Page 24 - All About History - Issue 70-18

SPAIN

HISTORY ANSWERS

Why was Gaudí’s cathedral Why was
the bombing of
never finished? Tiffany Hester Guernica so significant?

Susie Lake
When famed architect Antoni Gaudí was placed in charge of the Sagrada Família Bombed for three hours by German pilots in league
project, a Roman Catholic Church in Barcelona, in 1883, he knew that he would not with Francisco Franco and his fascist forces, the Basque
live to see it completed. He envisioned a masterpiece that combined both Gothic town of Guernica was left decimated by the attack.
and Art Noveau architectural styles and devoted the rest of his life to the project, Considered one of the worst atrocities of the Spanish
creating 3D models of his design so that the church could be completed in Civil War, it is believed to be the first deliberate attack
the future without him. against civilians from the air. It caused international
Gaudí died in 1926 in a tragic tram accident, at which point only roughly outrage, particularly after journalist George Steer
a quarter of the church had been completed. Progress on the project highlighted Germany’s involvement in his
has been slow since it is funded through private donations, and work has account published in The Times. Picasso
been disrupted numerous times due to protests and of course, during the immortalised the bombing in his
destructive Spanish Civil War when work ground to a halt. Since Gaudí’s g ‘Guernica’.
g
death, numerous architects and builders have been involved in the
church’s construction, on a quest to inally get it inished.
Although it is still uninished, the church attracts over three
million visitors a year and is the most visited tourist attraction in
Barcelona, and an iconic landmark of Spain. Currently, the Sagrada
Família is on course to be completed in 2026, the centenary of
Gaudí’s death and 144 years after construction irst began.

What is the

story behind
the Osborne bull?

Gage Berger
Silhouettes of bulls can be found dotted across the
Spanish landscape. They were created in 1956 for
the Osborne sherry company as an advertisement for
their Veterano brandy. In 1994, a new law prohibiting
roadside advertising of alcohol required the bulls
to be removed. However, they had become a
cultural icon and campaigners fought t
to save them. As a compromise, the e
bulls remained but were painted
entirely black, covering up the e
Osborne branding.

©Alamy

24 See your name in the magazine! Send us your questions about the Roman Empire now /AllAboutHistory @AboutHistoryMag