In the Footsteps of World War I and II
Practical information : 2-day tourism product
Location: Svidník – Dukla
Recommended transport mode:car, bus
Product description:
Follow the footsteps of World War I and World War II. During the trip you will have the opportunity to visit the unique places of Northeast Presov region. It is the one of the small amount of the places on the territory of the Slovak Republic where military operations were conducted during World War I. Hundreds of soldiers from opposing parties (Slovak, Czech, German, Austrian, Hungarian, Russian, Ukrainian) died there in difficult natural conditions. Similarly, this region became a place of suffering 30 years later during the Carpatho-Dukla offensive – one of the bloodiest military operations in the harsh mountainous terrain during World War II. During the two days you will have an opportunity to visit the places of combats, including memorials, places of remembrance, bunkers, observation posts, military equipment, war cemeteries as well as UNESCO sites.
Itinerary
1. day
☑️ Svidník
9.00 – 10.15 ➡️ Military Historical Museum
The museum documents the chapter of military history. It is located in the building whose shape is reminiscent of an anti-tank mine, since its exhibition gives testimony to the course of the Carpatho-Dukla operation in 1944. The museum features authentic photographs of the fights, personal belongings, different types of weapons and findings from the Dukla Pass battlefields. In the park there is an exhibition of heavy weaponry, where visitors of all ages love taking photographs. Nearby there is Monument to the Soviet Army built in 1954, where over 9,000 soldiers who died in autumn 1944 are buried. Recommended time for tour: 1 hour. More info: www.vhu.sk
10.15 – 10.30 ➡️ War cemetery Svidník II (Vyšný Svidník)
The place of remembrance of a great cultural and historical value to commemorate the victims of World War I. Recommended time for tour: 15 minutes
10.30 – 11.30 ➡️ Open-air Museum of Ukrainian Culture
This special place gives you insights into cultural, historical, political and social development of Rusyns and Ukrainians in Slovakia from the remote past to the present in an area extending over 11 hectares. It features 50 buildings of vernacular architecture including thatched roof cottages and huts, a millhouse, pub and wooden church. It is unique, specialised and the oldest ethnic museum in Slovakia. Recommended time for tour: 1 hour
Lunch
13.00 – 14.00 ➡️ Dezider Milly Art Gallery
One of the expositions of the Museum of Ukrainian Culture in Svidník. It displays the development of Rusyn and Ukrainian fine arts from the 16th century to the present. It is dominated by a set of icons that are the oldest and most valuable collection objects and present typical artistic expressions in the region. You must not overlook the central exhibition which features the works of the national artist Dezider Milly. Recommended time for tour: 1 hour
14.15 – 14:45 ➡️ Ladomirova
Greek Catholic Wooden Church of St. Michael the Archangel (UNESCO) was built in 1742 without a single metal nail. It is one of the most representative churches of the Byzantine Rite on the Slovak side of the Carpathians and is inscribed onto UNESCO World Heritage List. It includes a detached belfry and cemetery surrounded by a log fence. Recommended time for tour: 30 minutes
15.00 – 18.00 ➡️ The water world Aquaruthenia
Relax in a modern water park with swimming pools in Svidník. You will find outdoor and indoor pools as well as a wellness centre there. The open-air swimming pool complex is large, surrounded by greenery and neat lawns and offers a broad variety of services. Recommended time for tour: 3 hours
Dinner and accommodation in Svidník - personal free time
2. day
9.00 – 10.00 ➡️ The Valley of Death
It is part of the Dukla natural battlefield which is located between the villages of Kapišová, Kružlová and Nižná Písaná. This is a unique opportunity to see the robust armoured mechanisms in the firing positions with your own eyes including the famous Taran, Soviet and German tanks placed into each other at the entrance to the Valley of Death. Recommended time for tour: 1 hour
10.15 – 10.45 ☑️ Hunkovce
➡️ German World War II cemetery in Hunkovce contains the graves of approximately 3,100 German soldiers who died during the Battle of the Dukla Pass. Apart from tourists and the ones interested in military history it is a place visited by the relatives of the deceased soldiers and offers testimony about mutual forgiveness. Recommended time for tour: 15 minutes
➡️ Greek Catholic Church of Dormition of the Mother of God was built in the late eighteenth century and reconstructed after World War II. It is a national cultural monument and some of its precious icons are exhibited in the Šariš Museum in Bardejov. Recommended time for tour: 15 minutes
11.00 – 12.00 ➡️ Dukla battlefield
The Monument to the Czechoslovak Army Corps is part of the Dukla battlefield as a symbol of paying tribute to the deceased soldiers. The tour of the entire area offers an opportunity to actually touch the exhibited weapons, enter the bunkers, and walk around the places that caused the deaths of thousands of soldiers. Recommended time for tour: 1 hour
Obed
13.30 – 14.00 ➡️ Lookout tower
While being in the Dukla Pass you have an opportunity to visit a lookout tower that provides a panoramic view of the Slovakia-Poland border area in which the combats of the Carpatho-Dukla operation took place. It is situated near Vyšný Komárnik in the Laborec Highlands at the altitude of 576 metres above sea level, reaches up to 48 m. Recommended time for tour: 30 minutes
14.15 – 15.15 ➡️ Dukla
The Polish town of Dukla is located approximately 17 km north of the Dukla Pass which forms the border between Slovakia and Poland. The town offers a number of cultural and historic points of interest including the St Mary Magdalene Parish Church, the monastery complex of Bernardine fathers, the palace-park complex of Mniszechow, and other different architectonic and urban jewels. Recommended time for tour: 1 hour
15.45 – 17.00 ➡️ Zyndranowa
For ages the village of Zyndranowa has been a home to the ethnic Lemkos whose culture is different from the other ethnic groups living in the Carpathians. Precisely these characteristic traits are exhibited in the Museum of Lemko Culture which houses the ethnographic and historic exposition and the artefacts commemorating combats in the Dukla Pass during World War II. Recommended time for tour: 1.15 hours
Return home- dinner on the way to Prešov
