Ferdinand Blumentritt

Blumentritt was born in Prague (now the Czech Republic, then the capital of Kingdom of Bohemia in the former Austrian Empire). Blumentritt wrote extensively about the Philippines, although he never visited the islands, corresponding with the then Filipino student and writer José Rizal, who later became a national hero. Blumentritt's relationship with Rizal began as early as July 1886. Blumentritt became one of Rizal's closest confidants, although they met only once. He translated a chapter of the latter's first book, Noli Me Tangere, into German and wrote the preface to Rizal's second book, El filibusterismo, although he was against its publication as he believed that it would lead to Rizal's death. These two novels are commentaries disguised as fiction which angered both the Catholic Church and the Spanish colonial government, and which eventually led to Rizal's 1896 trial and execution. Before the execution in Manila, Rizal wrote his final letter for Blumentritt. Blumentritt reportedly cried after having received the letter. Alongside Rizal, Blumentritt was a significant contributor to the publication La Solidaridad, published by Filipino expatriates from 1889 to 1895 as a voice for advocacy of political reforms in the Philippines. From 1900, Blumentritt was a member of the Berlin Society for Anthropology. Blumentritt died in Litoměřice (German: Leitmeritz), Bohemia. He is memorialized in the Philippines by numerous public parks and streets. Among them are Blumentritt Road, Blumentritt LRT Station, Blumentritt PNR Station, the Blumentritt Market in Metro Manila and the Blumentritt Street in Naga City and Tuguegarao. His relations with Rizal also caused the twin status of the Czech town of Litoměřice with the Philippine towns of Calamba (Rizal's birthplace) and Dapitan (where Rizal was initially exiled).

Alphabetisches Register der Reifeprüfungsvorschriften. Leitmeritz (Czech: Litoměřice), 1909 Alphabetisches Verzeichnis der gebräuchlichsten Aquarellfarben. Leitmeritz (Czech: Litoměřice), 1910 America and the Philippines (1900) Die Chinesen auf den Philippinen. Leitmeritz (Czech: Litoměřice), 1879 Diccionario mitologico de Filipinas. Madrid, 1895 Einige Manuskripte aus dem 17. und 18. Jahrhundert. Leitmeritz (Czech: Litoměřice), 1904 Einiges über Juan Valera. Leitmeritz (Czech: Litoměřice), 1894 Introduction to the Noli me tangere of Rizal. Barcelona, 1889 Introduction to the Sucesos de las islas Filipinas of Antonio de Morga, annotated by Rizal. Paris, 1890 Die Erdbeben des Juli 1880 auf den Philippinen Die Goldfundstellen auf den Philippinen und ihre Ausbeutung Holländische Angriffe auf die Philippinen im 16., 17., und 18. Jahrhundert. Leitmeritz (Czech: Litoměřice), 1880 Das Kaiserbild. Leitmeritz (Czech: Litoměřice), 1899 J. C. Labhart-Lutz. Ein Nachruf. Leitmeritz (Czech: Litoměřice), 1889 Die Philippinen. Eine übersichtliche Darstellung der ethnographischen und historischpolitischen Verhältnisse des Archipels. Hamburg, 1900 Die Sprachgebiete Europas am Ausgange des Mittelalters, verglichen mit den Zuständen der Gegenwart. Prague (Czech: Praha), 1883 Strömungen und Gezeiten an der Küste von Mindanao. Der "Tratado Anonimo" über den Aufstand der Cumuneros gegen König Carl V. Leitmeritz (Czech: Litoměřice), 1878 Versuch einer Ethnographie der Philippinen.[=Towards an ethnography of the Philippines] Gotha, 1882. Translated from the German into English by Marcelino N. Maceda. Vocabular einzelner Ausdrücke und Redensarten, welche dem Spanischen der philippinischen Inseln eigenthümlich sind. Leitmeritz (Czech: Litoměřice), 1882, 1883–1884|8, 1885|5.