Melting Glaciers Have Exposed Frozen Relics of World War I
Artifacts from the White War a battle between Italian and Austro-Hungarian troops that took place in the forbidding heights of the Alps are on their way to a museum.
Researchers in Italy were finally able to explore World War I barracks that had been sealed in ice for decades.Credit.Stelvio National Park
May 8, 2021, 8:00 a.m. ET
As glaciers melt and shrink in the Alps of Northern Italy, long-frozen relics of World War I have been emerging from the ice.
They include cups, cans, letters, weapons and bones with the marrow sucked dry. They were found in cave barracks not far from the frigid summit of Mount Scorluzzo, which reaches more than 10,000 feet over sea level in Northern Italy, near Switzerland.
Researchers have recovered a treasure trove of World War I artifacts from a cave shelter in northern Italy revealed by the melting of a glacier.
During the war, the cave shelter housed 20 Austrian soldiers stationed at Mount Scorluzzo on the Alpine front, close to the famous Stelvio Pass, historian Stefano Morosini told CNN Tuesday. While people knew the shelter existed, researchers were only able to enter it in 2017 as the surrounding glacier had melted, added Morosini, who is scientific coordinator of the heritage project at Stelvio National Park and teaches at the University of Bergamo. Inside they found food, dishes and jackets made from animal skins, among many other items, he said.
Researchers have recovered a treasure trove of World War I artefacts from a cave shelter in northern Italy revealed by the melting of a glacier.
During the war, the cave shelter housed 20 Austrian soldiers stationed at Mount Scorluzzo on the Alpine front, close to the famous Stelvio Pass, historian Stefano Morosini told CNN.
While people knew the shelter existed, researchers were only able to enter it in 2017 as the surrounding glacier had melted, added Mr Morosini, who is scientific coordinator of the heritage project at Stelvio National Park and teaches at the University of Bergamo.
Artefacts and items from World War One are being recovered as an alpine glacier melts more and more.(White War Museum)
Melting Ice in the Alps Has Revealed World War I Relics
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World War I relics newly revealed in Stelvio National Park. (Photo: Stelvio National Park)
At a park in the Italian Alps, researchers have unearthed a trove of World War I relics that was previously hidden beneath layers of ice and frost. The fascinating discovery is also a sign of a scary climate future.
The team came upon the findings in a cave just below the peak of Mount Scorluzzo in Adamello, Italy. During the war, the cave was a shelter for Austrian soldiers. It’s now part of the outdoor White War Museum in Stelvio National Park. Researchers have long known the shelter existed, yet they were only able to get into it in 2017 when the surrounding glacier melted enough to clear a path. Since then, more ice has melted and researchers have also chipped 60 cubic metres of ice out of the cave. Last month, the museum’s team was able to pull out 300 artefacts, including coins, helmets, weapons, and even corpses.