Documentary Exhibition for National Unity Day

National Unity Day is celebrated on September 17. It is a national holiday of the Republic of Belarus, established by Decree No.206 of the President of the Republic of Belarus A.G.Lukashenko dated June 7, 2021. The inclusion of September 17 in the calendar of memorable and significant events in the history of the Republic of Belarus is a tribute to the hundreds and thousands of Belarusians who refused to accept the injustice of the 1921 Riga Peace Treaty, which divided the country, and fought for its reunification.

On September 17, 2025, the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus opened a documentary exhibition dedicated to National Unity Day at the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus. The documents presented at the exhibition reflect the most important events of the autumn of 1939. The exhibition features thematic banners, display copies of archival documents, and photographs from the Belarusian State Archive of Film, Photo, and Sound Documents (hereinafter referred to as BGAKFFD).

From October 28-30, 1939, the People’s Assembly of Western Belarus was held in Bialystok. This was essentially a popular referendum on the future of the Western Belarusian region. The documents adopted at the assembly—on state power, on the incorporation of Western Belarus into the BSSR, on land, and on the nationalization of banks and large industrial enterprises—played a significant role in the further development of Belarusian statehood, the economy, culture, and education.

As part of the exhibition, employees of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus examined archival documents from the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus.

1. Documentary exhibition dedicated to National Unity Day at the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus

2. Archival documents from the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus and photographs from the Belarusian State Archive of the Republic of Belarus

3. Employees of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus viewing the documentary exhibition