Cannon fire instead of cowbells ringing: When travelling through the picture-book landscape of the Dolomites today, it takes a lot of imagination to picture heavy artillery battles between the rocks. Or entire mountain peaks that were first hollowed out, then filled with tonnes of explosives and finally blown up together with the enemy. Today, you don't have to look far for old war relics such as rusty barbed wire and bullet holes. The path that winds its way so adventurously up the mountain in front of you is almost certainly a silent witness to the war. From the moment Italy declared war on the Austro-Hungarian Empire on 23 May 1915, the First World War also broke out on the Dolomite front.
This war of position stretched from the Ortler in the west to the Carnic Alps in the east. Forts were sometimes spectacularly built into the rock faces; trenches were dug in the summit regions. In order to secure supplies, the soldiers on both sides had to build paths up to these positions. Some of them zigzag through rock faces, others tunnel through the mountain in a corkscrew shape. This was done as far as possible so that the enemy was unaware of the troop movements. Fighting, blasting and killing took place along the Dolomite front until 4 November 1917. Added to this was the catastrophic winter of 1916/17, in which 60,000 soldiers alone lost their lives in avalanches. There was no winner on this front. The fighting was eventually stopped. Only Monte Grappa remained under constant fire until the end of the war in November 1918. So if this mountain war brought anything positive at all, it was a network of paths that no other mountain range in the world can boast. Let's use it to commemorate the hundreds of thousands of fallen soldiers!
1st Sette Comuni
History In May 1916, the Austrians launched a massive "spring offensive" on the Asiago plateau. It was intended to break through to the Adriatic. However, the attack was poorly planned and supplies came to a standstill due to Italian resistance.
The tour: Monte Ortigara (62.9 KM | 2410 HM)
You can find the area guide including tour roadbooks here ->
2nd Monte Grappa
History In October 1917, the Austrian troops made a breakthrough in the 12th Battle of the Isonzo. To avoid being surrounded by the enemy, the Italians abandoned the Dolomite front and barricaded themselves with all their might on Monte Grappa. The battles were correspondingly fierce and bloody. The Italians were able to hold the mountain - Monte Grappa has been a legend in Italy ever since.
Tour: 153er-Frontsteig (24.6 KM | 1500 HM)
These and other bend tours with a bloody history can be found here ->
3rd Marmolada
History The Austrians had drilled a system of tunnels under the ice armour of the Marmolada. In the "ice city" they were safe from the Italian enemy. But on 13 December 1916, a huge avalanche broke loose and buried the camp. This largest avalanche accident in history claimed 300 lives.
Tour: Porta Vescovo (20.35 KM | 477 HM)
The Marmolada itself cannot be climbed by bike. However, the closest you can get to it is on the opposite mountain, Porta Vescovo (2549 m).
All info: www.bike-gps.com
4. pasubio
History Pasubio is also known as the "mountain of 10,000 dead". For two and a half years, the warring parties faced each other on the two plateau-like peaks. Both sides drove tunnels into the mountain to undermine the enemy. Finally, on 13 March 1918, the Austrians detonated a charge of 55 tonnes of dynamite under the Italian plateau. Despite a huge explosion with an incredible number of casualties, the Italians were able to hold their position.
Tour: Pasubio - Road of Heroes (28.7 KM | 1130 HM)
All information and further tours with top-researched historical background by Ralf Glaser: www.trails.de
5th Cortina D'Ampezzo
History The Fanes Group towers into the sky above the roofs of the fashionable ski resort. The front line stretched across its rock towers. The Austrian lines ran from the Small Lagazuoi via the Fanes Forcella, the Travenanza Valley to the Fanes Passes. The Italians sat on the three Tofanes, the Formenton and the Col Rosa. In July 1916, the Italians repeatedly launched waves of attacks with heavy infantry fire, but it was only with an explosive charge in the Tofana that they were able to push back the Kaiserjäger. Among them was Luis Trenker, who recounted these experiences in his film "Mountains in Flames".
Tour: Fanes - Cinque Rifugi (47.8 KM | 1736 HM)
Tour information: www.bike-gps.com
6th Col di Lana
History The "Blood Mountain" in the Fanes Group was first occupied by the German Alpine Corps, then by the Austrian Kaiserjägern. The Italians repeatedly tried to storm the summit - and suffered heavy losses. Both sides began to undermine the summit. The Austrians blew it up on 5 April 1916 - without success. The Italians blew it up twelve days later, forcing the enemy to flee to the Siefsattel.
Col-di-Lana tour (16.4 KM | 850 HM)
Tour information and GPS data at www.trails.de
7th Sentiero della Pace Monte Ortigara (540 KM, 28 hiking stages)
The Peace Trail follows the front line between Trentino, then part of Austria-Hungary, and the former Kingdom of Italy: from Passo Tonale to the glaciers of the Adamello and through the Valli Giudicarie to Lake Garda. The route continues to Rovereto, over the Pasubio to the high plateaus of Folgaria, Lavarone and Luserna (Sette Comuni) and over the Lagorai chain to the Marmolada. Unfortunately, some sections are not suitable for bikers. Info: www.visittrentino.it/grosserkrieg
Gitta Beimfohr
Editor
