Rizal Shrine, Historical museum in Calamba, Philippines
Rizal Shrine is a two-story museum in Spanish colonial architecture located in Calamba, Philippines, dedicated to national hero commemoration. The structure displays hardwood floors, capiz shell windows, and a traditional red ceramic tile roof, while the interior rooms hold period furniture and objects from the mid-1800s.
Francisco Rizal Mercado constructed the house in 1861, which Spanish authorities confiscated three decades later and which was destroyed during World War II. President Elpidio Quirino ordered reconstruction in 1949, funded mainly through contributions from Filipino schoolchildren.
The site marks the birthplace of José Rizal, whose writings against Spanish colonial rule laid the foundation for Philippine national consciousness. Visitors can walk through rooms that show how families lived in 19th-century Philippines and how this environment shaped a future reformer.
The site stands near Calamba town plaza and offers six exhibition rooms documenting different life stages. Visitors should bring comfortable shoes for wooden floors and note that rooms lack modern climate control during hot weather.
The museum was rebuilt using contributions from thousands of schoolchildren across the country, making it one of the few monuments funded through grassroots collection. The campaign started in 1949 following a presidential order and gathered coins that collectively enabled the reconstruction.
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