The world is full of fascinating destinations and our country, Philippines, is one of them. The capital of the country, Manila is full of historical sites and places that you can visit or should we say must visit when you go to the capital itself. The fascinating destinations tell most of the history of the whole country especially the Philippine National hero, Dr. Jose Rizal.
Here are the top 5 most visit places in Manila Philippines!
- Fort Santiago
Time takes a turn and takes you back to the past when you took a step in Intramuros city especially in one of its famous tourist spots, The Forth Santiago. The Intramuros is a pack of tourist spots and one of them is Fort Santiago. Fort Santiago is full of beautifully landscaped grounds and each of it has its own historical value way back to 1590 when it’s originally built by the Spanish, the citadel includes plazas, gardens, fountains, and lilyponds.
A famous history spot is hiding Inside Fort Santiago and it’s related to a hero, the Rizal Shrine museum is where they feature and displays memorabilia of the Philippines national hero Dr. Jose Rizal who was executed by the Spanish in 1896 for being one of the leading figures of the Philippine revolution. The fort includes the recreation of interactions and also the cell of Dr. Jose Rizal where he was heled before his trial and death.
2. San Augustin Church
The destruction of Intramuros in WWII still left us some historical sites where we can go and feel the flow of time going back through the past and see the history it carries through its 400+ years of history.
The San Augustine Church survived the bombings like a miracle preserving a piece of history along with the books, paintings, statues, and other historical artifacts inside its premises. The San Augustine Church is a must-visit when going to manila because of its vast collection of history that still stands even after taking numerous earthquakes where the historical place itself is protecting the history inside it.
3. Rizal Park
One of the main attractions in manila goes below at number 3? The Luneta Park is one of the famous most visit spots in the Philippines because it has a lot of history to offer and this is where the National Hero of Philippines monument and statue memorabilia is located, the Rizal Park is always a busy place when opened and closed from time to time to the public, but you can still see the statue of Rizal and take pictures with it from the outside gate.
The Rizal Park is where the famous National Hero of the Philippines is executed at the hands of the Spaniards on December 30, 1896, which lit a spark in the hearts of his allies and led to a revolution. The remains of Dr. Jose Rizal’s Remains were dumped in an unmarked grave at Paco Cemetery and were transferred to Rizal Park in Luneta under the American Rule.
The three Popes held a mass here, Pope Paul 1970, Pope John Paul II 1995, and Pope Francis 2015. The number of persons who attended the 1995 Pope John Paul II mass was close to 5 million and mostly youth.
4. The Minor Basilica and Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception “Manila Cathedral”
The Manila Cathedral is a must-visit when going to manila to see the historical murals and artifacts that is a take me back experience especially for religious persons (Catholic and Christians) this is where the archbishop of the archdiocese of manila is seated and one of the most well maintained Cathedral in the Philippines, The Manila Cathedral is also known as The Minor Basilica and Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.
The Cathedral itself was initially built using bamboo and nipa in 1581, the cathedral started as a simple parish by Juan de Vivero and became a cathedral by the announcement of Domingo Salazar on December 21, 1581. Now still standing strong, the Cathedral represents 400years of history that survived world war bombings, earthquakes, fires, and typhoons.
5. Casa Manila
The closing of the second world war leaves most of Intramuros in ruins that is why in 1980, they decided to construct Casa Manila to house the historical artifacts that were salvaged during the past World wars and has nowhere to go at, it was all displayed at Casa Manila as a salvaged antiques from the history.
The Casa Manila design is based on the Grand house of rich Spaniards during the Spanish Colonialism. The history of Casa Manila mostly offers 19th-century artifacts but is still, a must-see when visiting manila. The Casa Manila’s antique furniture is mostly made from China and Europe as well made by local artisans.
Fun fact: The Latin word Intramuros is translated as “within the walls” and the city of manila is known as a walled city of Manila
That concludes the top 5 most visited places in Manila Philippines. A historical trip through the Filipinos past. You? what place would you likely visit first when you go to Manila?
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Credits to:
Christian Delos Reyes
WIR Content Producer and Social Media Manager Intern
De La Salle College of Saint Benilde Antipolo Campus
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