Vrtoče massacre

Vrtoče (pronounced [ˈʋəɾtɔtʃɛ]) is a dispersed settlement south of Bilje in the Municipality of Miren-Kostanjevica in the Littoral region of Slovenia.

Orehovlje (pronounced [ɔˈɾeːxɔu̯ljɛ]; Italian: Raccogliano) is a settlement next to Miren in the Municipality of Miren-Kostanjevica in the Littoral region of Slovenia.The local church is dedicated to Saint Augustine and belongs to the Parish of Miren.Locals enjoy swimming at the local weir, tending to their gardens and farming.

Miren Castle (Slovene: Mirenski grad, also known as Grad 'castle' and Naša Gospa pod Krasom 'Our Lady beneath the Karst'; Italian: Grado di Merna or Castello di Merna) is an elevation above the settlement of Miren near Nova Gorica, in southwest Slovenia. The origin of the name, which came into usage in the 16th century, remains unexplained. No castle ever stood there. The hill is dominated by a collection of ecclesiastical buildings.

Miren (pronounced [ˈmiːɾən]; Italian: Merna) is an urbanized settlement in the Municipality of Miren-Kostanjevica in the Littoral region of Slovenia right next to the border with Italy. The hill known as Miren Castle (Slovene: Mirenski grad) rises above the settlement to the south.

Lokvica (pronounced [ˈloːkʋitsa]) is a settlement in the Municipality of Miren-Kostanjevica in the Littoral region of Slovenia next to the border with Italy.

Vrtojba (pronounced [ʋəɾˈtoːi̯ba]; Italian: Vertoiba) is a settlement in the Municipality of Šempeter-Vrtojba in the Slovene Littoral region of Slovenia. A border crossing into Italy is located here. On the Italian side of the border, opposite Vrtojba, is the suburb of San Andrea (Slovene: Štandrež), now part of the town of Gorizia (Slovene: Gorica).

Bilje (pronounced [ˈbiːljɛ]; Italian: Biglia) is a settlement east of Miren in the Municipality of Miren-Kostanjevica in the Littoral region of Slovenia. The hill known as Miren Castle (Slovene: Mirenski grad) rises above the settlement to the south. The parish church in the settlement is dedicated to Saint Anthony the Hermit and belongs to the Diocese of Capodistria.Bilje is the birthplace of sculptor Negovan Nemec and philosopher Dean Komel.

The Ninth Battle of the Isonzo was an Italian offensive against Austria-Hungary in the course World War I. Including a triumvirate of battles launched after the Italians' successful seizure of Gorizia in August 1916 to extend their bridgehead to the left of the town, it ended in further failure for the Italian Chief of Staff Luigi Cadorna. The battle started with an attack on Vrtojba and the northern and central areas of the Karst Plateau. With the ninth battle fought from 1–4 November 1916 the combined casualty total from the three linked battles proved sufficiently heavy to ensure that each attack was of short duration (each less than a week). The Italians suffered 75,000 casualties and the Austro-Hungarians 63,000. As always along the Soča (Isonzo), the Austro-Hungarian Army's command of the mountainous terrain provided a formidable natural barrier to the Italians' attempts to achieve a breakthrough. Cadorna had intended to ensure such a breakthrough in the wake of the capture of Gorizia during the Sixth Battle of the Isonzo, but instead the war of attrition gathered pace. Neither side could particularly afford the casualties suffered but the Austro-Hungarians in particular were finding their defensive lines increasingly stretched. Realising this they continued to call upon their German ally to provide military assistance within the sector. When the Germans finally assented (sensing the potential collapse of the Austro-Hungarian position) and constructed a combined force in time for the Twelfth Battle of Isonzo, the results were dramatic. However, with the ninth battle called off in failure on 4 November 1916 and the Italians undeniably weakened by continual offensive operations throughout the year - 1916 had seen five Isonzo operations on top of four undertaken the year before - a lengthy break was taken for the winter. Operations renewed afresh with the Tenth Battle of the Isonzo on 12 May 1917.

The Municipality of Miren-Kostanjevica (pronounced [ˈmiːɾən kɔˈstaːnjɛʋitsa]; Slovene: Občina Miren - Kostanjevica, Italian: Comune di Merna Castagnevizza) is a municipality in western Slovenia, on the border with Italy. Miren-Kostanjevica is part of the Goriška region of the Slovene Littoral, and its main settlements are Miren (the seat of the municipality) and Kostanjevica na Krasu. Miren is located in the lowest part of the Vipava Valley.Historically, the area was connected with the neighbouring village of Savogna d'Isonzo (Slovenian: Sovodnje ob Soči), which was left in Italy after the Paris Peace Treaty of February 1947. Since the second half of the 19th century, Miren has been a commercial center and a center of light industry, strongly linked to the Gorizia and Monfalcone (Slovenian: Tržič) urban areas. Kostanjevica na Krasu, on the other hand, is a center of a larger underpopulated rural area located on the high Karst Plateau. In the local self-government reform of 1994, the two centers united to form a single municipality. Since 1947, both localities have gravitated towards the Nova Gorica–Šempeter conurbation, where many locals commute daily. Miren has a border crossing into Italy.

Hudi Log (pronounced [ˈxuːdi ˈloːk]) is a small settlement in the Municipality of Miren-Kostanjevica in the Littoral region of Slovenia, close to the border with Italy.

Opatje Selo (pronounced [ɔˈpaːtjɛ ˈsɛːlɔ]; Slovene: Opatje selo, Italian: Opacchiasella) is a village in the Municipality of Miren-Kostanjevica in the Littoral region of Slovenia, right on the border with Italy. It is located on the Karst Plateau, along an old road leading from Komen to Gorizia. It includes the former hamlet of Mačeče.

The Municipality of Šempeter-Vrtojba (pronounced [ʃɛmˈpeːtəɾ ʋəɾˈtoːjba] or [ʃəmˈpeːtəɾ ʋəɾˈtoːjba]; Slovene: Občina Šempeter - Vrtojba; Italian: Comune di San Pietro-Vertoiba) is a municipality in Slovenia. The municipality comprises the town and municipal seat of Šempeter pri Gorici and the adjacent village of Vrtojba.