Touch the war history at Dukla and in the surroundings

For fans of war history, the main season begins on 1 May, when the Military History Museum, Svidník Museum Department, opens various attractions located in the field after the winter. Visitors can admire the battlefield at Dukla from the observation tower, but also touch tanks and other heavy combat equipment from World War II deployed in in the area of the Natural History Museum and around the road to Svidník.

Climbing on tanks and taking pictures with combat equipment are among the favourite ways of exploring, fascinating especially children and youngsters.

Radomír Jančošek, Director of the Regional Tourism Organization (OOCR) "ŠARIŠ" - Bardejov, remarks:"Last year we accepted the town of Svidník as a new member of the OOCR, which increased the attractiveness of the offer of the north-east of Slovakia for tourism. In addition to the charm of the preserved UNESCO monuments in Bardejov and the spa in Bardejovské Kúpele, the offer was expanded to include military history in particular.."

Observation tower at Dukla

The observation tower at Dukla is 49 m high. It is located on the spot where in October 1944 the commander of the 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps in the USSR, Brigadier General Ludvík Svoboda, had one of many command observation posts during the fighting for the Dukla Pass and the land beneath it. In the lobby of the Observation Tower, visitors can view a number of exhibitions ranging from finds weapons, ammunition, equipment Red Army, the 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps in the USSR and the German Wehrmacht, right up to eye-catching photographs. From the upper dome of the Observation Tower, visitors can see a wide area of the Dukla Pass and its surroundings. The observation tower is open to the public on Tuesdays to Sundays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

left: the observation tower (Dukla), right: the Memorial of the Czechoslovak Army Corps at Dukla with the war cemetery. Photo: VHÚ Bratislava

Czechoslovak Army Memorial at Dukla is a national cultural monument. This natural area is one of the most visited places in the region. It is located near the border crossing to Poland - Vyšný Komárnik and is a reminder of the Carpatho-Dukla military operation that took place in the autumn of 1944. During the battles here, the over 60 thousand Soviet and Czechoslovak soldiers. The 28 m high monument was erected in 1949. It is embedded in the military cemetery, which is crossed by a colonnade with bronze plaques. The plaques bear the names of 1 265 fallen members of the 1st Čsl. Army Corps. The surroundings of the memorial and the cemetery are a large open-air military museum. The former battlefield can be seen from a vantage point provided by an observation tower. In the area of the natural museum as well as around the road to Svidník there are 55 pieces of various heavy combat equipment from World War II. In the surrounding forests you can still hide in preserved bunkers. The museum also includes Death Valley in the vicinity of Kapišováwhere they took place the hardest fights with a massive deployment of tanks. OPENING HOURS: Sep - Jun: Tue-Fri: 8.00 - 15.30, Sat-Sun: 10.00 - 14.00, Mon: closed; Jul - Aug: Tue-Fri: 8.00 - 15.30, Sat-Sun: 10.00 - 17.00.

The chapter of war history is also documented by Military Museum directly in Svidník. It is housed in a building shaped like an anti-tank mine. It documents the course of heavy fighting that took place in the north-east of Slovakia in the First and Second World War. The museum contains authentic photographs from the battles, personal relics, various types of weapons and finds from the battlefields of the Dukla Pass. In the park near the museum there is external exposition of heavy military equipment. In the neighbourhood of the exposition stands since 1954 the Memorial of the Soviet Army, where more than 9 000 soldiers killed in the autumn of 1944 are buried. Source: www.vhu.sk

City SVIDNÍK is the centre of the Podduklian region, which is closely connected with culture and history Rusyns and Ukrainians in Slovakia. In the summer season, the Festival of the Culture of the Rusyn-Ukrainians of Slovakia and the Rusyn Festival are attractive, presenting the folk traditions and culture of the indigenous ethnic group in the north-east of Slovakia. The centre of Svidník is dominated by a statue of the army general Ludvík Svoboda, the only one in Central Europe.

In Svidník there is also Slovak National Museum - Museum of Ukrainian Culture, unique, specialized and the oldest national museum in Slovakia. It includes skanzen folk architecture with a rare wooden temple and the Dezider Milly Gallery.

Svidník and the surrounding villages are characterized by sacral, mainly wooden buildings. In the category of national cultural monuments is eleven wooden temples of the Eastern Rite from this region, which is the most in eastern Slovakia. The surroundings of Svidník also provide hiking on marked trails, camping, cycling, swimming (in the town there is a water world Aquaruthenia Svidník with indoor swimming pools and wellness facilities open all year round).

SOURCE: OOCR Šariš - Bardejov (ag. Paper Life)

Photo - source: the Military Historical Institute Bratislava