Guernica syndrome

The “Azor” is a ship that was built by the Bazán Shipyard for the use and enjoyment of Spanish Head of State General Francisco Franco. Launched in 1949 and measuring 40 metres long and 7,5 metres wide, the vesel was used as a pleasure yacht by Franco and his family.

Franco enjoyed his passion for fishing on board the “Azor” , especially tuna, but important political meetings also took place there, such as the “Azor conversations” held in 1948 between Franco and Don Juan de Borbón when it was decided that the prince (today king) would study in Spain.

After Franco’s death, the ship was used in 1985 by then- Prime Minister Felipe González in a controversial summer cruise. In 1990 the Spanish government auctioned the ship, specifying that it must be destined for scrapping. However, the buyer tried in vain to turn it into a floating entertainment venue.

Since then, the “Azor” has rested and lost lustre on the outskirts of the town of Cogollos, Burgos, becoming a tourist attraction for nostalgic and surprised visitors. Fernando Sánchez Castillo bought it at the end of 2011.

The vessel’s final destination takes the form of a compact prism, a figure exalted in a minimalism for its constructive impersonality and for its lack of sentimental or emotive references.