The history of Forte Belvedere

Werk Gschwent, now better known as Fort Belvedere, was built by the Austro-Hungarian army between 1908 and 1912 under the direction of Engineer Lt. Rudolf Schneider in order to protect this area of Trentino from possible adversary incursions. The fort stands on a spur of limestone rock (at an elevation of 1177 m) jutting sheer into the Val d’Astico, which, at the time, enshrined the state border between the Kingdom of Italy and Austria-Hungary.

The fortress consisted of several blocks carved out of the mountain: the main casemate, which housed quarters, warehouses and logistical services; the battery block, consisting of three revolving armored domes capable of housing three 10-cm artillery pieces; three armored outposts equipped with searchlights and machine guns for surveillance of the surrounding territory; and a blockhouse built inside a moat-the counterscarp-with the task of blocking enemy infantry in case of a close attack.

Like the other forts in the Highlands, it was designed to withstand bombardments that could last up to several days in absolute autonomy and, for that reason, had ample stores, its own water supply, power plant, telephone exchange, quarters and a first aid station.

On May 24, 1915, the day the Kingdom of Italy declared war on the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the garrison consisted of about two hundred men belonging to the 6th Fortress Artillery Battalion and the 1st Landesschutzen Regiment under the command of Lieutenant Anton Perschitz.

During the first year of the war, Fort Belvedere suffered heavy bombardment that caused damage to the building and several casualties among the garrison, but it was not affected by the intensity of fire that involved the areas of Passo Vezzena and Luserna and that put a strain on the forts located in those sectors. Moreover, thanks in part to its dominant position over the Val d’Astico, it never suffered a direct assault by Italian infantry.

After World War I, following the defeat of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the fort became property of the Italian Kingdom, which subleased it for a long period to the Municipality of Lavarone, and, unlike what happened to the other fortresses, which were totally demolished in the 1930s for the recovery of iron, Forte Belvedere underwent only a partial dismantling in 1940, which fortunately did not compromise its integrity.

After World War II, became property of the Trentino-Alto Adige Region and in 1966 of private individual who, with foresight, partially restored it and turned it into a museum. In 1996 it was purchased by the Municipality of Lavarone – with the decisive contribution of the Autonomous Province of Trento – which carried out a thorough conservative restoration, including the restoration of the original zinc roofing, the arrangement of the attics, and a general rehabilitation of the site.