https://doi.org/10.21697/zp.2025.25.4.04
The interwar period was a historic time for Poland’s judiciary. Not only was it the time when the foundations of the country’s current legal system were laid, but it also sowed the seeds of the authority enjoyed by the Polish State, restored after 123 years of nonexistence, and the people’s trust in its judicial system. This was by no means an easy matter, especially as the Partitioning Powers which had dismembered the country in the late eighteenth century and deprived it of independence had left a negative legacy of general distrust of state authorities. This article describes the regulations and organization of court proceedings in force at the time in criminal, civil, administrative, and military matters, which impacted on the externals of litigation. It presents the evolution that occurred in the general attitude to questions of court dress, the organization of proceedings, the interior decoration of courtrooms, and the sequence of events and order of precedence practiced in hearings. The article also discusses the form of the oath, including its religious aspect and the material attributes that accompanied the taking of the oath.
The aim of the review carried out in this article is to assess whether and to what extent such externals shaped the conduct and appearance of court proceedings, whether it endowed them with a ceremonial character, and if so, to what purpose was it done.
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