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| Lake Bled |
Lake
Bled
The lake
is situated in a picturesque environment, surrounded by mountains and forests.
The medieval-era Bled Castle stands above the lake on the north shore. The World Rowing Championships in 1966, 1979,
1989 and 2011 were held at Lake Bled. The
lake surrounds Bled Island. The island
has several buildings, the main one being the pilgrimage church dedicated to
the Assumption of Mary, built in its current form near the end of the 17th
century, and decorated with remains of Gothic frescos from around 1470. The church has a stairway from 1655 with 99
stone steps leading up to the building. Weddings are held there regularly where the
tradition is for the groom to carry his bride up the steps on their wedding day
before ringing the bell and making a wish inside the church.
Nordijski
center in Planica
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On the
far left is the construction to increase the ski flying hill
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The
Nordijski center in Planica is a world famous valley where ski flying
discipline was born in 1936. Historic
first jumps over 100 meters and over 200
meters happened here. Today it boasts of
a modern nordic skiing complex with one ski flying hill, seven ski jumping
hills and cross-country skiing track in Planica, Slovenia. It was the world's larget hill until Vikersundbakken
in Norway stole the crown. The whole
complex is currently under major renovations and this winter will steal back
the crown from Norway, at least until the Norwegians steal it back again.
Vršič
In early
1915, the small town of Kranjska Gora suddenly became strategically important
due to its proximity to the Isonzo Front. To facilitate access from the town to
the front, the Austro-Hungarian authorities ordered the construction of a
military road across Vršič, a 1,611 m pass between the Sava and Soča valleys,
to be built by Russian prisoners of war.
The road was begun in May 1915, and was completed by the end of the
year. To ensure an uninterrupted supply of materiel to the front lines, the
pass was to be kept traversable year-round, and the POWs were made to clear the
road of heavy snowfall. In March 1916,
an avalanche buried a POW work camp, killing approximately 110 prisoners and
about 7 guards. During the time of the
construction there were more than 380 casualties in total. The Russian camp was located roughly halfway
up the slope of Vršic. In November 1916,
the remaining prisoners built a small wooden memorial chapel. The building is of typical Russian design,
with two small towers on either side of the nave, and is surrounded by
prisoners' graves and a pyramid-shaped memorial marker to the immediate right
of the chapel, with the cyrillic inscription reading "To the sons of
Russia".
Where one
crosses the Vršič Pass there is a hostel, Tičarjev dom, part of a series of
mountain huts available to hikers. The
Soča river's source lies in the Trenta Valley in the Julian Alps in
northwestern Slovenia, at an elevation of 876 metres. Due to its emerald-green water, the river is
marketed as "The Emerald Beauty." It is said to be one of the rare
rivers in the world that retain such a colour throughout their length. The Soča inspired the poet Simon Gregorčič to
write his best-known poem Soči (To the Soča), one of the masterpieces of
Slovene poetry. The Soča is also well
known for its unique trout species Salmo marmoratus (known as the marble
trout), which lives in the upper course of the crystal-clear river. This
species is endangered due to the introduction of other non-indigenous trout
species sometime between World War I and World War II.
The river
runs past the town of Kobarid entering the Adriatic Sea close to the town of
Monfalcone. Prior to the First World War
the river formed part of the border between Kingdom of Italy and the
Austro-Hungarian Empire and during that conflict was the scene of bitter
fighting between the two countries, culminating in the Battle of Caporetto in
1917.
Kobarid
Kobarid
is known for the 1917 Battle of Caporetto, where Ernest Hemingway documented the
Italian retreat in his novel A Farewell
to Arms. The battle is well documented in the museum in the centre of
Kobarid. The municipality is situated
within the Julian Alps in the Upper Soča Valley. During World War I, the whole area was the
theatre of the Battles of the Isonzo, fought between the Kingdom of Italy and
Austria-Hungary. The town was almost
completely destroyed between 1915 and 1917.
On 24 October 1917 there was no wind and the front was misted over. At 02:00, 894 metal tubes were triggered
electrically to simultaneously fire canisters containing 600 ml of chlorine and
phosgene gases, smothering the Italian trenches in the valley in a dense cloud
of poison. Knowing that their gas masks
could protect them only for two hours or less, the defenders fled for their
lives, though 500-600 still died. Then
the front was eerily quiet until 06:00 when all the Italian wire and trenches
to be attacked were peppered with mortar fire.
At 06:30, 2200 artillery pieces opened fire, many targeting the valley
road along which reserves were advancing to plug the gap. At 08:00 two large mines were detonated under
strong points on the heights bordering the valley and the infantry attacked. Soon they penetrated the almost undefended
Italian fortifications in the valley, breaching the defensive line of the
Italian Army. To protect the attackers'
flanks Alpine Troops infiltrated the strong points and batteries along the
crests of the adjoining ridges, playing out their telephone lines as they
advanced to maintain contact with their artillery. The attackers in the valley marched almost
unopposed along the excellent road toward Italy, some advanced a remarkable 25
km (16 mi) on the first day. Italian
losses were enormous: 10,000 were killed, 30,000 wounded and 265,000 were taken
prisoner – morale was so low among the Italian troops that most of these
surrendered willingly. After this
battle, the term "Caporetto" gained a particular resonance in Italy. It is still used to denote a terrible defeat.
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Please
donate, a Roman bronze uncovered locally
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The Kobariški Muzej developed from a collection that was set up by the locals in 1990. It first operated within the frame of the
Tourist Society of Kobarid. Five years
later founders transferred the
management to a non-profit company which still manages the Museum. In 2011, the Kobarid Museum was put in the
official register of Slovenian museums. "The
Kobarid Museum is not a museum about war but about man and his distress. It is
not a museum about victory and glory, about conquered and trampled flags, about
conquest and revenge, about revanchism and national pride. It is men that are at the forefront, the men
who – aloud or silently to themselves, for themselves or for their fellow
sufferers – in various languages of the world endlessly shouted: "Damn all
war!" In short, this curse of
theirs encapsulates the fundamental message of the Kobarid Museum, its success
and justification and the necessity that it lives and develops." Dr. Branko Marušič, Kobarid Museum. "… In the course of my professional
career I visited hundreds of museums, among them war museums. Kobarid was the first one where I could not
find the slightest trace of chauvinism, bias, or glorification. Its display is deeply touching. It takes its visitors by their hearts and
souls and conveys a message which cannot be disseminated too often and too
loud: war is insanity, crime, it only generates victims." Friedrich Waidacher, representing The
European Museum of the Year Award Commitee for the Council of Europe Museum
Prize 1993.