The fort whose guns were moved before the first shot of WWI

Forte Corno is a Gebrigsfort, which is a type of mountain fort. Built in Praso, Northern Italy, it was designed to block the Chiese valley along with Forts Carriola and Larino. These three forts were connected by a maze of trenches and field positions.

Constructed between 1890 and 1892, the fort was an artillery powerhouse. It was equipped with six 12cm guns, three 10cm guns, and three to five machine guns in armored turrets. The structure extends over six levels following the contours of the terrain and the profile of the rocky spur. It was modernized in 1909 and 1910, but the guns were moved to field positions nearby when war broke out with Italy in May 1915.

The fort was heavily shelled by the Italians and was later damaged by salvagers after the war. It was pressed into use again during World War II as a machine-gun post. Because the armament had become obsolete and outdated, the guns were transferred to an underground emplacement at Peschiera, the name of the mountain overlooking the fort.

Work on restoring the fort began in 2008, and the local municipality received grants for further restoration in 2012. The fort comprises 53 rooms and is now connected to Fort Larino by a walking trail.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons