Established on 2 June 1965, the Museum in Svidník now bears the name of the Military Historical Institute. On 4 October 1969, which was the 25 anniversary of the Battle of the Dukla Pass, the first exhibition was opened.

The main exhibition documents military history in the region of Eastern Slovakia from 1914 until 1945. It highlights the military and strategic importance of the Dukla Pass during both world wars. The first part of the exhibition documents the history of World War I in the border areas in Eastern Slovakia. Particular attention was given to the offensive strategy at the Dukla Pass in 1914.

The Memorial of the Soviet Army in Svidník, designed by eng. K. Lodr, V. Šedivý and J. Krumprecht, was unveiled in1954. The authors of sculptural works are academic sculptors O. Kozák, J. Hana and F. Gibala. The monument is 37 m high, and the star on its top is 3.5 m wide. On the right side of the monument, there is a relief called “Partisan Patrol in the Slovak National Uprising”, while on the left side, there is another one, entitled “Attack of the Soviet Army”. In front of the monument, there is a 4-metre high bronze sculpture of a Soviet soldier saluting over the burial place of the fallen. Its authors are J. Bartoš and J. Hana.

The entry to the “Valley of Death” is marked by a monument in which a Soviet T-34 tank crushes a German tank. It was here that the heaviest tank fighting of Soviet units in Europe took place between 25 and 27 October 1944, after crossing the Czechoslovak borders. The “Valley of Death” also encompasses the area of the village of Kružlová, situated in a valley created by the brook Svidničanka. It takes around 40 minutes to walk the “Valley of Death”. Preserved combat equipment is located along the road. Every two years, reconstruction of World War II fighting is organised here.

The road from Svidník to the Dukla Pass goes through villages in a historic region: Ladomirová, Hunkovce, Krajná Poľana, Nižný Komárnik, and Vyšný Komárnik. At the crossroads before the "Valley of Death” stands an exhibit called “the Ram”. It was placed there to remind visitors of one of the bloodiest tank combats of the Second World War fought in Czechoslovakia. Before the village of Hunkovce, there is a cemetery in which over 500 German soldiers were interred.

The enemy's defense HQ during the fighting was located in the hills Prokopec and Obšár over Krajna Poľana.

Vyšný Komárnik was the first village near the Dukla Pass to be liberated, which took place on 6 October 1944.