Constitution of May 3 was adopted by the Extraordinary Sejm of the Polish-Lithuanian
Commonwealth in 1791. This document is considered to be the first
constitution in Europe and the second in the world (after the US Constitution). According to the Constitution of May 3, Poland was
proclaimed a hereditary constitutional monarchy with a parliament elected every
two years. A year later, as
the result of division of the country's territory between Kingdom of Prussia,
Russian and Austrian Empires, Poland lost its independence for more than two centuries. In Poland, May 3 was and still is celebrated as a national holiday.
It should be mentioned that the celebrations in early 20th
century involved less participants than the celebrations held earlier, in the
last third of the 19th century. The latter were held on the wave of euphoria resulting from gaining
autonomy, also the participants of the January Uprising (1863/1864) took part
in those.
Event description with localization
Celebration of the 123rd anniversary of the Constitution started in Lviv on
May 2 with a ceremonial meeting in the City Hall assembly room. A meeting of the Polish Scouts was held in the
"Zalizna Voda" park which gathered up to 500 people. In the evening there were barrels with tar burning on
the High Castle, and orchestras were marching and playing along the streets of
Lviv.
On May 3 many buildings in Lviv were decorated with
white-and-red ribbons, flowers, greenery and stickers with the image of a white
eagle. At 6 a.m. on the High Castle there was a meeting of youth who were
singing patriotic songs, at 8 a.m. a traditional Polish hejnał could be heard from the
City Hall. At 10:00 a.m. the
participants of the celebration, mainly members of the sports paramilitary
Polish society "Sokil" gathered at the stadium, occupying also the upper part
of Lychakivska Str. At 10:30 a.m. here, at the field altar, the Mass was
celebrated. For peasants from the surrounding villages the field
kitchen was arranged in the Ivan Franko Park (former Jesuit Garden).
After that a festive procession was organized to the Adam
Mickiewicz monument located in the city center. It was headed by the mounted units of "Sokil", followed by the
representatives of village organizations from the Lviv suburbs, fire brigades, the
City Council representatives, participants of the 1863 Uprising, scouts, schoolchildren, guild representatives, and the
Society of Jewish Craftsmen and Industrial Workers (Towarzystwo żydowskich
rękodzielników przemyslowców). At about 2 p.m. the tail of the column reached the monument. The citizens interested in the ceremony watched it from
the windows, balconies and even roofs of buildings in Lychakivska Street. In
particular, they welcomed the members of village organizations of "Sokil" with
applause.
In the evening, ceremonial meetings
were held in public organizations and societies which participated in the
celebrations. And the "Sokil" Riflemen brigade held a training
on the waste grounds near Lychakivska str. outside the city limits.
Sources
- "Gazeta Lwowska", 1914, №№ 100, 101.
- "Kurier Lwowski", 1914, №№ 178, 180, 181.
- Pochód Sokołów (Lwów: Nakladem choru "Sokoła"), 4.
- Skorowidz adresowy Krol. Stol. miasta Lwowa (Lwow, 1910).
- Історія Львова, Т. 2 (Львів: "Центр Європи", 2007).
- Мельник Б. В., Довідник перейменувань вулиць і площ Львова. ХІІІ–ХХ століття (Львів: "Світ", 2001).
By Nazar Kis
