Abandonment of a Thing: The Legal Construction and the Possibility to Exercise This Right in Polish Law

Abstract

The article is intended to show, using the examples from Polish law, how strongly the owner’s right to abandon a thing is limited. First of all, the legal structure of the abandonment and its current, very universal legal form are presented. Next, some categories of things that cannot be abandoned in Polish law are distinguished, and further examples of relevant private and public law regulations are provided. Finally, the conclusion is drawn that, despite the granted right to abandon a thing, it is usually not problematic to abandon only completely safe things of low economic value.