Monte Matajur
| Matajur / Velika baba | ||
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| height | 1642 m slm | |
| location | Slovenia border / Friuli-Venezia Giulia region , Italy | |
| Mountains | Julian Alps | |
| Coordinates | 46 ° 12 '44 " N , 13 ° 31' 45" E | |
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The Matajur ( Slovenian sometimes Velika baba ) is a 1642 meter high mountain in the Julian Alps , on the state border between Slovenia and Italy , Friuli Venezia Giulia region . If the weather is good, the summit offers a great view of the Soča Valley in the north of Slovenia and the Italian hill country around Udine to the Adriatic Sea to the south . From the southern side the mountain climbs gently to the summit, the northern ascent is steeper and is more wooded. The Soča Valley with the valley towns of Kobarid (Karfreit) and Tolmin (Tolmein) is more than 1,300 meters below the summit.
Military road
The Italian army built before the First World War on the northeastern flank of a military road from Livek (ital. Luico) via the hamlet Avsa to Matajur. The gravel road can still be used as an alpine path today thanks to the solid substructure built for the transport of heavy artillery . The rocky slope is in poor condition today due to a lack of maintenance and littered with rough boulders at higher altitudes.
The approximately 8 km long scenic gravel route is a popular challenge for off-road drivers. The level of difficulty increases considerably in the upper part.
history
During the First World War, there was a strategically important fortified position of the Italian army on the mountain top. This position was captured during the twelfth battle of the Isonzo on October 26, 1917 by German infantry units under Erwin Rommel against a superior Italian force in a rapid assault. A commemorative plaque in the lower part of the military road with a graphic representation of the attack operation indicates the storming. On the Italian side of the summit, a small chapel commemorates those who died in the battles.
Today, the area around the mountain peak is mainly used for alpine farming , in summer numerous herds of cows graze.
geology
Not far to the northeast of the Rifugio Alpino G. Pelizzo is a cart area , an example of pointed carts , which shows a worthwhile insight into the forces of erosion that form sharp needles from limestone rocks.