Sound in the Silence in Gernika
It is an intercultural and international remembrance project designed for youth.
It is an intercultural and international remembrance project designed for youth. At historically significant locations, high school students collaborate with artists from various disciplines to explore how the past connects to their present-day questions and experiences.
Through artistic workshops, it provides young people with new perspectives on European history, encouraging them to develop their own understanding using different means of expression. To date, the project has been organized in various locations, including Memorial Places Neuengamme, Ravensbrück, Auschwitz-Birkenau, Gusen-Mauthausen, as well as Denkort Bunker Valentin, Kaunas 9th Fort Museum, Warsaw, Jasenovac, Pitesti and Pruszków.
This immersive experience will encourage participants to critically reflect on the impact of war on individuals and communities, fostering empathy and awareness. By bridging history with contemporary realities, Sound in the Silence in Gernika seeks to ensure that the memory of those who suffered is preserved and that the lessons of the past remain relevant for future generations.
Artists
Dan Wolf (Project Artistic Director, creative writing workshops); Kat Rampackova (Dancing workshops) and Sean Palmer (Vocal worshops).
Final performance
Under the guidance of artists and educators, the young people will create texts, sound and choreography for the final performance, to which the residents of Gernika are warmly invited.
La representación final será el resultado del trabajo de jóvenes de Navarra, Estonia, Grecia e Italia. Tras la representación, tendrá lugar un coloquio en el que participarán el público, los artistas, los profesores y los organizadores.
The final performance will take place on Saturday, 10 October 2026, at 6.00 pm; it will begin in front of the Gernika Peace Museum and wind its way through several streets in the streets of Gernika. It will be open to everyone.
Workshops for teachers
During the project, we organise workshops for teachers. Over the course of six days, teachers will have the opportunity to take part in five blocks of workshops at the Gernika Peace Museum. The workshops will be conducted in English and will be free of charge
To apply, please fill in the form: https://forms.office.com/e/2zuzWzQafg?origin=lprLink
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- The programme opens with a session led by Karolina Jastrzębska-Mitzner, Educator and Educational Programme Coordinator at the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, who will introduce games and training exercises as tools for building a positive classroom community and fostering collaboration among students.
- The historian Anna Pastor Roldán will lead two sessions exploring the legacy of the Spanish Civil War and the Franco regime: the first will be devoted to the analysis of primary sources relating to mass graves and the emancipation movements associated with them; and the second will focus on the analysis of educational resources on the experiences of children within the context of Francoist youth organisations.
- A further block, led by Idoia Orbe Narbaiza of the Gernika Peace Museum, will use the 1937 bombing of Gernika as a starting point for reflecting on fake news and the manipulation of historical memory, helping teachers equip students with critical tools for assessing how the past is communicated.
- Julia Machnowska will lead a session introducing ENRS educational resources, including Hi-Story Lessons, with a focus on materials addressing disinformation and the construction of historical narratives.
- The final block, delivered by Iwona Szelewa over two sessions, will guide teachers through the fundamentals of fundraising for educational projects, from designing objectives and budgets to writing successful applications for EU programmes such as Erasmus+.
• Participants will be offered snacks, soft drinks or lunch.
• The organiser will not cover the cost of accommodation, nor will it reimburse any accommodation or travel expenses.
General information
Time: 3 October – 11 October 2026
Location: Gernika, Basque Country, Spain
For who? The project is aimed at teachers and students, aged 16-19.
Costs: Free of charge
Project language: English
The photographs were taken by the photographer Jan Prosiński.
3 October – 11 October 2026
English
hezkuntza@bakearenmuseoagernika.eus
Website of the project: Sound in the Silence | ENRS
General website: European Network Remembrance and Solidarity ENRS
More
Culture accessible to everyone
Places of Memory and Tourism
Third International Seminar
European Heritage Days: The heritage in our hands
Guided walking tour on: The reconstruction of Gernika after the war as part of the European Heritage Days celebrations during the month of October.
