town was almost completely destroyed, and the Russians did not retreat until May 1915 (see Gorlice–Tarnów Offensive). In the Second Polish Republic, Dukla belonged to Krosno County of Lwów Voivodeship. In the spring of 1939, Border Protection Corps Battalion Dukla was formed, to protect Polish - Slovakian border. German occupation spelled the end of Jewish presence in the town, which dated back hundreds of years. In prewar Dukla, Jews were in the majority. Germans opened here a ghetto, which was liquidated on August 13, 1942, when some 500 Jews were shot near the village of Tylawa. In 1940, the 1758 synagogue was burned. In 1944, the Battle of the Dukla Pass took place here, after which 90% of the town was in ruins. After the war, Dukla belonged to Rzeszów Voivodeship, and from 1975 to 1998 to Krosno Voivodeship. On June 9, 1997, the town was visited by Pope John Paul II, who mentioned his visits to Dukla as a young priest, and talked in his sermon about one of the most famous residents of the town, John of Dukla, one of the patron saints of Poland and Lithuania. Points of interest Market square with a Renaissance town hall (17th century); Ruins of a 16th-century border tax office; Ruins of a synagogue (1758); Dukla Palace with a park (1636). The palace was remodelled in 1764–65 by Jerzy August Mniszech and his wife Maria Amalia von Brühl. Currently, it serves as a History Museum, with World War II-era weapons on display, together with a small display of Tarnowski family memorabilia; Rococo St. Maria Magdalena parish church (1764), with tomb of Franciszek Stadnicki (1742–1810), and Maria Amalia von Brühl; Complex of a Bernardine abbey and church (1731), with the church itself built in 1761–1764. In the church there is the coffin of St. John of Dukla; Ruins of a brewery (1750–1799); Park chapel (1875) for the Męcinski family; World War I and World War II cemetery. Notable people Alfred Biesiadecki (1839–1889), Polish pathologist Joseph Samuel Bloch, Austrian Rabbi Pinchas Hirschsprung, Polish-Canadian Hassidic Rabbi John of Dukla, Polish Saint in Roman Catholic Church Hiking trails European walking route E8 Prešov - Mihaľov - Kurimka - Dukla - Iwonicz-Zdrój - Rymanów-Zdrój - Puławy - Tokarnia (778 m) - Kamień (717 m) – Komańcza - Cisna - Ustrzyki Górne - Tarnica - Wołosate. References External links Official website of Dukla (in Polish) Jewish community of