Gernikako Arbola
Gernikako Arbola ( Basque for "Tree of Gernika") is an oak tree in the Basque city of Gernika , which in Basque history has been a symbol of freedom for both the province of Bizkaia and the Basque Country as a whole.
In Bizkaia and other Basque provinces, written customary law had been in force since the late Middle Ages : the Fueros . Under the tree of Gernika, first the kings themselves, and later their deputies, in the presence of the Basque representatives, swore the oath to respect and preserve the special rights laid down in the Fueros. The Lehendakari (Prime Minister) has taken his oath of office here since the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country was founded . However, consultation and decision-making have long ceased to take place in the open air, but in a neighboring building: the present day dates from 1833.
Different specimens over time
The Gernika tree has been replanted several times
- The original tree was planted in the 14th century and lasted 450 years.
- The "old tree" (1742-1892) was re-planted in 1811. The trunk is now in a small temple in the neighboring garden.
- The third tree in the line of succession (1858-2004) was replanted in 1860, survived the air raid on Gernika in 1937, but died of fungal attack. The gardeners of the administration of Bizkaia have several specimens of trees grown from the acorns of the tree to replant.
- The fourth tree (1986-2015) was placed on the place of its predecessor on February 25, 2005.
- The fifth tree was planted in March 2015 at the age of 14.
The importance of the tree is illustrated by an incident that occurred shortly after the bombing of Gernika. When Franco troops took the city, volunteers from Bizkaia formed armed guards around the tree to protect it against the Falangists who wanted to cut down this symbol of Basque nationalism.
The logo of the social democratic party Eusko Alkartasuna (Basque Solidarity), the former logo of the organization of young nationalists and the youth organization Jarrai use an oak leaf. The tree of Gernika is depicted on the coat of arms of Bizkaia.
The Basque authorities give away branches of the oak as a sign of friendship and solidarity to Basque groups who have left their homeland and settled in other parts of the world, as well as to twin cities.
Gernikako Arbola is also the title of a song. It is the unofficial anthem of the Basques alongside the official national anthem, the Eusko Abendaren Ereserkia .
song lyrics
TREE OF GERNIKA
The tree of Gernika is blessed,
loved by all Basques.
Carry and spread your fruits in the world,
we adore you, holy tree.
It is said
that it has been around a thousand years since the Lord planted the tree of Gernika.
Stand upright today and all time
, if you fall, we are lost.
You will not fall, beloved tree,
if the advice of Biscay is right.
We four provinces unite with you
so that the Basques may live in peace.
Let us all kneel down and ask the Lord
that the tree may live forever.
And if we only ask him from the bottom of our hearts
, the tree will live now and forever.
They seek to topple the tree,
we all know that in the Basque Country.
Well, compatriots, our time has come,
let's see to it that it doesn't fall.
For you there will always be spring,
spotless flower for ages.
Have mercy on our beloved tree,
give us your fruit, do not waste time.
And the tree advises us to live vigilantly
and to pray to the Lord with all our hearts.
We don't want war, but eternal peace,
so that we can respect our just laws.
Let us ask our Lord God
for peace now and forever,
for strength for your country
and his blessings for the Basque people.
Jose Maria Iparragirre, 1853
From the notes of Wilhelm von Humboldt
In the travel notes that Wilhelm von Humboldt recorded on the occasion of his studies in the Basque Country in 1801, he also commented on the importance of the Gernika tree and the appearance it found:
“Meanwhile, I used this stay to get to know the Vizcayic Constitution, which has its actual seat and center in Guernica, since all public negotiations always begin with the words: so el arbol de Guernica , under the tree of Guernica .
For just as […] the communities of Alava gathered in the field of Arrigia until their voluntary dissolution, so the deputies of Vizcaya still gather under the tree of Guernica to this day, even if they do not now More there, but rather in the chapel built in the process, hold their deliberations, so they hand over their powers here in the open air, and the festivities always begin under the tree itself. […] One wished to see a deciduous oak venerable for its age in a beautiful, free, rural place, in order to be able to recall more vividly those times in which the affairs of a nation were decided more simply than now in a family. But you can find a fairly large, but nothing less than a gnarly holm oak, with a twisted trunk twisted by the wind, and some dried up branches, a picture, if you like, of the constitution, which has defied many storms, but also inferior to some, and has degenerated from its original shape in more than one piece. A few younger ones have been planted next to the actual tree to replace it immediately if it should go out. None of them are free, but a kind of stone barrier and stage is built in front of them, to which one climbs a few steps. At the time of the meetings, the people who make up the government of the province sit here on a bench with seven seats, separated by stone backrests. The middle is occupied by the Corrigedor, and he is followed on either side by the two Deputy General, Syndici and Secretaire. On the high stone back of the seats you can see the Castilian in the middle, and twice the Vizcay coat of arms on both sides, two running wolves with a cross overgrown with foliage behind them. On the sides and in front this seat is surrounded by lower parapets, which are also stone, and in front, opposite the seat of the corridor, the opening is left free. In front of the seat is a square paved square with four pillars. These used to have a roof under which consultations were held before the chapel was built.
Ferdinand the Catholic invoked the freedoms and rights of Vizcaya at this point, and these celebrations can still be seen above the entrance to the chapel. The king sits in the place that the Corrigedor now occupies. His wife, Isabella, is among the women. "
swell
- ↑ El Mundo, February 26, 2005, Otro árbol de Gernika
- ↑ An interview with Jaime del Burgo Torres ( Memento of the original from September 2, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , the officer in charge of the guard. October 31, 2005.
- ↑ .basquepoetry.net The Basquepoetry portal
- ^ Wilhelm von Humboldt: Works in five volumes. Edited by Andreas Flitner and Klaus Giel, Darmstadt 1961, Volume 2: Writings on antiquity and aesthetics. The Vasken. P. 587 f.
Coordinates: 43 ° 18 ′ 46.9 " N , 2 ° 40 ′ 47.9" W.