Outdoor museum Škabrijel

Today, the climb up Mt. Škabrijel is rewarded with a magnificent view from the view tower. The hill has passed into the history of the Isonzo Front as a scene of the most horrific battles on Slovene grounds. Bloody battles took place here until the end of October 1917.

There are several points of departure from where an ascent to Mt. Škabrijel is possible. The paths run past numerous remains of World War I, among others the monuments that are dedicated to various troops, also to fallen Slovenians. The ascent is rewarded with a splendid panorama afforded from the observation tower.

Mt. Škabrijel has passed into the history of the Isonzo Front as one of the worst and bloodiest battlefields on the Slovenian territory. Until the Sixth Isonzo Battle in August 1917, it represented the Austro-Hungarian reserve line of defence (Sveta Gora–Prevala–Škabrijel–Sv. Katarina). After the Italian conquest of Gorizia/Gorica and Mt. Sabotin in the Sixth Isonzo Battle it was suddenly in the first line of defence. In the Eleventh Isonzo Battle in August 1917 the Austro-Hungarian units withdrew from Mt. Sveta Gora to a new line of defence on the Banjška planota plateau. Consequently, the defenders of Mt. Škabrijel also retreated to the higher-lying positions along the ridge called Veliki hrib. The Italian Army besieged the mountain from three sides and sent numerous troops up to its summit. There were also some detachments of the arditi elite units that managed to advance on 4 September 2017 to the Austro-Hungarian positions on a major part of the mountain. Since reinforcements were insufficient, further advance was not possible. In the entire area of Mt. Škabrijel fierce fights lasted until the last days of October 1917 when, owing to the breakthrough of the front in the Upper Soča Region, they ceased in this part of the Isonzo front as well.

Due to heavy gun shelling and general consequences of the fights in the broader area of Mt. Škabrijel, only very few of Austro-Hungarian positions of defence have been preserved. Some of them were used in September 1943 for the needs of the Gorizian front when Partisan troops tried to stop the advance of the German army. Several smaller structures under the summit of Mt. Škabrijel were built by the members of the American Army, since after World War II (1945–1947) the border between Zone A (Allies’ Military Administration) and Zone B (Military Administration of the Yugoslav National Army) ran along the ridge of this mountain.

Leaflet with information about the Walk of peace: link