Epistolario Rizalino: 4 volumes, 1400 letters to and from Rizal”. Manila: Bureau of Printing, 19301937. Kann, Robert A. A History of the Habsburg Empire: 1526-1918 (University of California Press, 1974). Keightley, Thomas. Tales and Popular Fictions: Their Resemblance and Transmission from Country to Country. London: Whittaker, 1834. Lacuna, Celso and Krämer, Gerd. “Rizal’s Heritage Trail in Switzerland: (Schaffhausen, Basel, Berne, Lausanne, Geneva) June 2-21, 1887.” Knights of Rizal. Bonn Chapter available at http://www.mina-gerdkraemer.homepage.t-online.de/rht/Swiss.htm. Lahnstein, Peter (January 1984) [1981]. Schillers Leben. Frankfurt am Main: Fischer. ISBN 3-596-25621-6. Müller, Hilja “William Tell in Tagalog” in The Asia Pacific Times June 2009, available at http://www.asia-pacifictimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=vi ew&id=10699&Itemid=9. Nery, John (2011). “Revolutionary Spirit: Jose Rizal in Southeast Asia”. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore. ISBN978-981-4345-06-4. Ocampo, Ambeth R. (1990). “Rizal without the Overcoat”. Anvil Publishing Co., Manila. ISBN 971-27-0043-7. Ocampo, Ambeth R. (1993). Calendar of Rizaliana in the vault of the National Library. Pasig: Anvil Publishing. Öchsli, W. Die Anfänge der Schweizerischen Eidgenossenschaft. Zürich, 1891. Quirino, Carlos (1997). The Great Malayan. Makati City: Tahanan Books. ISBN 971-630-085-9.

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Rizal in Switzerland Rizal, Jose. El Filibusterismo. Translated by Harold Augenbraum. Penguin Group US, 2011. ISBN 1101528699, 9781101528693. Viola, Maximo. My Travels with Dr. Rizal. Public domain available at http://joserizal.nhcp.gov.ph/Biography/viola_diary.htm

Wandruszka, Adam. The House of Habsburg: Six Hundred Years of a European Dynasty. Doubleday, 1964; Greenwood Press, 1975. Yumul, Francis. “Rizal in Schaffhausen, Switzerland” in A Fiddler’s Brew available at http://fyumul.blogspot.com/2011/10/rizal-inscahffhausen-switzerland.html. Zaide, Gregorio F. (2003) José Rizal: Life, Works and Writings of a Genius, Writer, Scientist and National Hero. Manila: National Bookstore. ISBN 971-08-0520-7. Zimmer, O. (2004). “In Search of Natural Identity: Alpine Landscape and the Reconstruction of the Swiss Nation”. Comparative Studies in Society and History 40 (4).

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Index A Aguirre, Evaristo 14 Alps 1 apple shot 5, 39 Arnold Winkelried 19 Ateneo (Ateneo de Manila, Ateneo Municipal de Manila) 5, 21, 38 Axen cliffs 5 B Baja, Leslie J. 33 Basel (or Basle) x-xi, 2, 11, 32 Battle of Sempach in 1386 18 beer, in Bayrische Bierhalle Rizal and Viola drank 3, 32 Bern (or Berne) 2, 33 Belarmino, Matías 4 billon (a metal alloy containing mostly copper and tin with small quantity of silver) 43 th birthday, Rizal’s 26 (June 19, 1887) 2 born and/or died in Switzerland 10-11 C Calvin, John 9 canton (or state) 2, 8, 12, 17, 18 Cauit (pseudonym of Evaristo Aguirre) 14 coins, Swiss 42-44 Congress of Vienna 6, 8, 9 Chronicon Helveticum 17 D dates of Rizal’s travels 3 drama 4, 14, 15 dramatist 14

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Rizal in Switzerland E Eidgenossen (oath-takers) 17 El Filibusterismo 13 Europe 1, 2, 6, 8 European Powers 8 European prominence 6

F famous people residing in Switzerland 11 Filipino, Filipinos 14, 20 foreign domination 4 Füssli, Johann Heinrich (1741 – 1825) ix, 17

G Geneva x, 2, 9, 11, 18, 36-37 Germany x, 1, 2, 4, 9, 14 Guillermo Tell 4, 14, 16 Guillermo, Ramon 15, 21

H Habsburg (or Hapsburg) Monarchy 6-7, 9 Helvetia (female personification of Switzerland) 38, 39 historian 14, 19 Holy Roman Emperor, Holy Roman Empire 6-7

I inalienable rights 13 Infante (or Infanta) Maria of Spain, Queen 7 inspired by actual events 7, 14 Italy x-xi

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Rizal in Switzerland J Jose Rizal University’s Rizaliana website 3 Jung, Carl Gustav 10

K Kissling, Richard 37

L language neutral, Swiss coins are 45 Lausanne 34, 35 Lazarro, Maria Theresa P., Ambassador 36 Leap, William Tell’s (Tellensprung) 5 Leipzig 14 Lenin, Valdimir (found refuge in Zurich) 11 liberty 8, 14 Liga Filipina 12 Luther, Martin 9 Lutheran pastor, Karl Ullmer 9

M Marbach, literary archive in 20 Matterhourn 17 mountains 1, 17 Müller, Hilja 16, 20

N national hero 20 natural beauty 1, 17, 20 neutral country 9

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Rizal in Switzerland O oath, Rütli 17-19 old maps and pictures x-xi, 2, 7, 40-41 original cantons of Switzerland, the three 12 P Paciano (Rizal’s elder and only brother) 2, 4 Pagani, Remy (Mayor of the City of Geneva) 36-37 Piaget, Jean 11 postage stamps commemorating Swiss-Filipino Friendship 37 Q Queen Infante (or Infanta) Maria of Spain 7 R Reformed theology (Calvinistic) 9 reformers 9 revolutionaries 9, 11 Romanian and French avant-garde poet 11 Rütli, a meadow above Lake Lucerne 17 Rütlischwur (or Rütli oath) 17-20 S Schiller, Johann Christoph Friedrich von 4, 13, 14, 16, 19 Schaffhausen x, 2, 31 Schwyz, one of the three original cantons 17 souvenir sheet 37 Spaniard 7, 14 Spanish 6, 14 Stauffacher, Werner 17 Stückelberg, Ernst 5 Swiss, Switzerland 1-20, 31-37

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Rizal in Switzerland T Tagalog 4, 14, 15, 16, 20 Tina Turner 11 tirs (shooting competitions) 19 tourist industry in Switzerland 1 Tschudi, Aegidius 17, 19 tyrants 7, 13, 16 U Ullmer, Karl 9 uncorroborated historicity 17 unity 4 Unterwalden, one of the three original cantons 17 University of Santo Tomás (UST) 5 Uri, one of the three original cantons 17 V Viola, Maximo 2, 31-36 visit Switzerland 1, 3, 4, 31-37 W Walter, son of William Tell 5, 39 William Tell 4, 5, 7, 13, 14, 17, 19, 38-39 X Y young boy, Rizal as a 2 Z Zurich, Zürich 4, 10, 11, 17 Zwingli, Ulrich 11

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Appendix Summary of Rizal’s visit in Switzerland with updates on Rizal markers June 2-3, 1887: Schaffhausen After visiting several southern cities of Germany (Munich, Nuremberg, Ulm, and Stuttgart), Rizal and Maximo Viola proceeded by train to Schaffhausen on June 2, 1887 and took lodging at Hotel Muller, located at Bahnhofstrasse 28. Schaffhausen is a small Swiss town on the Rhine River near the German border. Rizal and Viola visited the top attraction of Schaffhausen, the Rheinfall (Rhine Falls), which is considered the largest waterfalls in Central Europe, measuring 150 meters wide and 22 meters deep. The Rheinfall is visited by thousands of tourists each year. On the occasion of the birth centennial of Dr. Rizal in 1961, a memorial plaque was installed on the front façade of Hotel Muller on December 20, 1961 by H.E. Tomas de Castro, the Philippine Ambassador to Switzerland then, with the following inscriptions, “JOSE RIZAL (1861-1896) National Hero of the Philippines. Rizal, with Dr. Maximo Viola, stopped at Hotel Muller, 2-3 June 1887.” 31

Rizal in Switzerland June 3-4, 1887: Basel On June 3, 1887, Rizal and Viola left Schaffhausen by train for Basel, a river port on the Rhine near the borders of France and Germany. They stayed overnight in Basel, which is well-known for its centuries-old university, founded in 1460.

Rizal and Viola toured the city and visited the historic Bayrische Bierhalle, where he and Maximo Viola drank beer. The old building of the Bayrische Bierhalle located in the center of the town still exists and presently serves as a Chinese restaurant.

During his stay in Basel, Rizal sent a short letter dated June 3, 1887 to Dr. Ferdinand Blumentritt informing the latter of their arrival in Basel. 32

Rizal in Switzerland June 4, 1887: Bern (or Berne) The following day, June 4, 1887, Rizal and Viola departed for Bern, the federal capital of Switzerland since 1848. Locating a hotel just opposite the main railroad station of Bern, Rizal and Viola booked at the Hotel Schweizerhof. They may have noticed a copy of the Bern edition of Wilhelm Tell in the receiving area. Hotel Schweizerhof still exists and is presently one of the top hotels in Switzerland. Bern, founded in 1191, is one of the best preserved medieval towns in Europe. The old town center with galleries composed of beautiful shop-windows, attractive fountains dating back to the 16th Century, Gothic cathedrals, Rathaus or the old town hall, the Parliament, an old Clock Tower with an astronomical clock, museums, libraries, etc., has been declared by the UNESCO as a world cultural heritage site. In the evening of December 14, 2011, at the hall of Hotel Schweizerhof a Rizal marker made of brass was unveiled in Bern, led by the Philippine Ambassador to Switzerland, H.E. Leslie J. Baja.

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Rizal in Switzerland June 5-6, 1887: Lausanne After an overnight stay in Bern, Rizal and Viola continued their journey to Lausanne, a tourist center on the right bank of Lake Geneva.

Having seen the interesting sights in Lausanne, Rizal and Viola boarded a steamer bound for Geneva. Lake Geneva which has northern portions that is still part of Lausanne (also called Genfersee in German and Lac Leman in French), is the largest lake north of the Alps. It lies between Switzerland and France. It is more than ninety kilometers long and around fifteen kilometers wide at its center. Geneva is situated at the southern tip of Lake Geneva, close to the border of France.

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Rizal in Switzerland June 6-21, 1887: Geneva Rizal and Viola arrived in the beautiful city of Geneva on June 6, 1887. They took lodging at the Pension Bel-Air, a boarding house on Rue du Rhone 3, situated in the center of the city, just a few meters away from the left bank of Lake Geneva. Upon arrival in Geneva, Rizal sent a letter to Blumentritt, together with his two photographs, one intended for Blumentritt and the other one for Mr. Eberhard Eysert, who entertained them during their previous visit to Vienna. Geneva, during the time of Rizal, was the center of the religious movement called the Reformation. Further, the Geneva Convention, which established the rules for the humane treatment of prisoners of war, of the sick, the wounded, and the dead in battle, was signed in Geneva in 1864. As a result of this agreement or treaty, Geneva was made the headquarters of the International Red Cross. In the course of his memorable stay in Geneva, Rizal celebrated his 26th birthday on June 19, 1887. Rizal treated Maximo Viola to a sumptuous meal. After a sojourn of about two weeks in Geneva, Rizal departed by train on June 21, 1887 bound for Turin, Italy; while Viola took the train bound for Barcelona, Spain. In remembrance of Rizal’s sojourn in Geneva, a memorial plaque has been installed by the Philippine Embassy in Bern in 1961 on the front facade of the former pension house at Rue du Rhone 3, on the occasion of Rizal’s Birth Centenary. Last May 25, 2010, a new Rizal marker was unveiled by Mayor Remy Pagani of the City of Geneva. The new Jose Rizal plaque above was installed at the pension Bel Air located in 3 Rue de Rhone, “to commemorate the stay of Dr. Jose Rizal in Geneva from June 6 to 20, 1887.” 36


The new Jose Rizal marker in Geneva, Switzerland, unveiled by Mayor Remy Pagani of the City of Geneva last May 25, 2010, assisted by Ambassador Maria Theresa P. Lazaro, then Philippine Ambassador to Switzerland The new Jose Rizal plaque above was installed at the pension Bel Air located in 3 Rue de Rhone, “to commemorate the stay of Dr. Jose Rizal in Geneva from June 6 to 20, 1887.” 37


Helvetia, the female national personification of Switzerland, on a 25 centime Swiss postage stamp, 1887—the type of postage stamp that Rizal must have affixed in his letter to Fernando Canon while he was in Geneva. Fernando Canon was Rizal’s classmate at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila. He graduated in Spain as an electrical engineer. He became a notable guitar player and a General in the Philippine Revolutionary Army.

To commemorate the 150 years of relations between the Philippines and Switzerland, the Philippine Postal Corporation issued a set of stamps that features the monuments of the national heroes of the two countries--Dr. Jose P. Rizal of the Philippines and William Tell of Switzerland--both designed and executed by the renowned Swiss sculptor, Richard Kissling. The commemorative souvenir sheet released together with these stamps features prominent natural landmarks and tourist attraction of the two countries -- the Mayon volcano of the Philippines which has long beenheralded for its near-perfect cone and the Matterhorn, the famous “peak” of the Swiss Alps which has been a symbol of Swiss culture. Stamps, Souvenir Sheets and Official First Day Covers were made available starting 26 November 2001 at the Philatelic Division, Liwasang Bonifacio, Manila and the Regional Offices of the Philippine Postal Corporation. 38


Swiss postage stamps issued in 2012 commemorating the 500th anniversary of the Tell plays in Altdorf and the 100th anniversary of the Tell outdoor theatre in Interlaken.

Swiss stamp from the definitive series of 1941 featuring a modernized depiction of William Tell.

Swiss postage stamps issued from 1910-1917 depicting Walter Tell holding his father's crossbow in his right hand and holding an apple with the bolt through it, in his left hand.

The Swiss Confederation continues to use the name Helvetia (its Latin form) when it is inappropriate or inconvenient to use any or all of its four official languages. Thus, the name appears on postage stamps, coins and other uses; the full name, Confœderatio Helvetica, is abbreviated for uses such as the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 and vehicle registration code CH, and the ccTLD, .ch. Translations of the term Helvetia still serve as the name for Switzerland in languages such as Irish, in which the country is known as An Elvéis; Greek, in which it is known as Ελβετία (Elvetia) and Romanian, Elveţia. 39


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Rizal in Switzerland While in Switzerland in June of 1887, Rizal and Viola must have used coins similar to the following minted since 1879 and in that year:

Description: Country: Face value: Year: Period: Composition:

Switzerland 10 rappen, minted 1879 Switzerland (Helvetia) 10 centimes (0.10 franc) 1879 Switzerland - Confederation (1848-present) Cupronickel (copper-nickel)

Gold- or silver content: None Weight:

2 grams

Diameter:

17.1 mm

Thickness:

1.25 mm

Obverse:

CONFŒDERATIO HELVETICA * 1887 * LIBERTAS

Reverse:

10 B

Edge:

Plain

Description: Country: Face value: Year: Period: Designers: Composition:

Switzerland 5 rappen, minted 1887 Switzerland (Helvetia) 5 centimes or 5 rappen (0.05 franc) 1887 Switzerland - Confederation (1848-present) Karl Friedrich Voigt and Karl Schwenzer Cupronickel (copper-nickel)

Gold- or silver content: none Weight:

2 grams

Diameter:

17.0 mm

Thickness:

1.25 mm

Obverse:

CONFŒDERATIO HELVETICA * 1887 * LIBERTAS

Reverse:

5B

Edge:

Plain

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Rizal in Switzerland Actually, it was thirty-seven years earlier—in 1850—when coins were introduced in Switzerland in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, and 20 centimes and ½, 1, 2, and 5 francs, with the 1 and 2 centimes struck in bronze, the 5, 10, and 20 centimes in billon (with 5% to 15% silver content), and the franc denominations in .900 fine silver. Between 1860 and 1863, 0.800 fine silver was used, before the standard used in France of 0.835 fineness was adopted for all silver coins except the 5 francs (which remained .900 fineness) in 1875. In 1879 (eight years before Rizal’s stay in Switzerland) the billon was replaced by cupro-nickel in the 5 and 10 centimes and by nickel in the 20 centimes. Both world wars only had a small effect on the Swiss coinage, with brass and zinc coins temporarily being issued. In 1931, the size of the 5 franc coin was reduced from 25 grams to 15, with the silver content reduced to .835 fineness. The next year, nickel replaced cupro-nickel in the 5 and 10 centimes. In the late 1960s, due to their linkage to the devaluing U.S. dollar, the prices of internationally traded commodities rose significantly. A silver coin's material value exceeded its monetary value, and many were being sent abroad for melting, which prompted the federal government to make this practice illegal. The statute was of little effect, and the melting of francs only subsided when the collectible value of the remaining francs again exceeded their material value. The 1 centimes coin was still produced until 2006, albeit in ever decreasing quantities, but it did not play any great role in the monetary economy in the fourth quarter of the twentieth century (circa 1975 to 2000). People and groups who could justify the use of 1 centimes coins for monetary purposes could obtain them at face value; any other user (such as collectors) had to pay an additional 4 centimes per coin to cover the production costs, which had exceeded the actual face value of the coin for many years. The coin fell into disuse in the late 1970s and early 1980s but was only officially fully withdrawn from circulation and declared to be no longer legal tender as of 1 January 2007. The long-forgotten 2 centimes coin, not minted since 1974, was demonetized in January 1, 1978.

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Rizal in Switzerland Rizal would not know that the designs of the Swiss coins will change very little starting 1879. Among the notable changes were new designs for the 5 franc coins in 1888, 1922, 1924 Obverse Reverse (minor) and 1931 (mostly just a size reduction). A new design for the bronze coins was used from 1948. Coins depicting a ring of stars (such as the 1 franc coin shown above) were modified from 22 stars to 23 stars in 1983; since the stars represent the Swiss cantons, it was updated to represent the 1979 expansion of the Swiss federation, when Jura seceded from the Canton of Bern and became the 23rd canton. In fact, the 10 centimes coins from 1879 onwards (except the years 1918–19 and 1932–39) have had the same composition, size and design until now (2013) and are still legal tender and found in circulation!

10 centimes 1995 Rizal—who wrote his diaries in five European languages—may have noticed that all Swiss coins are language-neutral (at least with respect to Switzerland’s four national languages), featuring only numerals, the abbreviation “Fr.” for franc, and the Latin phrases “Helvetia” or “Confœderatio Helvetica” (depending on the coin’s denomination) or the inscription “Libertas” (Roman goddess of liberty) on the small coins. The name of the artist is present on the coins with the standing Helvetia and the herder. --o0o--

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Rizal in Switzerland

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