1914-1918

The First World War

Documenting geographical locations associated with the First World War

List of locations

Foreword to the Project Documenting Locations Connected to the First World War

In 2004, to mark the 90th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War, thirteen enthusiasts from around the globe joined forces in the project “The War to End All Wars – VR Collaborative Project.” Using 360° spatial photography, each participant symbolically documented a location in their vicinity that was historically linked to the First World War—a conflict that reshaped the 20th century and left an indelible mark on global history.

The war began on June 28, 1914, with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary in Sarajevo. While this event was the immediate trigger, the deeper causes lay in imperial rivalries, a tangled web of alliances, rising nationalism, and widespread militarization. What was initially expected to be a localized conflict quickly escalated into a global catastrophe, involving major powers such as Austria-Hungary, Germany, France, Russia, Great Britain, Italy, the United States, and Japan.

The scale of the war was staggering: four years of brutal fighting, over 70 million soldiers mobilized, millions killed or wounded, cities destroyed, populations displaced, and deep psychological and societal scars. One of the bloodiest fronts was the Isonzo Front (Soška fronta), where twelve battles were fought between the Italian and Austro-Hungarian armies from 1915 to 1917. This region became the central focus of my documentation efforts.

In 2008, while documenting stream erosion and the aftermath of the 1998 earthquake in the Tolminka Valley, I paused at the memorial Church of the Holy Spirit in Javorca—a unique monument to peace built by Austro-Hungarian soldiers during the war. That moment of rest, after a full day of crawling through ravines and slopes, made me reflect on how this geographically accessible site for a reasonably fit person could be a major challenge for someone with limited mobility—be it a person with disabilities, an elderly individual, a child, or simply someone living far away.

“Why not?” I thought, and decided to gradually use 360° spatial photography to bring these locations closer to people with limited mobility—creating a kind of visual geographic outline enriched with brief facts and stories tied to each documented site. My goal was to present these places in a different, original way, using a method unlike the hundreds of similar projects that flourished during the centenary of the war’s outbreak.

My primary aim was to document and visualize the area of the Isonzo Front and its hinterland, stretching from Duino to Log pod Mangartom. The work was demanding: in addition to photography gear, I needed lights for illuminating caves, GPS, a laptop, and essential supplies to survive a typical fieldwork day, which usually lasted from dawn to dusk. A 20-kilogram backpack quickly became a standard companion.

Living in central Slovenia meant that travel time to the Isonzo Front was a key factor—two hours of driving to the site in the morning and two hours back home in the evening. Over the years, the visualizations of geographic locations linked to the Isonzo Front gradually expanded, and the ambition to cover a broader area grew. The project now extends to other parts of Europe connected to the events of the First World War.

The consequences of the war were profound: the collapse of four empires (Austro-Hungarian, German, Russian, and Ottoman), the emergence of new nations, shifts in political systems, economic crises, and lasting social trauma. The war laid the groundwork for future conflicts, including the Second World War, and remains a source of historical reflection to this day.

Through documenting these locations, I aim to preserve the memory of events that shaped our past—not just as a historian, but as someone who believes that history should be accessible to everyone.

Boštjan Buger, 26. september 2014