War graves from the First World War
War graves from the First World War
In the aftermath of the First World War, the Kingdom of Italy, which was awarded the territory where the Isonzo Front took place, dug up the remains of its soldiers burried across smaller war graves and reburied them in the ossuaries of Oslavia, Redipuglia and Kobarid. The Vipava Valley has several military cemeteries from the First World War where soldiers of various nationalities had been laid to rest. The cemeteries in Solkan and Črniče, along with other memorials along the Isonzo front, have been included in UNESCO’s Tentative List. In reality, many more soldiers than there are memorials are buried across the Vipava Valley.
Several hospitals operated in the rear of the Isonzo front, tending to the soldiers wounded on the battlefield. One such stood in Renče and is today a field hospital museum displaying some original items. A larger hospital was located below the village of Osek where one can visit the military cemetary and the war memorial with photographs.
Today, a century after the Great War ended, military cemeteries are places of remembrance and reverence. The legacy of the Isonzo front and areas around it comes full circle in the Walk of Peace from the Alps to the Adriatic, paying tribute to all who have endured the Great War, and standing as a sombre reminder that wars should never happen.
