Artillery battery of Sella Predil

The Sella Predil Battery was designed and built by Austro-Hungarian military engineers at the end of the nineteenth century, between 1895 and 1897.

Its position near Sella Predil allowed control over the road connecting the Lake Raibl area with Bovec and the upper Isonzo valley. At the end of May 1915, however, the battery’s weapons were transferred to a new battery built inside the mountain.

Unlike the other forts in the area, repeatedly hit by Italian bombardments, the Sella Predil Battery is still in good condition and can be partly visited. From the entrance courtyard one accesses the first section, consisting of a surveillance room, the officers’ casemate, the kitchen, a guard post and an infirmary. Opposite are visible armoured casemates and two buildings used as ammunition magazines.

Another magazine for foodstuffs and ammunition was located underground together with the water cistern, the purifier and the cesspit. On the upper part, on the other hand, one can see the lookout posts added during the construction of the Alpine Wall ("Vallo Alpino del Littorio"). The battery was armed with three 120 mm guns with a range of seven kilometres and two 8 mm machine guns. There were also 25 rifle mounts, the supports used to hold and move a firearm.