The 11 SI stage of the Walk of Peace from the Alps to the Adriatic trail starts in Komen and concludes soon after you cross the border with Italy in Malchina/Mavhinje. From the centre of Komen you head in the direction of Volčji Grad. Keep a close eye for the indications that direct you from the local road onto a field path. The path will take you past Debela griža, one of the most picturesque and well preserved remains of a castle fort on lowlands from the Bronze and Iron Age. You will soon reach Volčji Grad. From there you follow the indications for Nadrožica. You will walk across the typical karst landscape which is a result of centuries long efforts by the locals to adapt to the karst natural features. One of the most interesting features of the architectural heritage of Kras are the typical compact old village centres with uniformly designed houses – Kras homesteads, the main building material being stone, as there is always plenty of it in the Kras Region. You will walk through typical Kras pastures that grow on limestone soil. The fields, pastures and meadows are marked with traditional dry stone walls. Grazing sheep and goats has transformed the environment and created the conditions that have enabled the development of a rich flora, with numerous different varieties of plants. Particularly in the spring time when the karst fields are in full bloom you can admire the great diversity of the karst flora. When you reach Nadrožica, be careful not to overlook the indication for Gorjansko. Take the time to visit the largest Austro-Hungarian military cemetery on Slovene grounds, which lies northwest from the village. The monumental part of the cemetery was already built during the war in 1916. The cemetery has maintained its original shape and is the last resting place for over 6,000 soldiers. From Gorjansko follow the main road towards Italy. After less than a kilometre you turn right onto a gravelled intervention road which will bring you across the state line and to Malchina/Mavhinje. Here converge the two stages of the Walk of Peace that go over the Italian and the Slovene Kras.
Trieste and its Kras – Austro-Hungarian Rear Areas
A Guided Hiking Tour along the Walk of Peace
Nine kilometres from Komen, stands one of the oldest villages in Kras, Štanjel, known for its old village centre and village walls. Not far from the old village part lies a military cemetery, the last resting place for Austro-Hungarian soldiers and Russian POWs who died in the nearby military hospital in Štanjel Castle and in field hospitals that were set up in the vicinity.
In Gorjansko stands the Church of St. Andrew. The interior of the church was painted by Tone Kralj. His most famous work in this church is the via crucis with the painting of the martyrdom of St. Andrew and Jesus Christ, who holds a golden laurel wreath in his hands.
In the vicinity of Gorjansko, on the edge of the village of Brje pri Komnu, there are four Austro-Hungarian military cemeteries.
People have been excavating stone in the Kras Region since the times of Antiquity. Around most of Kras villages you can spot small quarries (jave). Stonework masterpieces are one of the key elements in the typical Kras architecture. The skill of dry stone building (dry Kras wall, shepherds’ huts) was, in 2018, put on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Not far from the hamlet of Vale stands a natural karst cave, Valska jama (Jerihovca) Cave. The arund 210-metres long cave served as a shelter and a field hospital (Feldspital) for the Austro-Hungarian soldiers during the Isonzo Front.
Public transport:
Bus Services:
Nova Gorica–Štanjel
Štanjel–Komen
Komen–Gorjansko
Connections to and from Malchina/Mavhinje:
Line 43 (Trieste Trasporti) change to line 44 for Trieste centre.
Parking (start and end point of the stage):
Start: in the centre of Komen (near the petrol station) or at the parking area by the church
End: Piazza Malchina, Malchina/Mavhinje
Center za obiskovalce Pot miru, Pomnik miru Cerje
(The Walk of Peace Visitor Centre, Monument of Peace Cerje)
Lokvica 35
SI–5291 Miren
+386 31 310 800
info@mirenkras.si
https://www.mirenkras.si/en/
Center za obiskovalce Pot miru, Kobarid
(The Walk of Peace Visitor Centre, Kobarid)
Gregorčičeva ulica 8
SI–5222 Kobarid
+386 5 389 0167, +386 31 586 296
turizem@potmiru.si, info@thewalkofpeace.com
www.thewalkofpeace.com
Sistiana Info Point
Sistiana, 56/B
I–34011 Duino-Aurisina (TS)
+39 040 299166
info.sistiana@promoturismo.fvg.it
www.turismofvg.it
