Photos: 1908-1918: the soldiers from Bosnia and Herzegovina in Trieste and on the Southern Front
By Alessandro Mlach
In 1903, Austria-Hungary established four Infantry Regiments from Bosnia and Herzegovina, with soldiers of all faiths: Muslims (the majority), Jews, Roman Catholics, and Orthodox Serbs. Starting in 1908, three battalions of the 4th Regiment, from Mostar, served as garrison in the city of Trieste together with the famous 97th Triestine Regiment.
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They were stationed together in the Caserma Grande, not far from where a Mosque for the Muslim soldiers was built, while the Jewish and Christian Bosnians and Herzegovinians were going to the synagogues and churches of the city.
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During World War I, the soldiers from Bosnia and Herzegovina fought with extraordinary valor, courage, and with extraordinary sacrifices to defend Trieste and the southern front, which run from river Timavo to the Alps to river Piave.
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They were commemorated in Trieste with a photography exhibit organized by the Movimento Civiltà Mitteleuropea and hosted by Free Trieste from 8 to 12 November 2018.
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The purpose of this exhibit was to renew the memory of their presence and defense of Trieste, in peace as in war, and also their precious historical tradition of religious and cultural pluralism, which is shared by Trieste and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
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This is why the photographs chosen for the exhibit do not picture military actions, rather, the human and spiritual dimension of our soldiers. This is why we are publishing a selection of 26 meaningful images:
Trieste: the Caserma Grande.
Trieste, 14 June 1914: Corpus Domini procession, escorted by Bosnian troops.
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Trieste’s military Mosque.
Imam Hafiz Ibrahim Effendi Jahić (3rd Infantry Regiment).
Imam Hafiz Ibrahim Effendi Jahić (3rd Infantry Regiment).
Isonzo front (1915).
Trench (Italian front).
Reserve Lieutenant Mihovil Vujičić (August 1916).
Reserve Lieutenant Mihovil Vujičić and Lieutenant Zdenek Kolársky, Siefsattel (October 1916).
Jewish soldiers from Bosnia (1917).
Muslim Bosnian pray on the Karst plateau.
In studio portrait.
Relaxing and playing cards.
Muslim Bosniaken dyring a prayer.
Orthodox Serb pope and officers.
Medic personnel. In the muffle: Imam Hilmi Hussein Durics.
Resting soldiers.
Elez Dervišević, 14. The youngest Bosnian infantryman.
Roman Catholic priest Kramar(1st Infantry Regiment).
Captain Hermann Rilke in a trench with his men.
Healing officers.
Emperor Karl I of Austria with the Bosniaken of the 2nd Infantry Regiment (Italian Front).
Captain Hermann Rilke on the Santa Lucia bridgehead near Tolmino.
Playing the saz.
Dancing kolo on the Italian front.
Resting before combat.
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