The exodus of the inhabitants of the Valle di Ledra to Bohemia

On 22 May 1915, the inhabitants of the Ledren Valley were ordered to evacuate immediately following an unexpected order. The reason was the First World War. In the Trentino region, which was a border area of Austria-Hungary, fighting was taking place between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Kingdom of Italy.

Women, children and the elderly set off for Bohemia. A total of 3,000 people were evacuated to our country. The men of Ledren, aged between 16 and 50, had already been conscripted into the Austrian army a year earlier. The inhabitants had to leave their homes as they were and pack their belongings into 15-kilogramme bags. They travelled by train, often in cattle wagons.

Upon arrival in Bohemia and Moravia, the people of Ledra were dispersed across several villages, notably Příbram, Buštěhrad, Nový Knín, Všeň, Milín, Ptice, Chyňava, Doksy near Kladno and many others. The inhabitants of Valle di Ledra were told they were leaving for one to three weeks, until the front had passed. In the end, they did not return home until almost four years later. The people of Ledra were left in a foreign country without any financial means and with no knowledge of the Czech language.

Despite the initial mistrust of the locals, the people of Ledra were eventually well received in Bohemia thanks to their

hard work, modesty and piety. Local families provided them with shelter. Gradually, they found work in factories or in agriculture so as not to be too much of a burden.

The pilgrimage site of Svatá Hora became an important place for the displaced Italians, where they could meet their compatriots and loved ones during church services.

After the war ended, from December 1918 to the spring of 1919, the displaced people returned home. However, in their native valley they found their homes devastated by the war, and so they had to start from scratch in Italy.

A total of 493 people from Ledren died in Bohemia and are buried in local cemeteries. They have a memorial plaque at the Břehory cemetery. The cause of death was mostly diseases of the time, such as the Spanish flu.

The people of Ledro often recalled how they had been welcomed and told their descendants about the kind people in Bohemia; their descendants, in turn, shared these memories with their own children. In Ledro, Czech words and recipes are even passed down from generation to generation, such as how to make Czech dumplings and pancakes. Some Czech and Italian families have remained friends even after more than a hundred years. ‘Bohemia mia’ is still commemorated in Valle di Ledro through the names of streets and squares named after the Czech villages that welcomed them at the time.

Exodus of the Inhabitants of the Ledro Valley to Bohemia

On 22 May 1915, an unexpected order announced the immediate evacuation of the inhabitants of the Ledro Valley. The reason was the First World War. In the Trident area, which was a border region of Austria-Hungary, there were territorial disputes between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Kingdom of Italy.

Women, children and the elderly went to Bohemia. A total of 3,000 people were evacuated to our countries. The men of Ledro, aged between 16 and 50, had already enlisted in the Austrian army a year earlier. The inhabitants had to leave their homes as they were and pack their belongings into 15 kg of luggage. They travelled by train, often in cattle lorries.

Upon arriving in Bohemia and Moravia, the people of Ledro were dispersed across several villages, mainly in Příbram, Buštěhrad, Nový Knín, Všeň, Milín, Ptice, Chyňava, Doksy and others.

The inhabitants of Valle di Ledro were told they were leaving for one to three weeks until the front line had passed. In the end, it took them almost four years to return home. The people of Ledro were left in a foreign country with no financial resources and no knowledge of the Czech language.

Despite the locals’ initial mistrust, the people of Ledro were eventually warmly welcomed in Bohemia thanks to their hard work, modesty and piety. They were taken in by local families. Gradually, they found work in factories or in agriculture so as not to become a burden. 

The pilgrimage site of Svatá Hora became an important place for the displaced Italians, where they could meet their compatriots and loved ones to worship. 

After the war ended, between December 1918 and the spring of 1919, the displaced people returned home. However, they found their homes in their native valley devastated by the war and had to start all over again in Italy. 

A total of 493 people from Ledro died in Bohemia and were buried in local cemeteries. A memorial plaque commemorates them in the Březové Hory cemetery. These deaths were largely due to diseases of the time, such as the Spanish flu. 

The people of Ledro often recalled the welcome they received and told their descendants about the kind people in Bohemia, who in turn shared their memories with their children. In Ledro, they even passed down Czech words and recipes from generation to generation, such as how to make Czech dumplings and pancakes. Some Czech and Italian families have maintained their friendship even after more than a hundred years. ‘Bohemia mia’ is still commemorated in the Ledro Valley through the names of streets and squares named after the Czech villages that took them in at the time.

The exodus of the inhabitants of the Ledro Valley to Bohemia

On 22 May 1915, an unexpected order announced the immediate evacuation of the inhabitants of the Ledro Valley. The First World War had broken out. In the Tridentine area, which was the border region of Austria-Hungary, battles were fought over the territory between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Kingdom of Italy.

Women, children and the elderly set off for Bohemia. A total of 3,000 people were transported to our villages. The men of Ledro, aged between 16 and 50, had already been conscripted into the Austrian army a year earlier. The residents had to leave their homes as they were and pack their belongings into suitcases weighing fifteen kilograms. They travelled by train, often in cattle wagons.

After arriving in Bohemia and Moravia, the people of Ledro were distributed amongst various villages, particularly in Příbram, Buštěhrad, Nový Knín, Všeň, Milín, Ptice, Chyňava, Doksy near Kladno and other municipalities. The inhabitants of the Ledro Valley had been told they would be away from home for one or, at most, three weeks. Instead, they returned home after almost four years. The people of Ledro found themselves in a foreign country without financial means or any knowledge of the Czech language.

Despite the initial mistrust of the Bohemian people, the people of Ledro were eventually well received in Bohemia thanks to their willingness to work, their modesty and their loyalty. Local families took them in. Later, they found work in factories or in agriculture to become more self-sufficient.

The pilgrimage site of Svatá Hora became an important place for the Italian displaced persons, where they could meet their compatriots and loved ones during Holy Mass.

After the war ended, between December 1918 and the spring of 1919, the displaced people returned home. In their native valley, they found only homes devastated by the war, so they had to start rebuilding everything from scratch in Italy.

A total of 493 people from Ledro died in Bohemia and are buried in local cemeteries. There is a commemorative plaque for them at the cemetery in Březové Hory. The main cause of death was the diseases prevalent at the time, such as the Spanish flu.

The people of the Ledro Valley often recalled the warm welcome they received from our people and told their descendants about the kind people in Bohemia, and they in turn shared these memories with their own children. In the Ledro Valley, Czech words and recipes are even passed down from generation to generation; for example, how to cook Bohemian gnocchi and Czech fritters. Some Czech and Italian families have remained friends even after more than a hundred years. Bohemia is still remembered today in the Ledro Valley through the names of streets and squares named after the Czech municipalities that hosted the people of Ledro at that time.