Gernika Assembly House & Tree of Gernika
Gernikako Batzar Etxea eta Gernikako Arbola
A symbol of Basque freedom: an ancient oak and an assembly house. The small town is world-famous as the subject of Picasso's painting Guernica.
Gernika is a small town in Biscay province. During the Spanish Civil War, it was bombed in 1937 by the German Condor Legion, and Picasso created his famous painting Guernica in response. The original hangs in the Queen Sofía Museum in Madrid. The town's Assembly House (Casa de Juntas) is where the Biscay assembly meets. In the garden, the Tree of Gernika, an oak that symbolises Basque traditional rights, is where successive lords of Biscay swore their oaths. Its old trunk is preserved in a pavilion. Entry to the Assembly House is free, and its stained-glass ceiling depicts Basque history. The town also has the Gernika Peace Museum and a tiled wall reproducing the Guernica mural. From Bilbao, a Euskotren regional train takes about 50 minutes. It can be combined with a day trip to Gaztelugatxe.
Opening hours
Parliament hall approx. 10:00–14:00, 16:00–18:00 (until 19:00 in summer); check official sources
Nearby sights
- Gernika Peace Museum
- Santimamiñe Cave
- Oma Painted Forest
- Mundaka & Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve
- Elantxobe
- Bermeo
- San Juan de Gaztelugatxe
- Bakio Beach