On 1 July 1569, in the ordinary Sejm session held in Lublin, the legal act of the union of the Great Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland was executed. The thus established Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth had become one of the most powerful political organisms in Europe at that time. A special resolution adopted not long ago by the members of the Polish Parliament during the 82nd parliamentary session, highlights the fact that: “The Polish-Lithuanian Union inaugurated the emergence of a state governed under a unique political system and belongs to the most important developments of the 16th century in Europe.”

This year marks the 450th anniversary of the Union of Lublin. On this occasion, on Sunday, 30 June, celebrations to commemorate this historical date were held in Lublin. The event was attended, among others, by the speakers of the Lower and Upper Houses of the Polish Parliament (Sejm and Senat), the speaker of the Lithuanian Parliament: Seimas, Polish top governmental officials and a number of foreign guests, including delegations from Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, the Czech Republic and Hungary.

After the church service and mass in the archcathedral of Lublin and the placement of  flower wreaths under the monument commemorating the Union of Lublin, the guests walked to the Meeting of Cultures Center that hosted a discussion devoted to the significance of the European legacy of the Union, followed by a concert.

To commemorate this occasion, the Chancellery of the Sejm published a unique album in English entitled “The Union of Lublin, 1569”. BALAJCZA Linguistic Services took an active part in the preparation of the publication. Parts of the texts and captions of the pictures and photographs were translated by our translators and reviewed by our proofreaders who are native speakers of the English language.

*The photograph features an album published by the Chancellery of the Polish Parliament (Sejm) in English, entitled “The Union of Lublin, 1569.”