Russian Chapel, Orthodox chapel near Vršič Pass, Slovenia
The Russian Chapel is a memorial structure with two distinctive wooden towers standing on the northern side of Vršič Pass. The building displays Orthodox design elements and sits alongside a pyramid-shaped monument bearing Cyrillic inscriptions.
Russian prisoners of war built this memorial in 1916 following an avalanche that killed over 100 of their fellow soldiers during the construction of a mountain road. The structure marks one of the region's darkest moments during the First World War.
The site served as a sacred space where imprisoned soldiers could remember their fallen comrades and practice their faith. Today it remains a place where people gather to honor those who died far from home.
Access to the site involves a hiking trail of roughly 2.4 kilometers starting from a mountain hut near Kranjska Gora. The location is reachable year-round, though conditions are easier and safer during warmer seasons when snow does not block the paths.
The inscriptions on the memorial are written in Cyrillic script and record names or remembrance texts for the deceased prisoners. Many visitors overlook these details, even though they form the core of the site's memorial purpose.
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