Work of the sculptor Nestor Basterretxea “Heriotza zerutik etorri jakun”

To mark the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Otxandio, the town council undertook the urban regeneration of Andikona Square, which features the sculpture “Heriotza zerutik etorri jakun” by the sculptor Nestor Basterretxea. The sculpture is quite striking; it is six metres tall and stands upright. It depicts the bombs falling from the sky, hence the name “heriotza zerutik etorri jakun”, which translates as “death came to us from the sky”. In the background, the sculpture is accompanied by a tree, which symbolises life. Thus, one might say that life and death stand face to face. Next to the sculpture and the tree is a wall bearing the names of all those who died on that fateful day in July 1936. The Bombing of Otxandio: On 22 July 1936, four days after Franco’s uprising, the village of Otxandio was bombed by the coup forces, causing the deaths of a total of 61 people, the vast majority of whom were civilians. This event, and the years of war and post-war period that followed, have directly shaped the lives of an entire generation of Otxandio residents, and in turn have become a vital reference point of enormous significance for future generations. A testament to this is the annual tribute to those killed, which has been held in Andikona Square (the main site of the bombing) since 1978.