Bellum Aquilarum Museum

Evacuation and escape, hunger and fear... in the First World War, the Dolomites were the theatre of the cruel Mountain Warfare. Sesto was the only German-speaking village that belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the time and was located directly on the front line. High up in the mountains, remnants of positions and trenches, command barracks, and shelters are still visible today, which can be visited in the open-air museum on Mt. Croda Rossa.

The experiences of the civilian population and soldiers of that period and the subsequent annexation of South Tyrol by Italy are explored and made accessible to all interested parties in a permanent exhibition at the Bellum Aquilarum Museum. It is titled "Traces of History: Unforgotten. The First World War in the Sesto Dolomites 1915-1918" and is run by the voluntary association Bellum Aquilarum ONLUS, founded by several Sesto residents.

The initiative aims to save the traces of the World War from oblivion and preserve them for posterity, for the region, and for the peoples of all Europe. It serves as a valuable memorial against war and its consequences. In addition to the existing open-air museum on the mountain and this permanent exhibition, there are future plans for a historical museum and documentation centre in Sesto. This centre is intended to involve all the warring parties of the time - Italy, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic - in its realisation.

How do you get there: The museum is located next to the parish church, in the building of the former primary school in Sesto. Bus route 446 will take you there conveniently - the bus stop is directly in front of the museum. The permanent exhibition is open during the summer months.