Projects / Programmes
Between War and Peace – Archaeology of Vršič as a First World War Hinterland and a Crossroad of Freedom, Captivity, Cultures, Nations and Religions
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 6.02.00 |
Humanities |
Archaeology |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 6.01 |
Humanities |
History and Archaeology |
Archaeology, Modern Conflict Archaeology, First World War, Soča Front, prisoners of war, captivity, hinterland, road, cableway, Kranjska Gora, Vršič, Trenta, Russian Chapel, commemoration
Researchers (1)
| no. |
Code |
Name and surname |
Research area |
Role |
Period |
No. of publicationsNo. of publications |
| 1. |
54007 |
PhD Uroš Košir |
Archaeology |
Head |
2020 - 2022 |
0 |
Organisations (1)
Abstract
The First World War represents a study focus of different scientific fields. Amongst them is multi- and interdisciplinary modern conflict archaeology, dealing with materialities of 20th and 21st century conflicts. Slovenian territory was a scene of a bloody frontline between 1915 and 1917, resulting in around 300.000 dead soldiers. One of the strategically critical areas of the Soča Front was Vršič Pass, connecting the hinterland with the frontline of the Bovec basin. A road and cableways across Vršič connected Kranjska Gora and Trenta. The infrastructure along the Vršič Pass was built with forced labour for which the Russian prisoners of war (POW) were mostly used. According to some sources, between 10.000 and 12.000 prisoners from the Imperial Russian army were brought to the area between Trenta and Kranjska Gora. They were building roads, cableways, bridges, warehouses and other infrastructure, used for supplying the troops on the frontline. One of the most important Great War remains on Vršič, and in Slovenia in general, is a chapel build by the Russian prisoners during the war. The importance of the chapel has been recognized on the international level. Great War remains on the Slovenian former frontline and hinterland are connected by a Walk of Peace, bringing together monuments, cemeteries, open air and private museums into a historical trail leading across the frontline from the Alps to the Adriatic. In 2016, the trail was listed to UNESCO’s tentative list of world heritage, showing the importance of the First World War remains and their anti-war message of peace and unity between nations. The municipality of Kranjska Gora is interested in historical tourism and wishes to create a historical trail on Vršič Pass that in the end could be part of the famous Walk of Peace. However, the creation of such historical and educational trail cannot be undertaken without historical and archaeological research as not enough information about the preserved heritage and its historical background is known. The soldiers and the POWs left numerous traces, which today represent an archaeological record in a form of structures and features, together with small objects, that were left in the field after the war ended. All of this heritage is a unique, prosperous and irreplaceable information source. The aim of the project is to gather and evaluate relevant information on the Great War heritage between Kranjska Gora and Trenta, with the help of multidisciplinary approaches of modern conflict archaeology, and with the aim of a touristic-historical trail as its final product. The project will include gathering as much archival data as possible, together with oral sources analysis. A detailed mapping of visible archaeological features, based on airborne laser scanning results will be made. The greatest part of the work will be focused on field research, with the majority of time devoted to topography and correlations between historical documents, maps, photographs and features in the field. Test trenching and archaeological excavations will contribute to detailed knowledge about the micro-locations, resulting in understanding the organisation of an important strategic Great War hinterland area and understanding the histories (biographies) of micro locations. Everyday life aspects of POWs and soldiers in the hinterland, and how different nationalities, cultures and religions are inscribed into landscape and material culture will be researched. The last part of the project will focus on analysis of the results and final interpretation with the production of a detailed catalogue/database of Great War features and the final report that will be the basis for the touristic-historical trail. The project and the results will be relevant for the development of Slovenian modern conflict archaeology and for the protection of cultural heritage, and will have direct and indirect impact on local economy and society.
