In a significant and historic visit, Elke Pickert, the great-great-granddaughter of the esteemed Ferdinand Blumentritt, along with her husband, Michael Ocvirk, toured Manila for the very first time.
Professor Ferdinand Blumentrit was a teacher, lecturer, and author of articles and books on Philippine ethnology. His works include the translation of Rizal’s first book, Noli me Tangere, into German. He also contributed significantly to La Solidaridad--a revolutionary publication that advocated for reforms in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial era. He is well known among Filipinos not just for the famous streets and the LRT station named after him, but more importantly for his close friendship with Jose Rizal.
The rich correspondence between the two serves as a vital reference for Rizal historians and enthusiasts, while also symbolizing the strong relationship between Austria and the Philippines today. His daughter, Dolores who Rizal called "Loleng" married Dr. Karl Pickert and finally settled in Kufstein, Austria in 1903, where their legacy lives on to this day.
Born in Vienna in 1969, Elke Pickert now lives in the house that Dolores Blumentritt bought in 1913 in Kufstein, a town in the western Austrian province of Tyrol. Elke Pickert shared that her grandfather, Professor Harald Pickert, son of Dolores and Karl Pickert, was a painter and graphic artist. Elke’s parents sorted his artworks and kept some of them in the cellar where Elke found two very beautiful portraits of her great-grandmother Dolores and hung them up in her living room. It was only when Dr. Johann Stockinger, anthropologist and founder of the Austro-Philippine Society, pointed out to her and learned that they were painted by Juan Luna, the renowned Filipino painter, sculptor, and political activist from the Philippine Revolution of the late 19th century.
National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) Regalado Trota Jose, Jr., National
Museum of the Philippines (NMP) Chairperson of the Board of Trustees Andoni M. Aboitiz,
NMP Director General Jeremy Barns and Deputy Director-General for Museums Jorell Legaspi,
Filipino historian and Professor Xiao Chua, Philippine Honorary Consul in Tyrol Professor Christian
Traweger, and members of the Knights of Rizal Blumentritt Chapter Ricky Ornopia, Jairus
Espiritu and Vincent Santiago.
On Feb. 4, the National Museum of the Philippines led a guided tour for Pickert and explored key sites around Manila including the Rizal Park. The group continued their journey through Intramuros, where they visited the Museo de Rizal at Fort Santiago and the newly opened Centro de Turismo. They concluded the day with a tour of the National Museum of Fine Arts, where they viewed notable works by Dr. José Rizal and Juan Luna, both of whom were close friends of Blumentritt. Of particular interest was Luna's watercolor painting "Bandera Filipina," a treasured loan from the National Library of the Philippines. This piece was a gift from the artist to Blumentritt during his visit to Litoměřice (then Leitmeritz).
To mark this historic visit, the Austrian Ambassador to the Philippines Johann Brieger hosted a dinner reception, bringing together prominent national historians and directors from Philippine cultural institutions to engage in discussions highlighting Professor Blumentritt's historical significance and the enduring friendship between Austria and the Philippines.
"Ms. Pickert’s presence here today is not only a personal connection to the past but a celebration of the enduring legacy of Ferdinand Blumentritt’s commitment to the Philippines. Her ancestor's work in promoting understanding between our people, his scholarly contributions and his unwavering moral support played an essential role during a crucial time in the Philippine history," said Ambassador Brieger.
