José Rizal - the Philippines’ national hero - once stayed at the former Blue Star Hotel, now home to the Czech National Bank.
Right in the foyer, past the security checkpoint, you will find the statue that lovingly commemorates his fight for freedom and almost nobody knows it.
Rheingau - a prestigious, picturesque German wine region (World-Class Riesling) along the Rhine River and UNESCO since 2002.
Most known Cities in near: Frankfurt, Wiesbaden and Mainz
Everyone from the area knows these three words: Main-Taunus-Kreis, Rheingau, Riesling. But almost nobody actually knows why they belong together, and it comes down to something the Rhine does right before it reaches Wiesbaden.
Normally, the Rhine flows almost exclusively northward. Then, right here, it suddenly bends almost 90 degrees and runs east to west for about 25 kilometers before turning north again near Rüdesheim.
That bend exists because the river has to fight its way around the quartzite rock of the Taunus mountain, and it's the reason this tiny stretch of land, barely 3,200 hectares, produces almost 80% of all Riesling grown in the region, the highest concentration of a single grape variety anywhere in the world.
This is the story of Rheingau: https://youtu.be/cbdi-eeLKBA (Documentation) [7:23 min.]
This is a documentary about the Rhine River: It flows north for over 1,200 kilometers, but just outside Frankfurt, it makes an unexpected turn west. This single geographical kink creates an unnatural microclimate that shouldn't exist and changed European history forever.
Most people know the Rheingau for the wine, but the reason it exists at all is a weird geographic accident right on Wiesbaden's doorstep.
The Rhine flows north for over 1,200 km, almost the entire way, except for one 25km stretch right here, where the Taunus forces it to bend west. That turns the entire northern riverbank to face due south instead of getting only half a day of sun like a normal river valley.
According to HLNUG data (1901-2025), this creates a 1°C+ warmer microclimate in symbiose with the water-mirror and the southside compared to areas at the same elevation just behind the Taunus.
Cistercian monks from France figured this out in 1136 and built one of medieval Europe's largest wineries here, the same cellars where bottles now sell for over 9,000 euros at auction.
Made a documentary digging into the full history if anyone's interested: https://youtu.be/cbdi-eeLKBA
Just west of Frankfurt (at Wiesbaden), the Rhine does something it almost never does for 1,200+ km: it turns and flows west instead of north for about 25 kilometers, forced by the Taunus mountain range.
Normally a river valley at the Rhine would mean both banks get roughly equal sun exposure. But because of this specific bend, the entire northern bank ends up facing due south. Add the river acting as a giant light-reflecting mirror onto the slopes, plus the Taunus blocking cold northern wind, and it adds up: according to the Hessian State Agency for Nature Conservation, Environment and Geology (HLNUG), which recorded data from 1901-2025, the Rheingau averages 10.2°C, compared to 9.3°C in Giessen, a nearby town at the same elevation. That's a consistent, measurable 1°C+ difference driven entirely by this geographic quirk.
That 1-2°C is the entire reason the Rheingau became one of the most valuable wine regions in the world, first cultivated by Cistercian monks starting in 1136, who recognized the anomaly and engineered the slopes for viticulture. Today bottles from cellars they built sell for over 9,000 euros at auction.
I made a short documentary exploring the geography and history behind this in more depth, happy to share the link if anyone's interested: https://youtu.be/cbdi-eeLKBA
I think it's a great example of how a small physical accident can shape centuries of human land use.
The full story of José Rizal and his time in Germany: https://youtu.be/NoTX6vuK--c
Requesting the admins' kind approval for this post. 🙏
If you would like to learn more about Jose Rizal and his time in Germany, I have published a documentary on my YouTube channel. Just search for "Jose Rizal in Germany".
Full Reportage about this Festival and Rüdesheim:
Heidelberg is incredibly famous in Germany (known as the most beautiful city), but few people know about its deep connection to Philippine history.
Following in the footsteps of José Rizal, I came across many interesting things in Heidelberg.
For example, he wrote the world-famous novel Noli Me Tangere here, which later sparked the Philippine Revolution. He also trained in ophthalmology here to save his mother from going blind.
Today, many monuments stand in and near Heidelberg. I summarized the whole story in a 23-minute documentary. Maybe you're interested in learning more about his short but intense time here.
The video was made with the help of the great-grandson of Pastor Ullmer, who gave Rizal a home, and the Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt. I hope you like it ♥
40°C in the shade today. Still worth it. ♥
Heidelberg. Wilhelmsfeld. The house where Rizal wrote Noli Me Tangere.
I'm a small YouTube creator based in Frankfurt. For the past month I've been visiting every place Rizal touched during his time in Germany. The eye clinic on Bergheimerstraße. The plaque at Ludwigsplatz. The Rizalufer. The pastor's house in Wilhelmsfeld that still stands today.
I made a documentary about all of it. Unsponsored, made with love: https://youtu.be/NoTX6vuK--c
Happy birthday Rizal!
Special thanks to the Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt and Dr. Fritz Hack Ullmer.
This is an underrated story in the history of Germany: His name was José Rizal. He was 25, studying medicine in Heidelberg, and carrying a half-finished manuscript.
A Protestant pastor named Karl Ullmer invited him to stay in Wilhelmsfeld, a village near Heidelberg. Rizal spent 3 months in 1886 there, hiking during the day, writing at night. The pastor treated him like a son.
The manuscript he finished in that house was Noli Me Tangere. Published in 1887 in Berlin, it exposed the brutality of Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines so precisely that the Spanish authorities banned it immediately. Owning a copy became a criminal offense. It became one of the main catalysts for the Philippine Revolution of 1896.
Rizal was arrested, tried, and executed by firing squad. He was 35.
I made a Video about his life in Germany: https://youtu.be/3fvyg-RnDJw
Special thanks to the Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt and Dr. Fritz Hack Ullmer.
Most people walk past these places every day without knowing.
José Rizal was a Filipino student. His novel Noli Me Tangere, published in 1887 in Berlin, exposed Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines and helped spark a revolution. He was executed at 35. Today, June 19th, is his 165th birthday.
And he spent a significant part of 1886 in Heidelberg.
The eye clinic on Bergheimerstraße where he trained as an ophthalmologist. The plaque at Ludwigsplatz where he lived. The riverbank that now bears his name: Rizal Ufer.
What most people don't know: from Heidelberg, he traveled to Wilhelmsfeld every day (16k Steps), where a German pastor gave him a room and the quiet he needed to finish his novel.
I've spent the last month retracing his footsteps through Heidelberg, Wilhelmsfeld, and various archives.
Special thanks to the Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt and Dr. Fritz Hack Ullmer.
This is Wilhelmsfeld, Germany. A village near Heidelberg. Rizal spent 3 months here, hiking the hills (16k Steps and back) during the day, writing his Novel "Noli Me Tangere" at night.
Rizal arrived here as a foreign student trying to save his mother from blindness. He left with a manuscript that would ignite a revolution. A German pastor's quiet house in the middle of nowhere became the birthplace of Filipino nationalism.
Today is his 165th birthday. I've been retracing his footsteps through Germany for the past month and made a documentary about it.
Special thanks to the Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt and Dr. Fritz Hack Ullmer.
Saturday 06-06-2026 the Rooftop Day in Frankfurt takes place.
I made a list with all locations you can visit.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/ktwqrBLRFrTs8wQMA
Anything missing? Let me know.
Have fun Saturday ♥
Ich bin betriebsbedingt seit ein paar Monaten arbeitslos, das erste Mal seit 15 Jahren.
Ich hatte vorher schon keine Freunde aber jetzt merke ich irgendwie die Einsamkeit. Tinder und Bumble friends habe ich schon durchgeswipt, mehr als nur paar trockene 30 Sekunden Unterhaltungen und Floskeln kam da nicht bei rum die letzten Monate.
Ich bin jetzt auch kein Partygänger und abgesehen von Gym oder wenn ich verreise, bin ich kaum unter Leute, auch eher introvertiert. Wie macht ihr das? Habt ihr Tipps für mich?
Viele Grüße aus Frankfurt.
Do you have any unusual shops, cafés, bakeries, etc., in your area or do you know of any elsewhere in Germany?
Vietnam has thousands of unusual cafés: one with 700 teddy bears, another with a fountain, or even a single building that houses over 50 different cafés. Or take Frankfurt, for instance, where there’s a butcher shop that sells exclusively vegan products. That’s the kind of thing I’m looking for...