Spanish Civil War 1936–1939
Casa de Juntas & Tree of Gernika
Gernika-Lumo · City site
The story
The Assembly House (Casa de Juntas) and the oak of Gernika are the historic symbols of Biscayan and Basque self-government: the Lords of Biscay swore under the tree to respect local liberties. That symbolism is one reason the destruction of the town in April 1937 caused such outrage. The assembly house and the oak, then the tree planted in 1860, survived the bombing on the hill above the burning centre. After the Nationalists took the town on 29 April, Carlist requetés of the Tercio de Begoña, themselves Biscayans, posted a guard to stop the tree being damaged. The old trunk stands under a colonnade next to its successor.
What you can see today
The 19th-century Assembly House with its stained-glass ceiling, the living oak (planted 2015), and the preserved trunk of the 'old tree' that survived 1937.
Plan your visit
Free entry, but visits must be booked in advance; closed on days of plenary sessions. It's a 5-minute uphill walk from the Peace Museum.
- Open
- Daily 10:00–14:00 & 16:00–18:00 (to 19:00 Jun–Sep); closed during plenary sessions
- Price
- Free
- Booking
- Free but advance booking required (jjggbizkaia.eus or 94 625 11 38)
Checked September 2026 from official sources: jjggbizkaia.eus, gernikainfo.eus. Things change, so check before you travel.
Sources
- mapcarta.com/32940018
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gernikako_Arbola
- gernikainfo.eus/en/what-to-see/the-casa-de-juntas-assembly-house/
Nearby sites
- Pasealekua air-raid shelter, Gernika · under 1 km
- Gernika Peace Museum (Museo de la Paz) · under 1 km
- Astra factory air-raid shelter, Gernika · under 1 km
- Monte Sollube battlefield · 9 km
- Gaztelumendi breach – Larrabetzu Iron Belt bunker · 12 km
- Iron Belt trail, Zamudio (Berreaga–Gaztelumendi ridge) · 16 km
All 158 sites in Spanish Civil War 1936–1939 →
The Spanish Civil War 1936–1939
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