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DEMOCRACY THROUGH LAW
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DEMOCRACY THROUGH LAW

From 11 October to 6 January 2026

Doge's Palace in Venice

Doge's Palace in Venice

Piazza San Marco, 1, Venice

Closed now: open at 09:00

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From October 11, 2025 to January 6, 2026, Palazzo Ducale will host the exhibition Democracy through Law. From the Most Serene Republic to the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, an activity that is part of the celebrations for the thirty-fifth anniversary of the European Commission. Commonly known as the Venice Commission, it is an advisory body on constitutional matters of the Council of Europe composed of legal experts such as judges, jurists, and constitutionalists. It is a broad agreement, with 61 members: the 46 member states of the Council of Europe along with 15 other non-member states and 4 observer countries. The Secretariat is located in Strasbourg and the Commission meets in plenary four times a year in Venice, at the Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista. It adopts non-binding opinions, usually unanimously, which can be requested by European institutions and national parliaments in order to monitor compliance with democracy, the rule of law, and human rights in national or European legislation. The exhibition, born from the collaboration between the Italian seat of the Council of Europe, the Venice Commission, the Archival and Bibliographic Superintendence of Veneto and Trentino - Alto Adige, the State Archive of Venice, the Foundation of Civic Museums of Venice and the Regional Council of Veneto, offers an interesting historical-legal comparison between the laws founding the elective system of the Most Serene Republic and the modern rule of law established in Europe. The exhibition path tells the story of law and democracy, intertwining it with the city of Venice as a model of government. The visit begins with the exhibition of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), the first convention of the Council of Europe which celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2025. Adopted in 1950, it is still today the cornerstone of the protection of fundamental rights in Europe. The European Court of Strasbourg guarantees its implementation in the 46 member states of the Council of Europe.
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Info and hours

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Piazza San Marco, 1, Venice, Italy

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Opening hours

opens - closes last entry
monday 09:00 - 19:00
tuesday 09:00 - 19:00
wednesday 09:00 - 19:00
thursday 09:00 - 19:00
friday 09:00 - 19:00
saturday 09:00 - 19:00
sunday 09:00 - 19:00


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