The Museum of Lublin prepared, in cooperation with the National Museum - Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania in Vilnius, an exhibition entitled "Lublin - a city of the Union between Lithuania and Poland". It will be presented from July 6 to November 24. The vernissage was attended by the representatives from the Lublin City Office: Mr. Mariusz Banach, Deputy President, Mr. Jarosław Pakuła, Chairman of the Lublin City Council and Ms. Elżbieta Daszyńska, Director of the Public Contract Office.
The main aspect of the exhibition is the painting by Jan Matejko "Union of Lublin" daily present in the Museum of Lublin. It is accompanied by the exposition of nearly 60 easel paintings and engravings from the collection of the Museum. They present the rich history of the city, with particular emphasis on the places where the Union Parliament was held and mostly the proclamation of the new country - the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Lublin Castle, the Basilica of the Dominicans and the Monument of Union in the Lithuanian Square). The location of the city, its size and the presence of the royal residence made Lublin a centre of political life for more than half a year. It was a convenient occasion for Polish and Lithuanian Members of Parliament. The Union of Lublin events have become a permanent part of the city history. The castle hill stretched between Grodzka and Krakowska gates, the corners of the Old Town, figures of the Lublin temples and the representative Krakowskie Przedmiescie street constitute the image of the city. That historic moment of joining two nations, gave rise to the processes of forming a modern Europe.
The exceptionality and importance of the Lublin Union Act was also reflected in the work of the most important Polish historical painter Jan Matejko. He created a piece commemorating the pivotal moment of reading and signing the document.
The exhibition in Vilnius is addressed to the Lithuanian audience and presents Lublin as one of the most dynamically developing Polish cities of the modern times. The exhibition is accompanied by a magnificent, richly illustrated catalogue, in three language versions: Polish, Lithuanian and English.
The curators of the exhibition are: Dr. Andrzej Frejlich, Anna Hałata, Bożena Kasperowicz (Lublin Museum).
