Digital Audio Guide for Independent Exploration of the Outdoor Museum Kolovrat

Communication trenches were crucial for soldiers, as they allowed safer movement between the front firing line and the rear positions.

This area was heavily shelled during the Twelfth Isonzo Battle. The intensity of the bombardment is still visible in the landscape today, as shown by the lidar image with numerous explosion craters.

Through shelling, the enemy aimed to prevent reserve units from reaching the front line.

Prepare your flashlight. In the trench, at the first junction, turn left and keep to the left.

This viewpoint served for observing and monitoring enemy movements and for directing artillery fire.

Observation posts were built at locations along the ridge that allowed the Italian Army to control :

• Austro-Hungarian positions on the Tolmin bridgehead,

• Kozlov Rob and Mengore hills,

• the front line in the mountains: Mt. Mrzli vrh, Mt. Sleme, and Mt. Batognica.

Each observation post was equipped with binoculars and a telephone connection to the artillery units and the command headquarters.

This allowed them to simultaneously direct artillery fire and observe the movements of the enemy troops.

Follow the signs and return to the communication trench, where you turn left. At the junction, keep left and follow the trench to the entrance of the cavern. Descend the spiral stairs through the cavern and continue to the exit.

These spaces served as living quarters for soldiers and as storage areas for equipment.

There were no direct clashes on Kolovrat until the Twelfth Isonzo Battle, so most soldiers lived in barracks and tents on the southern slope of the ridge.

Caverns were used during artillery bombardments of the positions. These underground shelters provided protection even from shells of the largest calibres.

Whenever possible, soldiers built caverns with multiple entrances and exits. This ensured a safe escape route if one of the exits became blocked or were taken over by the enemy.

Climb the stairs. At the top of the stairs, turn left and continue to the viewpoint.

From here, a wide panorama opens over the Soča Valley and the surrounding peaks, which were part of the Isonzo Front battlefield between 1915 and 1917.

At the foot of the ridge near Tolmin lie the Volče Field and the hill of Mengore, part of the first battle line.

It was here that highly motivated German units, using elements of a new combat tactic known as “lightning warfare” (Blitzkrieg), surprised the enemy during the Twelfth Isonzo Battle.

In just two days, soldiers carrying around 30 kg of combat equipment climbed from Mengore to the top of Kolovrat, breaking through and destroying all three Italian defence lines.

Return back to the stairs and turn left into the trench. Walk through the trench, and just before the end, turn right and go uphill.

From this protected position, the units controlled the access to the ridge.

Alongside artillery, machine guns caused the highest number of casualties during the war.

The placement of the machine gun was of strategic importance, as its firepower could completely halt an enemy attack.

With a well-chosen position and a firing rate of up to 650 rounds per minute, a machine gun could replace a unit of 80 soldiers.

After a few steps, turn right and climb the wooden stairs. Continue straight along the path to the ridge summit, which you can see directly ahead of you.

The ridge summit offered a strategic overview of the entire ridge and the rear areas.

When German troops occupied the peak of Na Gradu (1,114 m) and gained a view over the Iudrio/Idrija Valley, the Natisone/Nadiža Valley, and the Friulian Plain, thereby achieving the first objective of the joint German–Austro-Hungarian offensive.

To the west, the ridge rises towards the summit of Kuk (1,243 m), then descends to Livek. The entire area was crisscrossed by more than 20 km of trenches belonging to the third defence line. Shell craters still bear witness today to the intensity of the fighting during the Twelfth Isonzo Battle.

From Livek, the slope rises again and gradually leads westward to Mt. Matajur (1,642 m), which was occupied during the Twelfth Isonzo Battle by a German unit under the command of Lieutenant Erwin Rommel. The fall of Mt. Matajur, the advance through the valley from Tolmin to Kobarid and onward toward the west, and the occupation of the surrounding hills enabled German and Austro-Hungarian troops to penetrate the Friuli Plain. On the fourth day of the offensive, the attackers occupied the town of Udine, then continued their advance toward the Tagliamento River, where they encountered the first serious attempts to halt their advance, partly due to destroyed bridges. After crossing the Tagliamento, they continued their advance all the way to the Piave, where the advance came to a halt.

Head right past the border stone and descend along the path (towards Trinški vrh). Continue down the stairs, then at the junction turn right into the trench.

The design of trenches protected soldiers from explosions and direct fire.

Where terrain allowed, communication trenches and front-line trenches were dug in a zigzag pattern. These “broken” trenches provided greater safety for soldiers.

During artillery bombardments or close combat, the trench increased the chances of survival – a soldier inside could remain hidden behind a corner, which absorbed the force of explosions and flying fragments of shells.

After eleven Italian offensives, the Austro-Hungarian Army, with the help of German reinforcements, successfully launched a counteroffensive that ended the fighting along the 90-kilometre-long Isonzo Front after 29 months of battles. The final offensive brought peace to the Soča Valley and the Karst Region, while fighting in Italy continued for another year.

The Isonzo Front caused more than one million casualties and left behind an immense destruction.

At the end of the open trench descend the stairs on the left all the way to the end and follow the signs leading you to the final interpretive point.

Although World War I ended in 1918, leaving severe consequences, it did not bring lasting peace. Tensions in Europe continued to rise and eventually led to a new global conflict, which broke out in 1939 as World War II.

Here are visible the remains of a border guard station. After the end of World War II, in 1947, Yugoslavia built a network of small military posts along its borders with neighbouring countries, called karavle (border guard stations). Their purpose was to defend the border and prevent illegal crossings. The border station on Kolovrat, typically staffed by around 25 soldiers, operated until 1974.

Return along the path towards the starting point. Just before reaching the Info Point, you can turn left to Trinški vrh and extend your exploration.