1.

José Rizal was born on June 19, 1861, in a original two-story Spanish colonial house in Calamba,
Laguna. During WWII, Rizal's original house was destroyed, but was rebuilt at the same site on June 19,
1950. With Rizal's original belongings kept intact inside the shrine, visitors can roam the house freely.
Original and relevant trivia are written on the walls and the rooms are carefully reconstructed and
presented the way they used to be when José Rizal used to live there, in the late 1800s.

2. The shrine has a large lawn with a replica of a nipa hut Rizal used to play with his sisters in. Next to
the hut is a statue of a young José Rizal, with his dog. This statue was constructed in 1996 for the
centennial celebration commemorating Rizal's death.
3. Even though al of the rooms were carefully reconstructed the way they used to be back in the late 19th
century, there's one feature of the house that is still from the original house. The old well, next to the
dining room, has survived the World Wars, and has now become a 'wishing well' for the José Rizal
Shrine's visitors. Noteworthy is also that about 20 meters away from the old 'wishing well', the remains of
José Rizal's parents are buried in the garden, next to a narra tree.

4. Florante at Laura is a shorter version of its original title, written in ancient Tagalog: “Pinagdaanang
Buhay ni Florante at ni Laura sa Cahariang Albania. Quinuha sa madlang “cuadro histórico” o pinturang
nagsasabi sa mga nangyayari nang unang panahón sa Imperio nang Grecia, at tinula nang isang matouain
sa versong tagálog.
This literary masterpiece was written during Francisco Baltazar’s imprisonment in Pandacan, Manila (he
used the pseudonym Francisco Balagtas). Florante at Laura was said to be the outcome of Balagtas’
heartbroken situation after losing the woman that he loved the most whom he referred to as “Celia.”
Balagtas wholeheartedly dedicated this timeless book to Celia, who was later married to Balagtas’ rival,
Mariano Capule, a rich and powerful man. It was Capule who made false charges against Balagtas and
used the power of money to put him in jail.
5. Florante and Laura is considered an Awit or a “Song” in English. It has 399 stanzas and is written in
poetic form that has 4 lines per stanza and 12 syllables per line and each stanza is full of figures of
speech.
6. At present, Florante at Laura is an important Filipino literary classic that is being studied in secondary
school in the Philippines, in accordance with the curriculum set by the Commission on Higher Education.