Jezersko

Aleksander Jankovic Potocnik
Ars-Cartae.com

PLOCKEN PASS
(Passo di Monte Croce Carnico)
WW1 Mountain Battlefield

After the hostilities between Austria-Hungary and Italy broke out in 1915 it soon became evident that the two main theatres were to be Southern Tyrol and Soca (Isonzo) river regions. Between Tarvisio (Trbiz) and the Dolomiti mountains the front line stabilised along the ridge of Carnian Alps (Karnische Alpen, Alpe Carnice, Karnijske Alpe).
No great battles took place here. But as the little military cemetery at the foot of the Plocken Pass (Passo di Monte Croce Carnico, Ploski prelaz) shows, here too the war took it's toll. Either during skirmishes and cannonades or in the form of the snow avalanches. In some cases even only the frost was enough to subdue the strength of the soldiers guarding the windy mountain peaks.
The restoration of these positions began decades ago. By now the preservation work done by the Dolomitenfreunde association is a legend and an example for all similar attempts in the area carried out more recently. Trenches on pass itself and on the top of Mt. Cellon and Mt. Pal, together with Italian trenches on the other side of the pass are now an open air museum and a part of the "1915-18 Museum" located in the Town Hall of the nearby Kotschach-Mauthen. A visit is a must for anybody interested in the First World War.
It is also worth noting that on the Italian side of the pass one can see MG positions of the Vallo Alpino, abandoned by the military only a decade ago. The camouflage is still in place.

Monument to the WW1 cablelifts.