Kobarid | |
|---|---|
 Kobarid | |
  Kobarid Location in Slovenia | |
| Coordinates:46°14′46″N13°34′41″E / 46.246°N 13.578°E /46.246; 13.578 | |
| Country |  Slovenia |
| Traditional region | Slovenian Littoral |
| Statistical region | Gorizia |
| Municipality | Kobarid |
| Area | |
• Total | 4.6 km2 (1.8 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 235.3 m (772 ft) |
| Population (2016) | |
• Total | 1,090 |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| [1] | |
Kobarid (pronounced[kɔbaˈɾiːt]ⓘ;Italian:Caporetto;Friulian:Cjaurêt;German:Karfreit) is a settlement inSlovenia, the administrative centre of theMunicipality of Kobarid.
Kobarid is known for the 1917Battle of Caporetto, where theItalian retreat was documented byErnest Hemingway in his novelA Farewell to Arms. The battle is well documented in the museum in the centre of Kobarid. The museum won aCouncil of Europe award in 1993.
Kobarid was attested in written sources asKauoretum in 1184 (and asde Cavoreto in 1258,Caboret in 1291, andde Chiavoretto in 1343). The Slovenian name is derived from*Koboridъ, borrowed from OldFriulian*Kaborệdu. The original Romance form of the name,*Cap(o)rētum, is probably derived fromcaper (Latin for 'goat') and refers to a place where there are goats. The town is known asCjaurêt in Friulian,Karfreit in German, andCaporetto in Italian.[2]
The municipality is the westernmost in Slovenia, situated in theJulian Alps in the UpperSoča (Isonzo) Valley, at the confluence with theNadiža (Natisone) River, close to the border withItaly. In the southwest, the road leads to the neighbouring Italiancomune ofPulfero. The area is located in the north of the historicGoriška region, itself part of the largerSlovene Littoral.
Kobarid has been inhabited since prehistoric times. Archaeological remains from theHallstatt period have been found in the area. The nearby Tonocov Grad archaeological site has remains of 5th-centuryRoman buildings,[3] when the area was located in the forefront of theClaustra Alpium Iuliarum defense system. The settlement was an important base on theRoman road fromForum Iulii (present-day Cividale del Friuli) up to thePredil Pass and theNoricum province.
In the 6th century, the area was settled bySlavic tribes, ancestors of the modernSlovenes. When Kobarid was first mentioned in 1184, it was part of thePatria del Friuli ruled by thePatriarchs of Aquileia.
While the estates in the west were gradually conquered by theRepublic of Venice until 1420, Kobarid together withTolmin County and the possessions of theCounts of Gorizia was incorporated in theInner Austrian territories of theHabsburg monarchy, like theSlovene-speaking territories ofCarniola andLower Styria.
From 1754 Kobarid belonged to the newly established Princely County ofGorizia and Gradisca, a Habsburgcrown land which later formed theAustrian Littoral together with theMarch of Istria and theImperial Free City of Trieste.
With the exception of a brief period between 1809 and 1813, when it was included under theNapoleonic Kingdom of Italy, Kobarid remained underAustrian rule until 1918. In the mid-19th century, the town became an important centre of the Slovene national revival.
At the outset of World War I, the area saw one of the first victims of the conflict, CountessLucy Christalnigg, killed by Landsturmer guards while she was on a mission for theRed Cross.[4] During the war, the whole area was the theatre of theBattles of the Isonzo, fought between theKingdom of Italy andAustria-Hungary. The town was almost completely destroyed between 1915 and 1917.
After the end of the war in 1918, Kobarid was occupied by the Italian Army, and upon the 1919Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye it was officially annexed to Italy and incorporated into theJulian March region. Kobarid was acomune of theProvince of Gorizia (as Caporetto), except during the period between 1924 and 1927, when the Province of Gorizia was abolished and annexed to theProvince of Udine. Between 1922 and 1943, Kobarid was submitted to a policy of violentFascist Italianization and many locals emigrated to the neighbouringKingdom of Yugoslavia. The town became one of the crucial centres of recruitment and activity of the militantanti-fascist organizationTIGR, which carried out an underground fight against theItalian Fascist regime. During the Italian administration, Kobarid also became an important symbolic place for the Fascist authorities because of its role in World War I. AnItalian military ossuary was built on the hill above the town, andBenito Mussolini visited Kobarid in 1938.
Immediately after theItalian armistice in September 1943, Kobarid was liberated by aPartisan uprising, and became the center of large liberated area of around 2,500 square kilometers, known as the Kobarid Republic, administered by theLiberation Front of the Slovenian People. During this period, almost all Italian families that settled in Kobarid during the 25 years of Italian administration left the town. In early November 1943,Nazi German forces took over the town and established their rule until May 1945, when the town was finally liberated by theYugoslav People's Army.
In early June 1945, Kobarid came under joint British–U.S. occupation and placed under Allied temporary military administration until the establishment of a final border between Italy and Yugoslavia. TheMorgan Line, which divided the Allied military occupation zone from the Yugoslav one, ran just east of the town, along the Soča River.
In September 1947, theParis Peace Treaties gave the town toYugoslavia. Several hundred inhabitants, especially from theBreginj area, chose emigration toItaly rather than becoming citizens of aCommunist state.
Kobarid was the site of amass grave from the Second World War. The Cemetery Mass Grave (Slovene:Grobišče na pokopališču) was in the town cemetery, right of the entrance, between the first and second rows of graves. It contained the remains of 11 German soldiers that fell atKolovrat in April 1945. Unlike most mass graves in Slovenia, the graves were well maintained during the communist era. The remains were exhumed in 2000 and re-interred in a common grave atŽale Cemetery inLjubljana.[5]
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In the 1960s and 1970s, Kobarid emerged as an important tourist center. In addition to the Kobarid Museum, the Napoleon Bridge has also become an importantsymbol of Kobarid. The bridge is a popular tourist destination that offers views of the mountains around Kobarid and theSoča River.
With thebreakup of Yugoslavia in 1991, Kobarid became part of independent Slovenia.
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