At 3,342 meters above sea level in the Italian Alps proudly rises the highest peak of the Dolomites - Marmolada.
The "Queen" of the Dolomites - Marmolada, is an attraction for alpinists, climbers, skiers and tens of thousands of tourists eager to see the highest museum in Europe.
For a starting point on this journey
BGNES chooses Malga Ciapella, from where with the gondola lift for 70+1 people and for a ticket of 38 euros for an adult, one ends up in the clouds, surrounded by eternal ice and a stunning view. The total difference in elevation is 1815 meters, which is easily overcome with the cable car in less than 20 minutes in one direction.
Built in 1965, the lift has three stations, the main goal is Punta Roca - 3,265 meters above sea level, from the observation deck for tourists a view of the neighbouring peaks and far away - according to one of the information boards - all the way to Istanbul. The first is Punta Peña.
The time for views is not limited, there are countless directions starting on the iron ropes and ladders in the rocks, which amateurs and professionals explore daily. In winter, skiing on the glacier is another challenge for sports and thrill-seekers.
Three hundred meters below, however, is the highest museum in Europe. The Great War Museum in Marmolada preserves stories of soldiers who fought among the peaks and glaciers of the Alps – strategic positions essential for controlling the valleys.
The exposition begins with photographic material and descriptions from 1914, when the wind of war reached Marmalade from the Austrian side, and a year later Italian men were also involved in the military events. Uniform wardrobes display Italian and Austro-Hungarian gear. Besides fighting the enemy, fighting the battle with nature was sometimes much more difficult. Household items, tools and small heating stoves are shown in the carved mountain tunnels. A model of the Ice City shows the vast network of tunnels that provided an important logistical base and offered protection from bombing, avalanches and the cold. A tunnel of death was also reproduced in parallel.
The main tools of war - the weapons - are located in a special part of the museum. Firearms are duly represented next to various bomb models. Rifles, bayonets and pistols are presented with multimedia tables detailing technical details and special facts about each weapon. After the war, for many years there was an arsenal in the mountain, which was sold and resold in the markets of Italy and Austria, to this day there are butchers in big cities like Vienna, where a sharp eye can come across an authentic object from the war.
An interesting fact is that Marmolada is one of the best-studied glaciers in the Dolmitian Alps and has been measured since 1902. Unfortunately, however, the famous glacier you notice is skiable all year round, and in the height of the hot summer climbers from all over the world visit and explore it, is melting at an alarming rate.
Scientists link the rapid loss of volume to a steady increase in carbon emissions over the past few decades. Just 10 years ago, Marmolada was losing 5 hectares of ice per year, while today these figures have increased to nine. If this trend continues, it will lead to the disappearance of a large part of the glacier by 2031, scientists warn. |BGNES
