Cómo imaginar que en este cielo de un azul intenso, apoyado sobre montañas verdes, el 26 de Abril de 1937 la Legión Cóndor del ejército Alemán sembró de bombas la población de Gernika.
El general Mola al mando del ejercito del norte dicto un ultimátum y dijo: He decidido acabar con la guerra en el norte de España, todo aquel que no sea un asesino o combatiente o deponga sus armas será respetado en vida y haciendas. Y dispongo de los medios necesarios para ello.
Los alemanes a su vez querían probar su aviación y este tipo de bombardeos, y de que también sus pilotos adquirieran experiencia...
El 26 de Abril a las 16:30 de 1937 sonaban las campanas de la iglesia de Santa María, el cielo pronto se cubrió de aviones que descargaban sus bombas, primero bombas rompedoras sin carga explosiva y después bombas incendiarias. Teniendo en cuenta la arquitectura de entonces, las bombas de 250 kg penetraban en las casas como en la mantequilla y destruían las casas desde sus tejados para seguidamente rociarlas de bombas incendiarias. El efecto fue devastador, la ciudad quedo arrasada. Para peor de males, los cazas ametrallaban a la población que huía despavorida... de una población de 7000 personas, murieron 1600 y mas de 800 heridos... El horror de la guerra en su máxima expresión.
El general Mola hace entrada por el puente, que se suponía el objetivo militar, junto con las fabricas de bombas que tampoco son destruidas...
Para la exposición universal de Paris, el gobierno de la república encarga a Pablo Ruiz Picasso una obra y pinta el famoso cuadro de Guernica.
Mural que representa el "Guernica" en las calles de la población.
En esta ciudad, también existe el árbol "sagrado", se trata de un roble.
Antiguamente cada anteiglesia enviaba a su representante a debatir los problemas comunes del señorío. Estas se llamaban juntas generales y se hacían junto a este árbol.
Hoy hay una casa de juntas y su árbol ha sido reemplazado en tres ocasiones por retoños de su antecesor.
Restos del tronco del árbol viejo 1742 / 1860.
Árbol nuevo hijo de los anteriores, junto a la fachada de la Casa de Juntas de Bizkaia.
Guernica is best known to those residing outside the Basque region as the scene of the April 26, 1937, Bombing of Guernica, one of the first aerial bombings by Nazi Germany's Luftwaff. The Germans were attacking to support the efforts of Francisco Franco to overthrow the Basque Government and the Spanish Republican government. The town was devastated, although the Biscayan assembly and the Oak of Guernica survived. Pablo Picasso painted his famous "Guernica" painting to commemorate the horrors of the bombing.
All I really knew of the town of Guernica before spending the day at the Peace Museum was that it had been bombed by Germany and was the subject of the famous painting of the same name by Picasso. The much more complicated story is that the city of Guernica was the legislative seat of the Basque country who were in conflict with Franco's Nationalists during the Spanish civil war. Guernica represented an important strategic point because it was a haven for the Republicans (anti-fascists) and was in the way of Franco capturing Bilbao. Franco enlisted the aid of both the Italian and German Fascists to destroy the town and it became a symbol of terrorist bombing: using the destruction of civilians in an effort to bring about the submission of a people. In 1997, on the 60th anniversary of the bombing, the German President, Herzog, made a formal apology to the Basque people for the destruction, and for Germany's role in the Spanish war in general.
Today, Guernica is the home of the fascinating Peace Museum which has exhibits relating to the importance of human rights around the world, tells the story of the Basque country struggle for independence as well as the destruction wreaked by both ETA (pro independence terrorist group) and the Spanish government's attempts to repress and destroy ETA. In the center of the city, there is also a ceramic copy of the famous painting. Since the 19th century, the people of the Basque Country have been demanding some sort of independence, and this is particularly desired by the more left-leaning groups that are part of the political scene there. ETA is recognized as a terrorist organization by the European Union and the United States. In 2006, ETA declared a "permanent ceasefire" after nearly 40 years fighting for independence from Spanish and French authorities and the annexation of all Basque lands to a united, socialist state. In June 2007, ETA officially ended the "permanent ceasefire". Since then it has committed several bomb attacks and assassinations. In September 2010 ETA again announced a permanent cessation of violence. At first the 2004 train bombings in Madrid were attributed to ETA, but it quickly became clear that they were part of an organized strategy of terror conducted by Bin Laden and his friends.
The artist at work.
One element of the painting.
Stained glass ceiling displaying the sacred tree that represents the Basque legislative/administrative body that was centered in Guernica.
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