Soca River
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The river Soča (Italian Isonzo) is a river in West Slovenia and North Italy. An Alpine river in character, Soča has its source 1,100 m high in the Julian Alps, west from the mountain Triglav (2864 m) in the Trenta valley. Flowing south 140 km past Bovec, Kobarid, Tolmin, Nova Gorica and Gorizia, it enters the Adriatic Sea near Monfalcone in Italy.
The valley of Soča (Isonzo) was the stage of major military operations including 12 battles on The Isonzo Front in the First World War between May 1915 and November 1917. Over 2,000,000 Austrian and Italian soldiers lost their lives.
Famous and unique is the Soča trout (Slovenian Soška postrv), Salmo trutta marmoratus, also named the Marble trout, which lives in the upper stream of the crystal-clear river. It is the endemic fish species of the river basin of the Adriatic Sea and endangered due to introduction of non-autochthonous trouts between the World Wars.
Some people call the river "the Emerald Beauty" because of its emerald green color of water and is said to be the only river in the world which retains such a colour throughout its length.
The Soča inspired a Slovenian poet Simon Gregorčič to write the poem Soči (To the Soča), one of masterpieces of Slovenian poetry.
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Soca_isonzo_near_its_mouth.jpeg
Soča near its outflow into the Adriatic, Isola di Cane, Italy
External links
- Jurij Pohar on the Soča Marble trout: http://www.bfro.uni-lj.si/zoo/publikacije/avtohtone_pasme/eng/The%20Marble%20trout.html
- Italien website "11 battles at the Isonzo" (the 12th was a triumph for the Austro-Hungarian troops, which came in Nov. 1917 at the "battaglia di Caporetto" till the river Piave) http://www.worldwar1.com/itafront/isonzo11.htm
- maps you can find here : http://www.firstworldwar.com/maps/italianfront.htm