Treasures from the National Library of Poland in "The Palace of the Commonwealth" album
On the occasion of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, held from January to June 2025, the National Library of Poland has prepared a special publication dedicated to the most precious treasures of Polish literature and culture.
For six months, the Palace of the Commonwealth at Krasiński Square in Warsaw – the Library’s second home – served as a venue for numerous official dinners and meetings attended by EU officials and heads of governments. The publication The Palace of the Commonwealth, conceived as a commemorative album, presents the Palace, opened to the public for the first time in May 2024, along with the cultural treasures it houses.
Designed by Professor Aleksandra Toborowicz of the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków, the album features an elegant, minimalist layout and offers readers the opportunity to explore artefacts that bear witness to both Polish and international literary and cultural history. It showcases items that have long formed part of the shared heritage of the nations of the Polish Commonwealth – from more recent manuscripts by Chopin and Górecki to ancient maps by Ptolemy. Many of these works belong not only to Polish heritage, but to the wider canon of world culture.
The publication includes illustrations of objects available in the permanent exhibition at the Palace of the Commonwealth, accompanied by concise descriptions prepared by Dr. Tomasz Makowski and other experts from the National Library of Poland.
The publication has been co-financed with funds allocated to cultural events related to the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
