Valmorbia plant

Front of the Valmorbia plant during the First World War

The Valmorbia plant was the last fortification of the barricade that was started on the border with Italy. On the Italian side, the facility is called "Forte Pozzacchio" .

location

The plant is located in Vallarsa (Brandtal), halfway between the villages of Valmorbia and Pozzacchio, on today's state road SS 46 at an altitude of 906 NN on the southwestern foothills of the Pasubio . It had the task of sealing off the Vallarsa against a breakthrough from the direction of Schio to Rovereto and thus protecting the Adige Valley . The facility was part of the so-called "Etsch-Arsa-lock", the construction of which could no longer be realized.

planning

Since the valley of the Adige with its adjoining areas was literally the soft (and unpaved) abdomen of Austria-Hungary against the suspiciously observed ally Italy - the blocking groups Rivoli and Pastrengo at the Veronese Klause had fallen to Italy in 1866 - began in 1906 at the suggestion of Chief of Staff Conrad von Hötzendorf first plans to build a new blocking group. This should consist of the works "Valmorbia", "Mattasone", "Coni Zugna", "Pasubio", "Cornale" and "Vignola". Valmorbia and the works “Mattasone” and “Coni Zugna” should seal off the Vallarsa.

Construction

Continuous change and rededication requests delayed the construction work considerably, so that when the war with Italy began on May 23, 1915, the facility was only partially completed. Taking into account the latest findings, the plant was installed as a cavern facility in a towering rock cone above the Vallarsa. The cavities were made by blasting. Of concrete only minor securing portions and the indispensable elements such as were gun fountain with Vorpanzern executed. The Werkstrasse running towards the fort leads through tunnels and galleries that were included in the defense system. The main plant itself is sealed off by a throat ditch. At this point in time, an observation dome and an armored turret with a reinforced dome and armored armor to accommodate a 10 cm THM9 tower howitzer were completed . These guns had to be used because the planned 15 cm tower howitzer was not yet available. The second tank turret, like the systems for the casemate guns, was not yet completed. The interior had not yet been completed, so that the later war occupation had to make do with temporary arrangements.

Valmorbia plant during the First World War

When the First World War broke out in July 1914, the unfinished factory was initially occupied, but had to be left to the advancing Italians of the "Brigata Roma" (79th and 80th infantry regiments) when the attack operations began. The Austrians withdrew into the prepared defensive positions in front of Rovereto. After the South Tyrol offensive in 1916, the fortifications, which were further expanded and rebuilt by the Italians, fell back into Austrian hands and remained there until the end of the war. During this time, further modifications were carried out that had nothing to do with the actual fortress construction plans and were only adapted to the needs of the moment.

The raid on the Valmorbia plant in June 1916

On the night of June 28-29, 1916, the Italians attempted to take the plant occupied by the 4th Company of the Landeschützenregiment No. I under Lieutenant Alfred Enrich in a coup d'état. To do this, they sent a column of marches towards the fort in the dark, in which some German-speaking soldiers were talking loudly. With the help of this stratagem , they managed to take the outposts by surprise - but without being able to prevent any of them from sounding the alarm. The 60 men of the factory crew initially succeeded in bitter hand-to-hand fighting to force the invaded Italians out of the caverns. In the further course the state riflemen fought their way out into the open against the attackers who were downright besieging them, where they were able to rub them down after hours of fighting. For this act, the company commander, First Lieutenant Enrich, was awarded the Military Maria Theresa Order , as well as gold and silver medals of bravery to several soldiers .

post war period

After the end of the war it was part of the property of the Italian army until 1927 when it came under the general state administrative authority. In 1932 the iron parts were sold to a state institution for the construction of southern Italy (“Opera Nazionale per il Mezzogiorno d'Italia”). Later the plant came to private individuals. In the following decades, the expansion of the recyclable parts continued, while the surrounding areas were used as pastureland.

Restoration and renovation of the plant

In 2005, the Trambileno municipality acquired the former factory premises and extensive restoration and renovation work began in November 2010 and was completed in summer 2012. During this work, the system was cleared of rubble and debris and safety measures were carried out. By installing metal floors and side borders in some caverns, an attempt was made to recreate the wooden barracks originally intended there. A steel staircase leads to the upper part of the plant, where the corridor was imitated with the help of a catwalk, which was supposed to connect the individual armored domes. In order to underline the fact that the work was not completed, all the components inserted during the restoration were painted with a protective varnish of intense orange color. The former works road was also repaired and secured.

Current condition

Since May 2015, visitors have again had access to the Valmorbia plant (entry). Multilingual information boards on the history of the plant and its individual areas have been set up inside and outside. The interior is electrically illuminated. The visitor car park is located at the beginning of the works street just before the entrance to Pozzacchio, from here it is a 20-minute walk to the facility.

Notes & individual references

1. ↑ coordinate Mattasone 45 ° 48 '21 "  N , 11 ° 3' 42"  O
2. ↑ the works on the plateau of Lavarone / Folgaria
3. ↑ The two howitzers were later used in the Lobbiatal.
4. ↑ The barracks of the Austrian Armed Forces in Kufstein was named after Enrich.
5. ↑ Information on opening times and admission

literature

• Wilhelm Nussstein: Dolomites. Austrian fortresses in Northern Italy. From the seven municipalities to the Flitscher Klause. Mittler, Hamburg a. a. 1997, ISBN 3-8132-0496-0 , ( Military History Travel Guide ).
• Erwin Anton Grestenberger: Imperial and Royal fortifications in Tyrol and Carinthia 1860–1918. Verlag Österreich u. a., Vienna 2000, ISBN 3-8132-0747-1 .
• Heinz von Lichem : Spielhahnstoke and edelweiss. The peace and war history of the Tyrolean high-mountain troops "The Kaiserschützen" from their beginnings until 1918, Kk Tiroler Landesschützen-Kaiserschützen Regiments No. 1, No. 2, No. 3. Stocker, Graz u. a. 1977, ISBN 3-7020-0260-X .
• Compass Carta turistica 101 Rovereto Monte-Pasubio. ISBN 3-87051-103-6

Web links

Commons : Werk Valmorbia  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 45 ° 49 ′ 34 ″  N , 11 ° 5 ′ 19 ″  E