First World War centenary 1918 - 2018
"The war which is coming
Is not the first one. There were
Other wars before it.
When the last one came to an end
There were conquerors and conquered.
Among the conquered the common people
Starved. Among the conquerors
The common people starved too."
(Bertolt Brecht, Poems 1913-1956)
The end of the Centenary of the Great War in a perspective of Peace: this is the invitation and at the same time the warning of the leitmotif heading a rich programme of initiatives - including exhibitions, events, tours, readings, shows, publications, commemorations and other occasions of reflection - to remember the anniversaty in Trentino.
The fortified system that runs through our province is a testimony to a territory that bears the unforgettable signs of a conflict that in Italy caused more than 1,200,000 victims, 650,000 soldiers and 600,000 civilians.
The Great War, in fact, is defined "great" not only for its vastness and for the number of deaths, but also for the emotional impact it generates, by having revolutionized the combat systems of the previous conflicts. For the first time, in fact, the fights take place in the trenches, thus making the enemy "invisible": by removing his personality, he loses his humanity.
The people of Trentino was torn by the First World War. Shortly thereafter, in 1921, the Italian Historical Museum of the War was founded in Rovereto; it is no coincidence that it is hosted in the fifteenth century town's castle, an historical and cultural symbol of the history of Rovereto and of the entire province.
