Trail nr. 23: Feldban
HIKING AND CYCLING TRAILS
The story of feldban begins in WWI. In the 6th Battle of Isonzo, in August 1916, Italian army pushed the Austro-Hungarian one to the left bank of Isonzo River cutting its supply via the Bohinj railway. As the remaining railways failed to provide sufficient supplies, additional paths needed to be constructed.
To supply its units on the Isonzo Front and the Banjšice Plateau, the Austro-Hungarian army promoted the construction of new narrow-gauge railways – feldbans. They connected the battlefield with the south railway station Dolnji Logatec, where there was a large military depot.
The main, 17-km part of the railway, followed the road from Dolnji Logatec to Godovič. From the Godovič station, the tracks went in the direction of Črni Vrh and divided in two at the Cestnikova rajda, Cestnik’s Turn: The first, 56-km line went to Črni Vrh, Zadlog and Lokve on the Trnovo Forest Plateau, the second to Idrija. In 1917, this was extended to Straža and probably to Dolenja Trebuša. In total, the second part was 55 km long.
The most demanding part of the tracks – the 12 km between Godovič and Idrija encompassing a 300-m drop in altitude and a 25-m tunnel – was built in record time: construction ran from
September 1 to September 30, 1916. Feldban operated for a good year: from July 1916 to 24 October 1917, until the last, 12th Battle of Isonzo and the Caporetto breakthrough.
ATTENTION: Due to fallen trees on the path along the Feldban, there will be no guided hikes until further notice. Individual hikes are also not recommended.