Stage K-B 2

Hut by the Krn Lakes–Ukanc

Hard

The K-B 2 stage of the Walk of Peace from the Alps to the Adriatic trail starts at the Koča pri Krnskih jezerih (Mountain Hut by Krn Lakes), located in the immediate vicinity of Duplje Lake. During World War I a large hinterland infrastructure of the Austro-Hungarian Army covered a wide area around Krn Lake. To give you an idea, they even had a cinema on Duplje Mountain Pasture. From the hut follow the alpine trail towards Krn Lake. On Duplje Mountain Pasture stands a memorial – Hungarian Cross. It is the remains of a cemetery on which soldiers of different nationalities were buried.
If you have not yet seen Krn Lake, you should continue straight on at the next crossroad. After 10 minutes the trail will bring you to the largest high mountain lake in the Slovene mountains, where each November a memorial celebration is held to commemorate the end of World War I. Go back to the previous crossroad and turn towards east in the direction of Komna Plateau. Follow the marked alpine trail that goes along an old military road and trails, that went from Bohinj over the mountains to the rear areas of the front. Behind the enclosed depression Za Lepočami you come across a group of military buildings from the period of the Rapallo Border, when Italians built a border fortification, a complex of seven stone built buildings.
Continue your journey to the Vratca or Bogatinsko sedlo Pass, where the border between the Kingdom of Italy and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia used to run. A stunning view opens in front of you on the wide Komna Plateau, adorned on the south-western side by a wreath of mountain peaks and stretching to the north, all the way to the Valley of the Triglav Lakes. To the west your view stretches all the way to the Karavanke Mountains. From the pass, which is the highest point (1,803 m) on this stage of the Walk of Peace, the trail along the old military road descends down the Valley of Gracija to the Planina na Kraju Mountain Pasture with Dom pod Bogatinom Mountain Hut and other buildings among which stand out the remains from the World War I. This was the location of the largest military camp in the Bohinj area with more than 20 buildings and barracks. Most of the buildings were used for hospital purposes and as storage facilities. A cableway ran from here to the Krn Battlefield.   In the immediate vicinity of the mountain hut, in the direction towards Dom na Komni Mountain Hut, stands an impressive monument in the form of a stone pyramid – a smaller charnel house for the soldiers who died in World War I. On the edge of the Komna Plateau stands the Dom na Komni Mountain Hut, supplied via a freight cable car that runs down the same route as the cable way built during World War I, which used to supply the battlefield. From the mountain hut you start to descend down an old military road down more and more steep terrain. The road brings you to the village of Ukanc, or more precisely its “tail” bellow the rocky slope of Mt. Komarča. From here you can visit the Savica Waterfall. From the Koča pri Savici (Hut by the Savica Waterfall) continue your journey across the bridge over the Savica stream (towards Mt. Komarča) and then past a memorial plaque and the information board dedicated to Fran Jesenko, a Slovene botanist and geneticist. Follow the wide forest road that descends down the left bank of the Savica stream to Ukanc, the finish point of the stage K-B 2 of the Walk of Peace from the Alps to the Adriatic trail.

Text: Martin Šolar, Kobariški muzej
Photos: (1) Mike Mareen, Turizem Bohinj; (2–4) Mitja Sodja, Turizem Bohinj