Guernica

This post is on a more somber subject than most of the ones that we will do.

During June we visited a town called Guernica. It is a small town in the Basque region of Spain founded in 1366.

By 1936 the town had developed an economy based on a combination of agriculture, trade and industrial factories.

This period was, of course, during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco and the years leading up to the Second World War.

On April 26, 1937, without warning, the town was bombed by Nazi Germany’s Luftwaffe in a training exercise. It was bombed continuously for three hours and is considered the beginning of the Luftwaffe doctrine of terror bombing. It is estimated that 1,654 people were killed.

The bombing was requested by Franco and aided in his quest to overthrow the Basque Government and the Spanish Republican government. Most of Guernica was destroyed by the raid.

Franco denied responsibility and blamed “the reds” of having deliberately burned and dynamited the town. The Germans also denied responsibility.

Franco even offered aid to the town in an effort to convince the townspeople that he was their ally.

While there is some debate among historians about the events that led up to the bombing, the town’s museum places the blame squarely on Franco and Hitler.

Guernica quickly became a world-renowned symbol of civilian suffering resulting from conflict and inspired Pablo Picasso to adapt one of his existing commissions into his work called Guernica.

The painting resides in a museum in Madrid and a mural (seen at the top of the post) based on the painting was erected in Guernica.

There is also a sculpture called Gure Aitaren Etxea (Our Father's House) by Eduardo Chillida commemorating the 50th anniversary of the bombing. 

The museum dedicated to the history of the bombing in Guernica provides a thorough account of the events leading up to and after the attack. It is a detailed and sobering experience and one that couldn’t help but leave a deep impression.

Thankfully, the town has survived and rebuilt itself and stands as a testimony to the resilience of the Basque people.

A sad chapter in Spanish history, but one that needs to be preserved and retold.