Čelo
The Austro‑Hungarian artillery fortification on the southwestern slope of Svinjak—today known as the Čelo open‑air museum—stands above the village of Kal‑Koritnica as one of the most striking remnants of the pre‑war preparations along the Isonzo Front. Built in 1915, only a few months before Italy entered the war and launched its attacks on Austro‑Hungarian positions in the Bovec basin, the fort formed an essential part of the defensive system known as “Sperre Flitsch” (the Bovec barrier), which secured access to the valley and controlled key approaches between Rombon, Svinjak, and the surrounding peaks.The core of the fort consists of an approximately 200‑metre‑long trench with solid masonry walls. This defensive corridor links two artillery positions with a kitchen, an observation post, two living quarters accommodating forty men, and an additional shelter for twenty soldiers. The firing trench was equipped with 150 rifle embrasures, a testament to the fort’s design for intensive defence of the lower section of the battlefield.
From the slopes of Čelo, situated at an elevation of about 650 metres, a sweeping panoramic view opens over the Bovec basin, the imposing Rombon, and the ring of mountains encircling the upper Soča valley. This commanding visibility was one of the key reasons why the Austro‑Hungarian army established here one of its most important early defensive points on the Isonzo Front.