EN From the Alps to the Adriatic Sea - a century after the Isonzo Front Soča, do tell “Alone alone alone I have to be in eternity self and self in eternity discover my lumnious feathers into afar space release and peace from beyond land in self grip.” Boundless Weekends Srečko Kosovel In the tempest of history, in the embrace of nature Dear “Tell me who, whither the clouds sail, whither the birds fly, whither the waters flow, whither the man journeys…” Oton Župančič 2 or 3 days travellers If you follow the course of the Soča DAY 1 – FRIDAY Overnight stay: Bovec River, you will experience the feeling A) Predel – Kluže Fortification of boundlessness between the moun- B) Predel – Ravelnik outdoor museum tains and the sea. The emerald beauty Have you ever embraced the Alps and the Adriatic with by the Walk of Peace from the Alps to the Adriatic Sea that C) Vršič – Trenta Lodge and Triglav National Park imbues a person with a special kind of a single view? Have you ever strolled along the emerald runs across green and diverse landscape – past picturesque D) Vršič – Juliana Alpine Botanical Garden Soča River from its lively source in Triglav National Park towns, out-of-the-way villages and open fireplaces where energy. Even though these places were to its indolent mouth in the nature reserve in the Bay of good stories abound. ravaged by war a century ago, displaced DAY 2 – SATURDAY Overnight stay: Most na Soči / Deskle / Kobarid / Drežnica families have returned to their homes. Trieste? Experience the bonds that link Italy and Slove- A) Sporting morning on the Soča River – Cheese Museum – Javorca – Tolmin gorges Travellers from around the world keep nia on the Walk of Peace. Spend a weekend with a knowledgeable guide, by yourself B) The Kobarid Museum – Kobarid Historical Trail – Cheese Museum – Javorca – or in a group and see the sites by car, on foot or by bicycle. returning to the Soča today. They come healing springs This is where the Great War cut fiercely into serenity a century Tourism experience providers have come together in the T- to listen to nature and relive stories. C) The Kobarid Museum – Walk of Peace Visitor Centre – Napoleon Bridge and the ago. Upon the centenary of the Isonzo Front, we remember lab cross-border network and together created new ideas for They leave the place as changed peo- Soča gorge – Kolovrat outdoor museum – Javorca the hundreds of thousands of men and boys in the trenches your short break, all of which can be found in the brochure ple according to Ivan Jelinčič from the D) Tolmin gorges – Tolmin Museum – Walk of Peace Visitor Centre - Kobarid and on ramparts that they built with their own hands. Did entitled Soča, Do Tell. Bovec region, a charismatic farmer, Historical Trail – Drežnica you know that their courageous wives who worked in the rear painter and zither player who has been E) Tolmin gorges – the Kobarid Museum – Walk of Peace Visitor Centre - Kobarid Historical Trail – Drežnica sometimes packed clothing in the large grenades instead of Welcome to the Walk of Peace! Feel the boundless experi- rejuvenated by the Soča for as long as explosives as a way of resistance? ences and freedom, spread your wings among the vistas of he can remember. DAY 3 – SUNDAY the mountains and the sea, let yourself be pampered by the Find new experiences in the Posočje, the Goriško and the Goriška Brda A) The Tolmin Museum – Franja Partisan Hospital – Idrija Mercury Mine – Divje Today, the historic heritage of European importance is linked hospitality of the locals. jezero lake (Wild Lake) region, the Slovenian-Italian Karst, B) Trg Evrope (Square of Europe) in Nova Gorica and Gorizia – Cerje – Monte San and in the mountains of the Idrija TABLE OF CONTENTS Michele (Debela Griža) – Redipuglia (Sredipolje) Ossuary – Grande Guerra (First and Cerkno regions. We have made it World War) Theme Park above Monfalcone (Tržič) BOUNDLESS WEKENDS 3 easy for you to put together your own C) Breginj – Robidišče – San Giovanni d´Antro Cave (Landarska jama) – Cividale DAY 1 - FRIDAY 4 boundless weekend! (Čedad) – Sabotin Peace Park DAY 2 - SATURDAY 5 Predel Vršič Ruska kapelica DAY 3 - SUNDAY 7 Ivan Jelinčič, farmer, painter and zitherist from Bovško. WITH GUSTO ALONG THE Kluže WALK OF PEACE 10 ALONG THE WALK OF PEACE ON A BICYCLE 11 Javorca Kolovrat Kambreško VIDEM Čedad Matic Kutin from the Šmartno mountain village of Čadrg. Debela griža Redipuglia Cerje “Winged mob that I adore Parco Komen Štanjel - plenty of it in the world! - tematico Grande Guerra of different customs and costumes, elated by life, it wakes and sings.” Umberto Saba www.slovenia.info/socadotell On the cover: Miloš Domevšček, collector of World War One artefacts 2 3 DAY 1 (FRIDAY) DAY 2 (SATURDAY) Into the Heart of The Soča River Battle and Peace and the Mountain Pastures Welcome to the heart of the Julian The Kluže Fortification perches on top of a narrow canyon of IN THE TEMPEST OF HISTORY How would you like your boundless The Soča River Valley beckons visitors with a broad range NOT TO BE MISSED the Koritnica River. The Austro-Hungarian army built a veri- of activities in nature. The most popular of these are wa- Alps! The former military supply weekend to continue? Are you up for IN NATURE’S EMBRACE table defence system along the rock faces, which comprised KLUŽE ter sports on the emerald river. The raging rapids and deep route over Vršič is now a beautiful a sports-filled morning on the Soča of two forts. FORTIFICATION pools, great rocks in the middle of the stream coupled with SPORTING MORNING panoramic road that puts 2000-me- See a reenactment by the Društvo 1313 society. Get a feel River or would you prefer exploring the lush green surroundings that immediately mesmerise tre high mountain peaks at the touch for the daily routine of the Austro-Hungarian and Italian sol- the Walk of Peace? Take a break and the visitor. Treat yourself to an active morning on the Soča IN THE SOČA RIVER of your fingers. You can also take to diers… Listen to a soldier’s love letter and visit the frontline enjoy a cheese-making snack. Learn River, on which you can go rafting, kayaking, canyoning in VALLEY the kingdom of the Alps across the dentist. how farmers take care of their cows by narrow gorges, zip lining in zip line parks on steel ropes or fishing in the company of the local fishermen. Predel mountain pass. distinguishing between them according The Ravelnik outdoor museum is located south of Kluže in OPTION FOR A GUIDED TOUR Collectors who have devoted their the Bovec Valley. A sergeant in military uniform shares tea to their name and character traits. In Learn about historic events that transpired along the banks OPTION FOR A GUIDED TOUR free time to the search for and pre- with the visitors and recounts frightening stories from the RAVELNIK OUTDOOR the summer, they process their milk of the Soča River during WW1. The largest portion of the per- servation of everything that has re- trenches, bunkers, caverns and machine gun nests. MUSEUM into cheese and cottage cheese on the manent exhibition recounts mountain fighting in the Julian THE KOBARID Alps and the final, 12th Isonzo Battle, named the Battle of mained from the Isonzo Front have mountain pastures. It is there that the MUSEUM Touch the Julian Alps in the heart of the Triglav National IN NATURE’S EMBRACE Kobarid. This engagement involving one hundred thousand made their homes in the midst of Park. Visit the Triglav National Park Information Centre, the most vicious high-mountain fighting men from the Austro-Hungarian and Italian armies began lush green nature. While climbing Trenta Lodge, and uncover the secrets of nature in harmony TRENTA VALLEY – in the history of man took place. It was on 24 October 1917 along the Soča River and ended after 17 with tradition when you visit the valley of the emerald river, CENTRE OF THE TRIGLAV days on the banks of the Piave River. For Erwin Rommel, the in the mountains, Miloš Domevšček NATIONAL PARK described by Hemingway in his novel A from Bovec found more than 120 Soča. Farewell to Arms. The Austro-Hungarian battle represented a milestone in his military career. beer bottles from the times of the and Italian armies fought 12 battles Visit the Juliana Alpine Botanical Garden, featuring more OPTION FOR A GUIDED TOUR The Walk of Peace Visitor Centre is a hub for all the experi- OPTION FOR A GUIDED TOUR First World War. than 600 species of plants. The botanist Albert Bois de there. The Director of the Kobarid Mu- ences that can be enjoyed between the Alps and the Adriatic. Chesne created the conditions for the growth of numerous JULIANA ALPINE seum, Jože Šerbec, acts as ambassador A guide and consultants are always available for the itinerar- WALK OF PEACE rare high-mountain plants despite the effects of the Mediter- BOTANICAL GARDEN for the history of the Isonzo Front. With ies, guided tours along the Walk of Peace trail and for the VISITOR CENTRE ranean climate. provision of information on private collections. his own two hands, Jože makes sure that there is always fresh paint on the Take a walk along a part of the Kobarid Historical Trail. Walk IN THE TEMPEST OF HISTORY wooden memorial church on Mount up to the Italian charnel house around the church of St. An- Javorca. Ascend to the peak and feel the ton. This is the final resting place of 7014 Italian soldiers.