Guernica (gārnē´kä), historic town (1990 pop. 16,422), Vizcaya
prov., N Spain, in the Basque region. It has metallurgical,
furniture, and food manufacturers, and some tourism. The oak of
Guernica, under which the diet of Vizcaya used to meet, is a
symbol of the lost liberties of the Basques. In Apr., 1937,
German planes, aiding the insurgents in the Spanish civil war,
bombed and destroyed Guernica. The indiscriminate killing of
women and children aroused world opinion, and the bombing of
Guernica became a symbol of fascist brutality. The event
inspired one of Picasso's most celebrated paintings. Guernica is
also called Guernica y Luno. Questia, a part of Gale, Cengage
Learning. www.questia.com Publication information: Article
title: Guernica. Encyclopedia title: The Columbia Encyclopedia,
6th ed.. © 2012 The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia © 2012,
Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University
Press. Used with the permission of Columbia University Press.
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