Seisera and Max Domenig

With great search effort, I had previously managed to find the exact location of the Seisera Valley on the map (description here). This place was important to me because of the Seisera badge, as it is one of the most finely crafted cap badges. It is a true artistic work, so it is worth investigating what it depicts.

Basically, we see a soldier in mountain equipment on the badge, and in the background, an image of a high mountain range. The mountain equipment refers to mountain troops. Now I also managed to find out what specific unit the artist modeled.

As usual, our friend “G” came to my aid again. While browsing, I discovered the image of the badge attached to a recent post. This, in turn, was part of a description written about the artist. According to the source, the artist was a certain Max Domenig, who was born in 1886 and was called up to the 4th Landwehr Regiment in Klagenfurt during the Great War, in 1915. This regiment later became the 1st Mountain Rifle Regiment. In 1915, the unit was stationed in the Pontebba region, where Domenig was wounded. The Seisera Valley opens south from the Pontebba area. It was possible to advance from Italian territory towards Tarvis through here and the nearby Predil Pass. These passes were defended by the Klagenfurt Regiment in the summer of 1915.

The badge was made by Domenig in January 1917, when the regiment rested in the village of Nebria. Later in 1917, the unit was ordered from the Italian front to Bukovina and Ukraine, and then to Albania. Domenig died in 1952. In addition to the Seisera badge, I am attaching the beautiful badge of the 1st Mountain Rifle Regiment to this entry.