Guernika — also spelled Gernika — is a small market town in the Basque highlands whose name became known worldwide after April 1937, when Nazi and Fascist warplanes bombed it in support of Franco, killing hundreds of civilians. Picasso's response was the enormous monochrome painting that now hangs in Madrid's Museo Reina Sofía; the town's own Peace Museum holds a full-size reproduction and a permanent exhibition on the attack and its aftermath.
For the Basque people, Guernika carries a deeper significance beyond the bombing. The Gernika Oak stands in the grounds of the Casa de Juntas, where the Lords of Biscay swore to uphold Basque rights for centuries. The current tree is a descendant of the original; it remains a powerful symbol of Basque autonomy. The town also sits close to the Urdaibai estuary, a biosphere reserve where the tidal range is dramatic and there are painted caves in the nearby hills. Guernika's Monday market has been running for centuries and is still worth timing a visit around.