«Autumn of 1939» Documentary Exhibition
September 17 marks National Unity Day, a public holiday in the Republic of Belarus established by the President of the Republic of Belarus in 2021. The inclusion of National Unity Day in the calendar of memorable and significant events in the history of the Republic of Belarus serves as a tribute to the hundreds of thousands of Belarusians who refused to accept the injustice of the 1921 Peace of Riga—which had partitioned the country—and who fought for its reunification.
On September 17, 2026, the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus presented the «Autumn of 1939» documentary exhibition, dedicated to National Unity Day, at the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus. The documents from the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus and photographs from the Belarusian State Archives of Film, Photo, and Sound Recordings displayed at the exhibition reflect key events from the autumn of 1939.
The People’s Assembly of Western Belarus took place in Białystok from October 28 to 30, 1939; it was effectively a popular referendum on the future of the Western Belarusian region. The documents adopted there—concerning state authority, the incorporation of Western Belarus into the BSSR, land issues, and the nationalization of banks and large industrial enterprises—played a vital role in the subsequent development of Belarusian statehood, the economy, culture, and education.
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| 1. Exhibition poster |
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| 2. Documentary exhibition at the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus |
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| 3. Ministry of Justice staff at the exhibition |
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| 4. Archival documents at the exhibition |
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| 5. Archival documents at the exhibition |
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| 6. Archival documents at the exhibition |
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| 7. Ministry of Justice staff viewing the exhibition |