Free Trieste

A ray of sunlight enters the cave/shelter creating an explosion of light in the underground world of the “Hermada Stronghold”. (Photo: Roberto Giurastante).

The Hermada, unconquered stronghold of the Austrian-Hungarian WWI defense line, is like an island emerging from the souther Karst plateau. This part of the plateau descends into the Adriatic Sea, right on the way to Trieste.

In its bowels, the Hermada “stronghold” protects hundreds of caves. Caves that the Austrian protectors used as shelters. Caves of all dimensione that include the huge caves that halted whole regiment, with power stations, ammunition depots, field hospitals, housing for heavy artillery.

Deep in the Hermada’s underground, exploring this fortified citadel and its maze of tunnels, is indeed thrilling. In this sacral place, you breath history. This is to Trieste what river Piave is to Italy. [TN: the Italians call Piave “our Motherland’s river”, so mt. Hermada is to the Triestines “our Motherland’s stronghold”].

And it is right on this powerful, fortified defense line that after WWII, since 1947, runs the State border between Italy and the newly established Free Territory of Trieste. Maybe to remind the world that the sacrifice of the thousand of soldiers from all ethnic groups, who defended Trieste in all of Austria’s and Hungary’s armies, is not forgotten.

Translated from blog “Environment and Legality” by Roberto Giurastante