for the Spain they believed to be better: in Gernika

Reproduction of Picasso's painting in Gernika On 26th April 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, the city of Gernika was swept to the ground by German and Italian planes from the Condor Legion and the Aviazione Legionaria, sent by Hitler and Mussolini to support Franco's troops. For nearly four hours, bombs dropped on Guernica in an "experiment" for blitzkrieg's tactics and the bombing of civilians seen in later wars. One of the reasons Gernika was chosen for the bombing is due to its importance both politically and historically. Underneath the Gernika tree’s branches, Basques were granted autonomy in the Middle Ages. Next to the tree is the Biscayan Assembly, a place where the political leaders have meet to decide the fate of their people over the ages The Gernika bombing was deliberately made on Monday because it was known that Basques outside Guernica would travel to the city on Market Day, thereby giving German and Italian aircraft pilots a chance to kill so many innocent people as possible. In January 1937, Pablo Picasso, who was living in Paris, was commissioned by the Spanish Republican  government to create a large mural  for the Spanish pavilion at the 1937 Paris World’s Fair. Immediately upon hearing reports of the 26 April bombing of Guernica, poet Juan Larrea   visited Picasso's home to urge him to make the bombing his subject. Days later, on 1 May, Picasso read George Steer’s  eyewitness account of the attack, which originally had been published in both The Times and The New York Times on 28 April. Acting on Larrea's suggestion, Picasso began sketching a series of preliminary drawings for Guernica. Picasso's great work Guernica is currently on display at the Reina Sofía Museum  in Madrid.  The reproduction of Picasso's Guernica in  Gernika-Lumo is  a great mosaic of tiles which depicts in puzzle form Picasso's great work. According to the official website of Gernika-Lumo council “The inscription beneath this impressive mural expresses the desire of local people for the original canvas to be put on display in the town which inspired its creation: Guernika”. These photos were taken in December 2020.