The Constitution of the Polis-Lithuanian Commonwealth, May 3, 1791

A thematic book exhibition “The Constitution of the Polis-Lithuanian Commonwealth, May 3, 1791” (230 of the adoption) is on show in the Legal Information Reading Room (207b) from April 2 to May 16.

The Constitution of 3 May 1791, titled Governance Act, was a constitution adopted by the Great Sejm ("Four-Year Sejm" meeting in 1788-92) for the Polis-Lithuanian Commonwealth, a dual monarchy comprising the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The Constitution was designed to correct the Commonwealth's political flaws. It was the first democratic Constitution in Europe and the second (after USA) in the world. All the contemporary legal principles were reflected in the Constitution. The Constitution sought to implement a more effective constitutional monarchy, introduced political equality between townspeople and nobility, and placed the peasants under the government's protection, etc. The Constitution influenced the legal system of Belarus a lot.

The exposition consists of 70 documents: books, mongrphs, periodicals in russian and polish languages.

The target audience are lawyers, historians and scientists, professors and students and all of history interst.

The opening hours of the exhibition correspond to the library’s opening hours.
Admission is by a library card or by the Social and Cultural Center ticket.

For more info: (+375 17) 293 27 28.

Special Collections Service Department