Museum 1915–18, Military history museum in Kötschach-Mauthen, Austria.
The Museum 1915–18 occupies more than 600 m² in the town hall of Kötschach-Mauthen. It displays historical photographs, documents, found objects and a reconstruction of alpine positions, documenting the mountain war between Austria-Hungary and Italy from the Ortler to the Isonzo.
The museum is run by the Dolomitenfreunde association and was led from 1992 to 2004 by Walther Schaumann. It documents the mountain war of 1915–1918 between Austria-Hungary and Italy along the front from the Ortler to the Isonzo. Since 1973 the association has also restored the impassable front paths near the Plöckenpass and Kleiner Pal as an open-air museum of the mountain war of 1915–1917.
The exhibits show how soldiers and civilians from both sides of World War I experienced life in these mountains. Photographs and objects tell the stories of their daily existence in this harsh alpine setting and how the war changed the lives of local people.
The museum occupies the town hall of Kötschach-Mauthen and is barrier-free, with a children's play corner and museum-education programmes for school classes. The open-air section at Plöckenpass near the Kleiner Pal, where the Dolomitenfreunde have restored the front paths since 1973, is reached on foot and lies in mountain terrain.
The museum connects to reconstructed alpine military positions that visitors can explore in the mountain landscape. These rebuilt fortifications help convey the reality of warfare in this extreme setting.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,065 contributors worldwide.
