Ravelnik Outdoor Museum
| Region | Gorizia Statistical Region |
| Starting point | The town of Bovec |
| Route length | 3.2 km (1.17 miles) |
| route duration | 1- 1,5 h |
| Best time to visit | summer, spring, early autumn |
| Appropriate for | Baby Carriers , 1-3 years of age , 3-6 years of age , 6+ years of age |
| Level of difficulty | Easy route |
Route Description
Ravelnik is a 519-metre (1,702-feet) high hill and part of the former Austro-Hungarian line of defense, where fierce fighting took place during the Isonzo front. The Svinjak Hill in Bovec beckoned us to climb it, but we preferred to hike to a more child-friendly destination.
After the Italian occupation of Bovec in August 1915, the Austro-Hungarian Army further reinforced its first line of defence at the eastern rim of the Bovec basin, especially across two hills: Ravelnik (519 m/1,702 feet) and Stržišče (486 m/1,594 feet). The two elevations form a natural blockade, which was changed by the Austro-Hungarian soldiers by means of fortified positions, caves and trenches to the pillar of their defence. The hills conveniently hid the road junction and the beginning of the route to the Soča and Koritnica valleys and defended the strategic road across the Predel Pass, which was extremely important for supplying soldiers with ammunition, food and medicine. Today it is an open-air museum and part of the Walk of Peace (“Pot miru”). It runs from the Alps all the way to the Adriatic Sea and connects the heritage of the Isonzo Front.
You can start walking the trail in Bovec, past the Polovnik Camp, cross the road and then continue on a beautiful macadam path. When you enter the forest, the trail becomes narrower and steeper, yet it is still easy enough for children to manage. It is about 1.5 kilometres (0.16 miles) in one direction and we recommend you return via the same trail. We tried the circular route, but a part of it took place along a very busy local car road.
The open-air museum has caverns you can enter with flashlights, bunkers, ditches, restored barracks and machine gun nests. At the top of the hill, you can also see the crater left by the only grenade that hit the position during the war. You can also spice up the tour by choosing a guided tour, where the guide is dressed in a WWI military uniform. We found out about this only the day after our visit and our son immediately put the guided tour on his bucket list.
Interesting Facts
Bovec, the site of many WWI battles is today known as a paradise for all sports enthusiasts in all seasons. In winter, you can go to the Kanin Ski Resort, which offers a huge number of ski slopes and it extends into Italy. In summer, you can go hiking, biking, kayaking, paragliding, etc in the area.
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Nearby Restaurants
Gostilna Pod lipco Inn
Bovec is a tourist paradise and all of the inns are packed with hungry visitors. We recommend that you book in advance to make sure you have somewhere to go and fill your tummy ;). The Pod lipco Inn has very friendly waiters, and you can order quite a few local delicacies. We could not resist the local Bovec doughnuts (“bovški krafi”) and the traditional “čompe” dish (boiled potatoes and cottage cheese). Here is a tip – there is a playground next to the inn and if you have your lunch in the summer terrace, you can supervise your children and rest at the same time.
Ledina 8
5230 Bovec
05 38 96 280
Mila and Staš Recommend
We have not skied on the Kanin Ski Resort yet, but we heard a story about a giant who apparently used to live there once. Would you like to hear the story?
Once upon a time, there lived a giant in Bovec. Each month he demanded a cow or two sheep. If the farmers did not give him livestock, he became violent and killed anyone he could get his hands on. The people of Bovec decided not to give him any more cattle and this angered the giant. He went towards the Gozdec Mountain Pasture on Kanin. There were many cows and sheep on this mountain and he thought they would make for an excellent snack. Nevertheless, he was so exhausted and hungry because he had not eaten in a month that he could not take the arduous journey anymore. He collapsed and sank into the rocks of Kanin.
Since then, this slope has been called “Plejče”, which is a Slovene vernacular expression for a slope. Only the giant's shoulders remained on the surface. The people of Bovec have lived well and in peace ever since, as they got rid of the greedy monster.
