Cultural activities in our Spanish school: The commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Guernica

Guernica is one of the Basque Country’s most important historical sites. For centuries, the ancient Tree of Guernica has been the political heart of the Basque Country; in bygone times, Basques would hold political summits under its branches. The modern Basque government meets in the Casa de las Juntas, in whose grounds the Tree can still be found, but even now new lehendakaris (Basque presidents) are sworn in under its branches.

Guernica also has a somewhat sadder significance. On 26th April, 1937, it was bombed and almost completely destroyed by the Nazi Luftwaffe. This incident marked the first bombing in military history specifically targeted at civilians. Since that day, Guernica has transformed itself into a symbol of peace, in the hope that such an atrocity might never occur again.

Yesterday was 26th April 2012: the 75th anniversary of the bombing. We visited the little town with our students, so that they might better understand this event that has proved so definitive for Basque history.

We arrived at 3.30, unaware of the range of activities planned for the day or that our arrival had coincided almost exactly with the time of the bombing. Consequently, we were very much surprised by the reenaction of the attack that started ten minutes later. For four whole minutes, noise reigned: the bells of Santa María church rang out, the bombs ‘exploded’, the alarms sounded… the only silence came from the people gathered in the streets.

Afterwards, we visited the Peace Museum to better understand what we had just witnessed. Tucked away in the centre of Guernica, the museum boasts a very modern and innovative interior with many interactive exhibits. The Peace Museum is much more than a museum, but a place which seeks to explore the concept of peace itself, and search for means to achieve it in the world.

Finally, we went out into the street and enjoyed a street theatre performance. Actors covered in paint sang traditional Basque songs and developed various characters: firemen, refugees, soldiers… The performance moved around the town, meaning that the audience had to follow the protagonists, almost taking part themselves.

The whole experience was deeply moving, and has inspired a great deal of curiosity among our students about Basque history and culture.