Foiba di Basovizza

It was thought at the beginning of the 19th century that large deposits of coal or lignite could be found on the highlands around Trieste, Between 1901 and 1908 the Bohemian company Škoda Works started exploring a pre-existing mineshaft near the frazione of Basovizza, however the excavations were unfruitful and the mine was abandoned. The vertical depth was about 256 meters, and at the bottom a 2 meter high and 735 meter long tunnel opened up. Between 1936 and 1943 a number of descents were carried out: in 1936 the employed a group of speleologists from Trieste to descend into the shaft, reaching a maximum depth of 225 meters before been blocked by approximately 30 meters of detritus. In 1939 a team from the Italian Alpine Club lowered themselves to a depth of 226 meters to recover the body of an inhabitant of Basovizza who had fallen in. In 1941 an alpinist lowered himself to recover the body if a girl, again at a depth of 226 meters. On 2 April 1943 a group of seven speleologists lowered themselves to a depth of 220 meters. == The Foibe Massacres ==

In May 1945 the mineshaft was used by Yugoslav partisans for the disposal of an unknown number of bodies of Italians and Germans during the Yugoslav occupation of Trieste. The bodies of a number of prisoners, soldiers and civilians massacred by the army and the OZNA were disposed of in the mineshaft. Documentation collected by the anglo-american allies is based on the testimonies of the parish priests Francesco Malalan of Sant'Antonio in Bosco, and Virgil Šček Corgnale. The testimonies told of short trials held by the Yugoslav IV army against several hundred victims: prisoners, soldiers, police officers and civilians (including a number of Germans), followed by shootings with the bodies then disposed of in the pit, == Current status ==

On 22 February 1980 the Ministero dei Beni Culturali declared the site to be of historical interest due to the tragic events that happened there. On 3 November 1991 the site was visited by President Francesco Cossiga, with his successor Oscar Luigi Scalfaro visiting on 11 February 1993. Scalfaro declared the side a national monument by a decree dated 11 September 1992. 10 February 2007 saw the inauguration of the Memorial at the Foiba di Basovizza and the nearby documentation centre maintained by Lega Nazionale. The work was realized by architect Ennio Cervi, with the collaboration of artist . The foiba of Basovizza has become the emblematic symbol of the Foibe massacres and is today often the site of memorial services. == References ==