Things to see and do Kobarid

Road from Trg Svobode, on the main town square, 15 minutes by car or on foot. This is the monument overlooking Kobarid. The ossuary was inaugurated in 1938 by the Duce, as Kobarid was Italian at the time. The ossuary, built around the Church of St. Anthony, contains the remains of over 7,000 Italian soldiers, both identified and unknown. The church is decorated with frescoes by Luka Šarf. The Last Judgment fresco is the best preserved.

The Nadiža River originates at the foot of the Stol ridge at the foot of the Matajur. It then heads south to cross the Italian border and flows into the Torre River. It creates pebble beaches, chasms and ponds on this tortuous path. It is one of the most temperate rivers in the Alps, and as a result is home to different kinds of marbled, rainbow and grayling trout and even a ten-legged European crab! Its turquoise waters are a paradise for fishing and bathing because this water has therapeutic virtues.

It can be reached in a few minutes on foot via an easy-to-follow footpath. The most picturesque waterfall in the country. It has dug a kind of large underground chamber, the bottom of which is pierced with blue-green chasms, and the walls of which are full of limestone concretions, as in karst caves. A fifteen-metre high water flow offers us an unforgettable spectacle. As a reminder, swimming is forbidden.

Mainly devoted to the front of the Soča (Isonzo, in Italian) and to the offensives launched in this sector by the Italian and Austro-Hungarian armies between 1915 and 1917. Located in the Mašera House, built in 1739, a building with Mediterranean and Alpine character, the museum was awarded the Valvasor Prize in 1992 and the Council of Europe Prize the following year. In the entrance hall, the intention of the authors is expressed from the outset. Man and his sufferings, whatever his origin, are placed at the centre of History. That is why the flags of the various peoples and nations involved in this tragedy are lined up side by side. In the halls, models of Mount Kern and the upper valley provide a better understanding of the advance and positioning of the troops. The dark room with its pictures of dead bodies is shocking. The white room retraces the soldier's fight against the natural elements, snow, ice, fog. Rommel (1891-1944), a future "desert fox" with his Afrikakorps in 1941, served as a lieutenant on the front line of the Soča. In his Diary, the sketches illustrate Mengore's three-day breakthrough into the Nadiža Valley. In the reconstructed shelter, you will listen to a recording of a letter from a soldier to his father. A 22-minute film projection in French allows us to "relive" the unfolding of these events, which had a terrible toll: 300,000 dead and 700,000 wounded! A monument of history.

The best way to discover the cultural and natural heritage of Kobarid is to take a 5 km tour of Kobariska Zgodovinska Pot. You can discover the moving war monuments, abandoned fortifications, bridges and amazing waterfalls around Kobarid. You can get a free map of the tour at the Kobarid Museum, or at the tourist office (in French). The latter highlights the best places to visit and the most beautiful views. Taking your time and appreciating each particularity, the tour lasts on average 3 hours and a half. Among the many points of this tour, you can appreciate one of the most attractive buildings in the region, the church of Saint-Antoine and the Italian ossuary surrounding it - a memorial opened by Mussolini in 1938 - visible from afar. The interest is inside: the bloody memories of the battle of Soča, with the names of the thousands of Italian soldiers who died on the front. Continuing your tour, you will also discover the old fort, Tonocov Grad and the Italian line of defence of the battle of Soča. This tour is not only historical but you can also admire the Soča valley and the 15 m high Slap Kozjak waterfall. Finally, Napoleon's bridge, Napoleonov Most, attracts attention for its view of the Soča and its rocky shores. Built in 1750, it inherited the French name, following a visit from Napoleon who passed through it. Guided tours are highly recommended.

Its origins remain largely unknown, but it is known that the bridge has existed for more than a millennium. Rebuilt in 1750, the Napoleonov Most is a bridge offering a breathtaking view of the beautiful turquoise blue river Soča. It is therefore an ideal place to take beautiful pictures of this typically Slovenian landscape. But it is also a historical site that was on Napoleon's path during his conquests, hence the name that has been given to it. It has long been a strategic place to defend the region during the two world wars in the 20th century.

From 1915 to 1917, the regions of Upper Posočje, Goriška Brda and Krast were part of the Soča Front. Soldiers of several nationalities fought, suffered and died there. Several remains of this period have been preserved: trenches, fortifications, underground shelters, memorial sites, military tombs, chapels..

The "Peace Trail" was inaugurated in 2007, connecting six open-air museums over 100 km, as well as the most important remains and memorial sites on the Soča front. From 2011 onwards, it was extended and a "Alpine Adriatic Peace Trail" was set up with the collaboration of the local authorities of Goriška Brda, the Karst region (Kras) and, on the Italian side, with some municipalities in the neighbouring Friuli Venezia Giulia region. It now extends 320 km to Trieste and includes many open-air museums. The principle remains, that of connecting the regions and people of the former Soča Front and raising awareness of the values of peace and common development.

The route starts in Log pod Mangartom, passes the Kluže fort, the Ravelnik open-air museums and Čelo. After the village of Drežnica, the road crosses the Italian ossuary and splits in two between Kobarid and Tolmin: one branch takes us to the open-air museum of Kolovrat, the other to that of Mrzli vrh. The two paths then lead to Nova Gorica on the Italian border.

Producing delicious cheeses for centuries, the Planika cheese dairy houses the "From the mountains to Planika" cheese museum. The heritage of the alpine pastures is presented with ethnological exhibits, documentary films and the reconstruction of the mountain building with all the milk processing equipment. The store offers the famous Tolminc cheese, as well as typical national handicrafts.

Here you will find a lot of additional information about the region and a multitude of practical brochures. Do not hesitate also to visit the institution Fundacija Poti miru v Posočju, located at number 8 Gregorciceva Street. Here you will find a lot of information about the peace route between the Alps and the Adriatic and the First World War. Several themed guided tours are available for groups of up to 30 people.