We present results from spatially resolved photoluminescence and Raman experiments on the substrate interface region of wurtzite GaN layers. We show that the broad photoluminescence band with an intensity maximum at 2.4 eV is not an intrinsic property of GaN. We found that this photoluminescence band is strong only near the interface. Our investigations reveal that both the substrate interface and a region of structural reorientation of the layer near the interface act as a source of the photoluminescence. ©1996 American Institute of Physics.