Bolzano Victory Monument

The 19 metre wide Victory Gate was designed by architect Marcello Piacentini and substituted the former Austrian Kaiserjäger monument, torn down in 1926–27.

The following Latin script can be seen on the main façade: The monument was inaugurated on 12 July 1928 by King Victor Emmanuel III and major representatives of the fascist government.

The inscription, referring to Roman imperial history, was seen as provocative by many within the German-speaking majority in the province of South Tyrol.

[1] Since its construction, the monument has been a focal point of the tensions between the Italian and German speaking communities in Bolzano and in the whole region; after various attempts to blow it up carried out by South Tyrolean separatist groups in the late 1970s, it has been fenced off to protect it from further defacement.

[5] Both initiatives combined a historical approach with a touch of irony, aiming to turning difficult heritages into democratic resources.