The Frischenkofel is a 2.238 metres high mountain in the Carnic Alps in Carinthia, Austria. The Frischenkofel is part of the border between Austria and Italy and during the time of WWI this border was a hard-fought place. After the declaration of war on May 23rd, 1915, Italian forces occupied the Frischenkofel and started firing at Austrian villages. On June 24th, the local police commander Simon Steinberger climbed together with five other men up to Frischenkofel and reconquered the Frischenkofel from the Italian forces. A year later the Italian forces retook the Frischenkofel and kept it until the Italian front collapsed after the Austrian victory in the “Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo”. For his merits Simon Steinberger was honoured with the medal for bravery in gold and the route he climbed up is today a via ferrata that is named after him.
