Military orchestras commemorating the end of the Isonzo Front
Kobarid, 10 May - The Isonzo Front, which ended a hundred years ago, will be commemorated with numerous events this year. Senior officials of several countries will visit the main event, an international concert of military orchestras in Kobarid in July. September's re-enactment of the battle of Kolovrat should also attract many.
Kobarid
The view of the valley of the Soča river (Isonzo in Italian) from the Kolovrat ridge at Kobarid, where the last battle of the Isonzo Front took place.
Photo: Anže Malovrh/STA
Kobarid
The valley of the Soča river (Isonzo in Italian) near Kobarid, where the last battle of the Isonzo Front took place.
Photo: Anže Malovrh/STA
Kobarid
An Italian ossuary with the Church of St Anthony which contains the remains of over 7,000 Italian soldiers who died during WWI.
Photo: Anže Malovrh/STA
Kobarid
An Italian ossuary with the Church of St Anthony which contains the remains of over 7,000 Italian soldiers who died during WWI.
Photo: Anže Malovrh/STA
Kobarid
An Italian ossuary with the Church of St Anthony which contains the remains of over 7,000 Italian soldiers who died during WWI.
Photo: Anže Malovrh/STA
Kobarid
An open-air museum with remains of the Italian WWI defence line on the Kolovrat plateau.
Photo: Anže Malovrh/STA
Kobarid
An open-air museum with remains of the Italian WWI defence line on the Kolovrat plateau.
Photo: Anže Malovrh/STA
Kobarid
An Italian ossuary with the Church of St Anthony which contains the remains of over 7,000 Italian soldiers who died during WWI.
Photo: Anže Malovrh/STA
Kobarid
An Italian ossuary with the Church of St Anthony which contains the remains of over 7,000 Italian soldiers who died during WWI.
Photo: Anže Malovrh/STA
Kobarid
An Italian ossuary with the Church of St Anthony which contains the remains of over 7,000 Italian soldiers who died during WWI.
Photo: Anže Malovrh/STA
Bovec
An Austro-Hungarian WWI military cemetery near Bovec, the final resting place of over 600 soldiers who died on the Isonzo Front.
Photo: Anže Malovrh/STA
The concert, taking place on 9 July under the patronage of President Borut Pahor, will be played by military orchestras from Austria, Croatia, Italy, Hungary and Germany, which have so far confirmed their participation, as well as the host - the Slovenian Army Orchestra.
Senior officials from neighbouring countries and countries of the participating orchestras have also been invited.
Walk of Peace Foundation head Maša Klavora has also highlighted a joint commemoration held on 12 May in front of the German ossuary in Tolmin. The next day, representatives from Germany, Austria, Hungary and Slovenia will lay wreaths at the ossuary in Tolmin, at the Austro-Hungarian cemetery Modrejce near Tolmin and at the Italian ossuary in Kobarid.
"This will be a really nice and symbolic event in which nations that used to be at odds with each other will cooperate and lay wreaths to all soldiers, regardless of the side they fought for," Klavora told the STA.
On 26 May, a memorial built by the Czechs at the village of Hudi Log in the Miren - Kostanjevica municipality will be unveiled.
From 16 to 20 July, the Isonzo Express historical train will bring some 400 Hungarians to the Isonzo Front area. A commemoration at the Austro-Hungarian military cemetery in Modrejce, on 16 July, will also be part of their visit.
Given that the Isonzo Front ended with the Battle of Kobarid/Caporetto in October 1917, commemorative events will resume again in the autumn. The Kobarid Museum and the Triglav Cultural Association will re-enact the battle of Kolovrat on 17 September.
On 21 October, the Kobarid Museum will launch the exhibition Kobarid - Caporetto - Karfreit 1917.
"We decided not to use the term the Miracle of Kobarid, since it was after all also the scene of terrible things. This is why we are talking about the Battle of Kobarid and the Breakthrough at Bovec and Tolmin, because the breakthrough also happened from Tolmin and Bovec. We must not forget that a hundred years ago the Battle of Kobarid also ended the Isonzo Front," said Klavora.
Throughout the year, numerous local organisers are also preparing smaller events, memorial walks, lectures and exhibitions around the area.
Slovenia joined the European-wide commemoration of the centenary of the start of WWI in the summer of 2012 by appointing the National Committee for the 100th Anniversary of World War I (2014-2018).
"In accordance with the Slovenian experience of the war and the collective memory, we have decided to try to overcome the divisions that pushed Europe to war in 1914, fortifying the ideas of coexistence and tolerance as well as intercultural and intergenerational dialogue," the Ministry of Defence said.