The Pordoi war cemetery is located at an altitude of more than 2,000 meters. The site in the Dolomites is the highest memorial in Western Europe operated by the German War Graves Commission.
Cemetery description
The Pordoi war cemetery lies at an altitude of 2,239 meters amidst the mighty mountains of the Dolomites. The Pordoi Pass (Italian: Passo Pordoi) is the second highest mountain pass in the Dolomites and has a continuous asphalt road.
The pass is divided into three stages. The octagonal crypt forms the center. In the middle of the hall is a flaming bowl on a pedestal. On the side walls are larger-than-life figures of mourning soldiers.
The second level is formed by a circular wall more than five meters high and 30 meters in diameter. Another circular wall with a diameter of around 54 meters encloses an 8.50 meter wide earth ring.
There is an orientation and information point at the caretaker's house and the parking lot. There you will find information on the special features of the war cemetery and the war in the region. Five further desks go into more depth on the topics and show the background to the war context and the creation of the war cemetery and explain the basic design of the mortuary castles, such as those in Tobruk (Libya) and El Alamein (Egypt) .
Burial
9.431 dead are buried in Pordoi. 8,582 Austrian, Hungarian and German dead from the First World War are buried in the crypt, which was completed before the Second World War. In addition, 849 dead from the Second World War are buried in earthen graves.
History
Between 1915 and 1917, the allied Austro-Hungarian and German troops fought fierce mountain battles against the Italian military units in the Dolomites. Construction of the Pordoi war cemetery began in 1937 and was the result of the war cemetery agreement concluded between the German Reich and the Kingdom of Italy in the same year. The memorial erected by the Volksbund was dedicated to the soldiers of the First World War.
The outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 halted further expansion of the memorial. The Volksbund did not resume work until 1956. The memorial was inaugurated on September 19, 1959.
Special feature
The war cemetery is only open in the summer months. For reasons of structural safety, the memorial cannot be opened to interested visitors "at your own risk" during the non-operated season. We ask for your understanding.
