04/02/2026
What a day! We took a small excursion to Gernika by bus. On our way to the Museo de la Paz, we passed a mural inspired by Picasso’s Guernica. There, we had a first-hand experience of what the bombing of Gernika must have felt like. We watched testimonies from survivors and read panels about the niños who were sent to Belgium. We even recognised the Korenmarkt and the Vooruit, from where some of the children were placed with foster parents.
Our next stop was Gernika BHI high school, where we were given an introductory tour by enthusiastic third graders. This was followed by conversations about Belgian versus Spanish stereotypes and our dreams for the future. On the same street, we also met students from San Fidel Ikastola. Together with the history teacher Mikel, his 60 students were mixed with our 13 students to take part in more in-depth discussions about the Gernika war, current Spanish immigration policies, and Basque versus Spanish identity.
Afterwards, we took a walk through the Park of the Peoples of Europe, where we admired large sculptures by Henry Moore and Eduardo Chillida, as well as the oak tree—the symbol of freedom—which survived the bombing in 1937. We also passed the Assembly House, where the Basque government once met, and gazed at the beautiful stained-glass ceiling referring to the oak tree.
We ended our visit to Gernika by paying our respects at a memorial commemorating some of the casualties of 26 April 1937.
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