Lonesome Memorial #25 Memorial Germânico do Passo Pordoi

 

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Fighting in the Dolomites during World War I was a brutal, high-altitude struggle against both the enemy and the elements. Soldiers faced freezing temperatures and harsh, unforgiving terrain. Avalanches were frequent killers. Combat involved intense artillery duels, cliffside tunnel warfare, and a never ending struggle to keep supplies arriving at the high altitudes. It's very fitting that the men who lost their lives in the "White War" should be honored at some of the highest war memorials in Europe. Those of the Central Powers are honored here at the Memorial Germânico do Passo Pordoi at altitude, 2,238m. sThe Italian equivalent memorial is farther east at Pocol,  near Cortina.

At Passo Pordoi, the second highest pass of Italy's Dolomite Mountains, is this ossuary and cemetery for the remains of the fallen of both World Wars. World War One casualties include 8,128 Austro-Hungarian and 454 German. There are also 847 German soldiers buried on the grounds who were killed during the Second World War. The detail that—despite having the majority of the fallen, neither Austria nor Hungary are mentioned in the name of the memorial—is due to postwar Nazi Germany being responsible for its construction, which did not begin until 1937. It was one product of a cemetery agreement concluded between the German Reich and the Kingdom of Italy in the same year. 

Designed by Robert Tischler,  the chief architect of the German War Graves Commission from 1926 until his death in 1959, the structure mimics a Totenburg (a Germanic "fortress of the dead"). It features an austere, circular, dark-stone design divided into three levels, with the center holding an octagonal crypt and a flaming bowl. On the side walls are larger-than-life figures of mourning soldiers. Among his other works, the most famous is the German Cemetery at Langemark, Belgium.

Getting There

The nearest city is Bolzano  to the west located on the Brenner Pass Motorway (A22).  Passo Pordoi is about 42 driving miles away on the Strada Dolomites (SS48).  It's a beautiful ride but somewhat complicated to get to, so have a map handy or some navigation aid with your car.  GPS coordinates are: 46°29'28.64"N; 11°49'41.35"E.  There is a small cluster of businesses at the Pordoi Pass (shown above), which includes a small war museum which is worth a stop. Just past the museum is a turn to the left marked "Deutscher Soldatenfriedhof". This will lead on to a narrow road  for .7 miles which ends in a parking lot. Then it's a short walk to the memorial.