Russian Chapel

A small timber chapel on the Vršič road, built by Russian prisoners for the comrades killed in a 1916 avalanche.

In March 1916 an avalanche on the north side of Vršič killed a large number of Russian prisoners of war working on the military road. The survivors built this wooden chapel with onion domes beside the site, and it has stood since. It is at hairpin 8 on the way up from Kranjska Gora, a two-minute walk from the road. It is free, takes ten minutes, and is the most affecting thing on the pass.

Photo: Melanie Erhard · CC0