GMA Brandtalk
Tracking
Archives
After years of absence, Rizal's bust on display again at Czech central bank
PRAGUE, Czech Republic - Filipinos and other tourists visiting the Czech Republic can once again see the bust of Dr. Jose Rizal at the foyer of the Czech National Bank.
Rizal's bust, sculpted by Filipino artist Jose Giroy, was on display from 2018 until 2023, when it was temporarily placed in storage due to technical renovations at the bank.
CNB Supervision Department Executive Director Vladimir Tomšík on Monday welcomed Philippine Ambassador to the Czech Republic Eduardo Martin Meñez and staff of the Philippine Embassy in Prague to the bust’s location.
“The public could visit Dr. Rizal’s bust free of charge. Visitors are welcome, but they need to go through security screening,” Tomšík said, adding that the location was previously the bank’s cashier desk.
The Philippine Embassy in Prague said the Knights of Rizal (KoR) in the Czech Republic first reported the bust’s absence in 2023, prompting the mission to coordinate with the Czech National Bank on the sculpture’s whereabouts.
The embassy was informed by the KoR that the bust was seen on display in December 2024, although there was no announcement from the Czech National Bank.
During Monday’s visit, Ambassador Meñez said it was his first time seeing the bust since he assumed the role in 2024.
The Czech National Bank stands today on what was then Hotel Modrá hvězda (“Blue Star” in Czech), where Rizal and Maximo Viola stayed on their visit to Prague in 1887.
Rizal and Viola toured Prague after their four-day stay in Leitmeritz (or the present-day Czech city of Litoměřice) to meet Austrian scholar Ferdinand Blumentritt, who was the Philippine hero’s friend and collaborator.
Hotel Modrá hvězda was the site where the peace treaty between the Kingdom of Prussia and the Austrian Empire was signed in August 1866.
In 1931, the hotel was demolished to make way for the building of today’s Czech National Bank headquarters.
Other attractions
Renovation in the Czech National Bank’s original bank hall began in 2021, and included the construction of the Visitor Center, which was opened to the public a year later.
CNB representatives told the visiting Filipino diplomats about plans to expand the Visiting Center and to place Rizal’s bust in an area more accessible to the public.
Currently, the center includes an exhibition on the history of money and monetary development installed in the bank’s basement.
It features the world’s second-largest gold coin, a commemorative 130-kg coin with a nominal value of CZK 100 million (PHP 295.5 million). The gold coin, produced in 2019 to mark the 100th anniversary of the Czechoslovakian koruna, is placed inside the bank’s vault secured by a steel door and frame that weigh a combined 30 tons.
The interactive installation on the bank’s ground floor has an interactive display that presents the current role of the Czech Republic’s central bank within the financial and economic system.
CNB representatives say visitors can tour the exhibitions for free, but large groups need to book a reservation through the bank’s website. — BAP, GMA News
