In the past the Dukla Museum now the Military Historical Institute - the Military Museum in Svidnik was established on 2nd June 1965. The first exposition of the museum was opened on 4th October 1969 on the occasion of 25th anniversary of battles over Dukla mountain pass. The mission of the museum is to document and research the history of warfare in the Eastern Slovakia. The main exposition was again opened up to public in 1996 after reinstallation and it documents military history in the region of the Eastern Slovakia from 1914 to the times of 1945. The exposition highlights military and strategic importance of the Dukla mountain pass in the period of two World Wars that brought huge sacrifices in human lives, done great material harms and had overall impact on the further historical development in this region. The exhibited documents in the first part of the exposition show the development and progress of World War I. in border and frontier areas of the Eastern Slovakia specifically considering the skilled and clever offensive attack of Russian army troops over the Dukla mountain pass in 1914. The military operations in Carpathian Mountains caused great loss of human lives which is in fact about one million of Russian and about 800 thousand Austro-Hungarian soldiers. The exhibits that are installed in the exposition represent this historical period.
Another part of the exposition presents the military history in the Eastern Slovakia during the interwar period of 1918 - 1939. The exposition of this period is filled up by a number of original exhibits and archive materials.
The period of 1939 – 1945 in the East Slovakia region occupies the largest space in the exposition. The area of this region was once again affected by events of World War II. which resulted in great loss of human lives and desolation of the region.
Authentic pictures of battles, personal relics, various types of weapons and other battlefield findings document this part of military history. The exposition includes 20km (12.43miles) long open-air museum representing Dukla battlefield where you can find heavy military weapons, reconstructed firing positions of artillery troops, bunkers and other military relics of World War II.