Slika 1: Izsek planinske karte: debelejša oranžna linija označuje prvotno in hkrati današnjo traso ceste, zgrajena leta 1915. Tanjša oranžna linija, ki se odcepi sredi slike in v mnogih zavojih vodi do Poštarskega doma, je obvozna cesta, zgrajena leta 1916.
Figure 1: Section of the mountain map: the thicker orange line indicates the original and at the same time the current route of the road, built in 1915. The thinner orange line that branches off in the middle of the picture and leads in many turns to ‘Poštarski dom’ mountain hut, is a bypass road built in 1916.
Večino avstro-ogrskih oskrbovalnih cest in poti v visokogorje je bilo potrebno med prvo svetovno vojno zgraditi na novo. Še preden je Italija Avstro-ogrski napovedala vojno, je cestna povezava čez Vršič postala strateškega pomena za Avstro-ogrski vojsko. Zato se je pričela gradnja ceste čez prelaz, kjer še nekaj let prej niti gozdne poti ni bilo.
Most of the Austro-Hungarian supply roads and routes into the highlands had to be rebuilt during the First World War. Even before Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary, the road connection across Vršič became of strategic importance for the Austro-Hungarian army. That is why the construction of the road over the pass began, where a few years previously there was not even a forest trail.
Slika 2: Jezerce na Vršiču, ki so ga ob gradnji ceste, žal, zasuli. Uradno se je imenoval Mojstrovka (Mojstrovka pass). A domačini s severne strani so ga poznali kot Jezerce, zaradi jezerca na sedlu, Trentarji pa kot Kranjski vrh – kot prehod v Kranj (Kranjsko Goro).
Figure 2: The lake on Vršič, which was filled in during the road construction. The Vršič pass was officially called Mojstrovka Pass in those days. The local population from the north called it Jezerce (small lake pass – because of this small lake at the saddle), and the Trentans called it Kranjski vrh – as the route to Kranj (as they called Kranjska Gora).
Gradnja je v letu 1915 potekala hitro, tako da je bila jeseni tega leta že prevozna. Potrebno je bilo utrditi še posamezne odseke, namestiti lesene zaščitne strehe proti snežnim plazovom in, seveda, postaviti spomenik nadvojvodi Evgenu. Vodenje gradbišča so zaupali majorju Karlu Rimlu.
Construction proceeded quickly in 1915. The road was already possible to use in the autumn of that year. A lot of work still needed to be done: to strengthen individual sections, install wooden protective roofs against avalanches (and erect a monument to Archduke Eugene). Major Karl Riml was the construction site manager.
Slika 3: Avstrijski nadvojvoda Evgen na obisku gradbišča vršiške ceste, ki naj bi jo poimenovali po njem.
Figure 3: Archduke Eugen, Prince of Austria visiting the construction site of the Vršič pass road, which was to be named after him.
Ključno je bilo, da cesta ostane prevozna v vseh letnih časih, tudi pozimi. Toda predlagana in zgrajena zaščita s protilavinskimi galerijami se je izkazala za prešibko. Po nenavadno topli zimi, ki je bila skoraj brez snežnih padavin, je konec februarja in v začetku marca v gorah zapadla izjemno velika količina suhega snega. Ta je 8. marca 1916 na cesto pridrvel v plazu s tako silo, da je povsem uničil lesene zaščitne galerije. Pod galerijami in drugod na območju plazu je, po dosegljivih podatkih, umrlo približno 100 ruskih ujetnikov in nekaj avstro-ogrskih stražarjev.
It was crucial to keep the road passable in all seasons, even in winter. The proposed and built protection with anti-avalanche galleries turned out to be too weak. After an unusually warm winter with almost no snowfall, an extremely large amount of dry snow fell in the mountains at the end of February and the beginning of March. On March 8, 1916, the avalanche hit the road with such force that it completely destroyed the wooden protective galleries. About 100 Russian prisoners and some Austro-Hungarian guards died under the galleries and elsewhere in the avalanche area, according to available information.
Slika 4: Protilavinske galerije je kljub debelim tramovom razlomilo kot vžigalice. Možje, ki so tedaj bili na cesti, niso preživeli.
Figure 4: Despite the thick beams, the anti-avalanche galleries were broken like matchsticks. The men who were on the road at the time did not survive.
Po uničujočem plazu so zgradili novo, obvozno cesto. Ta se je od stare trase odcepila med 16. in 17. ovinkom (pri današnji Tonkini koči), v celotnem zgornjem delu potekala vzhodneje, pri današnji Poštarskem domu dosegla višino 1700 mnm in se spustila na južno stran. Tam se je spustila v nekaj ostrih serpentinah in stari trasi priključila malo pred 27. ovinkom.
Na celotnem gradbišču je delalo več tisoč ruskih ujetnikov, po nekaterih podatkih tudi več kot 10.000. Največji taborišči sta bili severno od Erjavčeve koče in na trentarski strani prelaza. V vsakem so imeli kuhinjo, pekarno, ambulanto in skladišča.
After the devastating avalanche, a new bypass road was built. It branched off from the old route between the 16th and 17th bends (near today's ‘Tonkina koča’), ran east of the old route, reached a height of 1,700 meters above sea level at today's ‘Poštarski dom’, descended to the south in sharp hairpins, and joined the old route just before the 27th bend. Several thousand Russian prisoners worked on the entire construction site, according to some data, more than 10,000. The largest camps were north of ‘Erjavčeva koča’ and on the Trenta side (southern side) of the pass. Each camp had a kitchen, bakery, field hospital, and warehouses.
Slika 5: Ruski vojni ujetniki gradijo vršiško cesto. (Gornjesavski muzej Jesenice)
Figure 5: Russian prisoners of war are building the Vršič pass road. (Upper Sava Valley Museum Jesenice)
Slika 6: Prelaz Vršič (1611 mnm) pozimi.
Figure 6: The Vršič pass (1611 m above sea level) in the winter.
Slika 7: Vojaški transporti oktobra 1917 – priprave na 12. soško bitko.
Figure 7: Military transports in October 1917 - preparations for the 12th Battle of Soča.
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