Fortress Chiusaforte

Easy | 2 hrs

Chiusaforte (Kluže, Klausen) lies in the Val Fella valley, which stretches from Venzone to Pontebba. It is the main passage between the Friuli lowlands and Austria. Customs were collected here for the Patriarchate of Aquileia as early as the Middle Ages, and with the construction of a military fort in the early 20^th century, the role of border control further increased.
The construction of the fortress on the hill Col Badin in the western part of Chiusaforte began in 1904. The fortress has four floors, including the one with gun positions. In the fortress, it is possible to see casemates, living quarters for officers and soldiers, ammo depots, a kitchen, a workshop and a power plant. Steep inner stairs lead to gun positions, next to which is a minor room for ammunition intended for immediate use. Four 120-mm cast-iron guns were emplaced here.
From the main courtyard down the corridor, we reach an underground ammo depot with a freight elevator. Rails have been preserved on the platform along which ammunition was transported from the depot to the gun positions.
During World War I, the fortress was not abandoned. After the retreat from the Kobarid area after the Twelfth Isonzo Battle, the Italian Army kept at this place the Austro-Hungarian and German troops from advancing for some time. On 29 October 1917, there was a violent encounter with the 30^th Light Infantry Battalion (30^th Feldjägerbataillon). The Italians finally succumbed, and the attackers got a free way to the south.

Photos: Paolo da Pozzo, PromoTurismoFVG