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Tree of Gernika
What to do > Cultural heritage > Tree of Gernika
Gernika’s Casa de Juntas is loaded with history and politics that are of great importance to the Basque Country.
Here you can find the tree of Gernika, symbolising Basque freedom. The building itself is a beautiful example of Basque architecture, and a testament to important events of Basque Country history.
Gernika, symbol of peace. Gernika was written into the pages of world history when it was bombed by the German Condor Legion in 1937, as immortalised by Picasso in his famous“Guernica” painting.
Two-thirds of the buildings in the town were destroyed during the bombardment, yet the Casa de Juntas and the famous Gernikako Arbola remained intact.
Also worth a visit is the Museum of Peace and the weekly Monday market, where you can find the very best local products from Basque farms.
The guided tour of the historical quarter of Gernika begins at the Assembly Hall, an emblematic building that is home to the Tree of Gernika, a symbol of the freedom and democracy of the Basque people. On 26 April 1937, Gernika was bombed by the German Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War.
The bombing was an act of terror that left thousands dead and wounded, and became a symbol of the barbarity of war. During the visit, you will learn about the history of the bombing of Gernika and how it inspired Pablo Picasso to create his masterpiece, “Guernica”. You can also see the life-size reproduction of the painting in the Plaza de la Paz.
You will also visit one of the town’s surviving air-raid shelters to get an idea of what it must have felt like to be a Gernika resident on that fateful day.
The visit concludes at the Peace Museum, a space dedicated to the memory of the victims of war and violence.