Why should you visit Gernika? One of the activities available to students on our Spanish courses

The visit to the historical village of Gernika-Lumo (Guernica y Lumo) is one of the most popular activities amongst our international students, and is intriguing to those even slightly interested in history. As you may already know, Guernica provides the name for Pablo Picasso's famous piece of art.

Gernika-Lumo is a town in the Vizcaya region, which is located 33 kilometers from Bilbao, and is famous for the part it played in the Spanish Civil War. It is also known for being the location of the general council of Vizcaya. In the middle of the building there is an oak tree called 'Guernica Tree', which was where the Lords of Vizcaya vowed once they achieved this status.

The city is most famous, however, for a tragic historical event, the Bombing of Guernica, when the city was attacked by a German air force “Luftwaffe” unit. It occurred during the Spanish Civil War, specifically the 27th of April 1937, and destroyed the town. The event has been used as a symbol of the horrors that a war can bring about. In fact, Pablo Picasso immortalised the event in one of his famous works, which he named 'Guernica'. Nowadays, the piece is located in Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid.

Despite this, the city has much more to offer than just having served as an inspiration to the famous artist. You can visit Museo de la Paz de Gernika with our international students, which is famous for its interactivity. Amongst other things, it includes various testimonies from the survivors of the bombing from 1937. We continue the visit by exploring more of the history of the city. We usually go to a building called the 'Casa de Juntas', which is used as the meeting place for the general council of Vizcaya. The famous oak tree is located in a space in the middle of the building. It is called the 'Gernika Tree', and is known for having served in the past as the place where the Lords of Vizcaya vowed their loyalty to the Laws of Vizcaya.

The city of Guernica is also a part of the famous Way of Saint James, namely the Northern Way. If you are interested in gastronomy, you can’t leave Gernika without having some pintxos or txakoli in one of the local bars. You can also visit the Itsasmendi wine cellar and have fun tasting various types of Spanish wines.

If you want to travel to places like Gernika-Lumo, why not come to Instituto Hemingway? We offer a wide range of Spanish courses in different forms and levels. If you have any questions, email us at info@institutohemingway.com.

See you soon!