Casa de Juntas and the Gernika Tree

The Casa de Juntas, at Allende Salazar 1, is the seat of the Bizkaia General Assembly. Inside you will see the Assembly Chamber, with portraits of the Lords of Biscay and two paintings of the oath-taking of a Lord at Gernika (from 1609 and 1882), and the Stained-Glass Room, whose ceiling is a large stained-glass window from 1985 with the tree as a symbol. There are 17th-century silver ballot boxes and a model of the building. The Gernika Tree stands beside the entrance.

A parliament under an oak

Documents record meetings under the Gernika tree from the 14th century, and Turismo Euskadi counts the Casa de Juntas among the oldest parliaments in Europe. Before the present building, the assemblies met in the hermitage of Santa María de la Antigua. The neoclassical building you see today was built between 1826 and 1833 to a design by Antonio de Etxebarria, who took the old church as a reference; that is why the Assembly Chamber keeps the altar and the holy water fonts. Plenary sessions of the General Assembly are still held there, and the lehendakari takes the oath of office here.

The oak is the best-known symbol of the Basques. It grows in the garden of the site, and when it has to be replaced, a sapling of the previous tree is planted in its place, so that each specimen descends from the one before.

The rooms inside

In the Assembly Chamber hang 17th-century portraits of the Lords of Biscay, the work of Sebastián de Galbarriartu and the Bustrín brothers. The two large canvases are the one by Francisco de Mendieta, from 1609, with the oath of Ferdinand the Catholic in 1476, and the one by Anselmo de Guinea, from 1882, with the oath of another Lord of Biscay.

The Stained-Glass Room was originally an open courtyard and since 1964 has been a museum of the history of Bizkaia. Its ceiling is the stained-glass window installed in 1985 by Vidrieras de Arte de Bilbao, the largest work by that firm: in the centre appear the Juradera and the tree with the inscription "Lege Zaharra", and on the edge, monuments of the towns of Bizkaia and their trades. As well as the silver ballot boxes there are 18th-century staffs of office of the deputies general.

Hours, booking and how to get there

Admission is free, but you must book an appointment on the General Assembly website (jjggbizkaia.eus). It opens every day from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 18:00, and from June to September until 19:00. During plenary sessions it is closed to visits. Telephone: 94 625 11 38. There is a virtual visit on the website for those who cannot go.

The building is in the centre of Gernika, a few minutes' walk from the Euskotren station and the Peace Museum. If you prefer to see it with a guide, the tourist office at Artekalea 8 organises a one-and-a-half-hour tour of the town that ends at the Casa de Juntas, Monday to Friday at 10:00, for €3.65 (€2.65 for pensioners), with prior booking on 94 625 58 92.

With children and what to combine

The self-guided visit lasts about 45 minutes and is easy with children. The Peace Museum, in Plaza de los Fueros, fits into the same morning, and for lunch the centre of Gernika has a set menu on weekdays at the Zallo Barri.