The observation tower stands on the Slovak–Polish state border, on the edge of the cadastral territory of the village of Vyšný Komárnik. Situated along the ridge of a hill, it offers visitors panoramic views of the battlefields of the Carpathian–Dukla Operation of 1944. It occupies the site of the original wooden observation post used by Ludvík Svoboda, commander of the 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps.
Aware of both the building's symbolic significance and the exceptional character of its setting, the young architectural team conceived the tower as a confident architectural landmark within the surrounding natural landscape. The structure consists of a sculptural base from which rises a 49-metre-high pylon that also serves as the building's circulation core. Suspended from it are two irregularly shaped observation cabins. The expressive massing is further reinforced through the choice of materials. Both the base and the pylon were cast in situ in fair-faced reinforced concrete, preserving the imprint of the formwork on their surfaces. Exposed concrete was also left visible throughout the interior. The observation cabins were clad in dark-stained timber, while the architects experimented with coloured anodised aluminium window frames.
The internal layout was designed to ensure both the smooth circulation of visitors and a coherent sequence of the exhibition. The original display included a three-dimensional relief model of the battlefield, panoramic photographs, an illuminated map, and a tape recording of an address by General of the Army Ludvík Svoboda. The interior also featured artworks by the academic sculptors Arpád Račka and František Patočka, the academic painter Svetozár Králik, and the artist Stanislav Koreň, all of which drew their themes from the history of the liberation battles.
With its striking form and commanding location, the tower possesses a powerful architectural presence. Its original Brutalist character, however, was partially compromised during a renovation in 2022, when the building lost its original façade cladding system.
author of the description: Monika Bočková
Bibliography:
RAŠI, Ján: Vyhliadková veža na Dukle. Projekt 1975, roč. 17, č. 4, s. 9-10.
NAHÁLKA, Peter: Vyhliadková veža na Dukle. Urbanita 1978, roč. 5, č. 1, s. 31-37.
