100 Notable alumni of
Jagiellonian University

Updated:

EduRank

Jagiellonian University is 61st in the world, 21st in Europe, and 2nd in Poland by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 100 notable alumni from Jagiellonian University sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff.

  1. John Paul II

    John Paul II
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1920-2005 (aged 85)
    Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
    1953-1954 graduated with Doctor of Sacred Theology
    Occupations
    writerLatin Catholic priesthuman rights activistCatholic bishoppoet
    Biography

    Pope John Paul II was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his death in 2005.

  2. Nicolaus Copernicus

    Nicolaus Copernicus
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1473-1543 (aged 70)
    Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
    Studied in 1491-1495
    Occupations
    philosophercanonastronomerlegal scholarmathematician
    Biography

    Nicolaus Copernicus was a Renaissance polymath, active as a mathematician, astronomer, and Catholic canon, who formulated a model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than Earth at its center. In all likelihood, Copernicus developed his model independently of Aristarchus of Samos, an ancient Greek astronomer who had formulated such a model some eighteen centuries earlier.

  3. Andrzej Duda

    Andrzej Duda
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1972-.. (age 53)
    Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
    1991-1996 graduated with magister degree in jurisprudence
    Occupations
    university teacherpoliticianjuristlawyer
    Biography

    Andrzej Sebastian Duda is a Polish lawyer and politician who has been the sixth and current president of Poland since 2015. Before becoming president, he served as Member of the Sejm (MP) from 2011 to 2014 and as Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 2014 to 2015.

  4. John III Sobieski

    John III Sobieski
    Born in
    Ukraine Flag Ukraine
    Years
    1629-1696 (aged 67)
    Occupations
    monarchpoliticianmilitary leader
    Biography

    John III Sobieski was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1674 until his death in 1696.

  5. Wisława Szymborska

    Wisława Szymborska
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1923-2012 (aged 89)
    Occupations
    translatorwritercriticessayistmechanic
    Biography

    Maria Wisława Anna Szymborska was a Polish poet, essayist, translator, and recipient of the 1996 Nobel Prize in Literature. Born in Prowent (now part of Kórnik in west-central Poland), she resided in Kraków until the end of her life. In Poland, Szymborska's books have reached sales rivaling prominent prose authors', though she wrote in a poem, "Some Like Poetry" ("Niektórzy lubią poezję"), that "perhaps" two in a thousand people like poetry.

  6. Beata Szydło

    Beata Szydło
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1963-.. (age 62)
    Occupations
    ethnologistpolitician
    Biography

    Beata Maria Szydło is a Polish politician who has served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) since 2019. A member of Law and Justice (PiS), she previously served as the prime minister of Poland from 2015 to 2017. Szydło became the third woman to hold the office, after Hanna Suchocka and her immediate predecessor Ewa Kopacz. She currently is a vice-chair of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group in the European Parliament. She is considered to have been a de iure leader of Poland, with the de facto leader being Jarosław Kaczyński, the leader of the party Szydło is a member of.

  7. Ivo Andrić

    Ivo Andrić
    Born in
    Bosnia and Herzegovina Flag Bosnia and Herzegovina
    Years
    1892-1975 (aged 83)
    Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
    In 1914 studied philosophy
    Occupations
    short story writerdiplomatpoetwriternovelist
    Biography

    Ivo Andrić was a Yugoslav novelist, poet and short story writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1961. His writings dealt mainly with life in his native Bosnia under Ottoman rule.

  8. Jan Kochanowski

    Jan Kochanowski
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1530-1584 (aged 54)
    Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
    In 1544 studied liberal arts education
    Occupations
    writertranslatorplaywrightpoet
    Biography

    Jan Kochanowski was a Polish Renaissance poet who wrote in Latin and Polish and established poetic patterns that would become integral to Polish literary language. He has been called the greatest Polish poet before Adam Mickiewicz (the latter, a leading Romantic writer) and one of the most influential Slavic poets prior to the 19th century.

  9. Bronisław Malinowski

    Bronisław Malinowski
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1884-1942 (aged 58)
    Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
    Graduated with Doctor of Philosophy in physical sciences and mathematics
    Occupations
    photographeranthropologistethnographeruniversity teacherethnologist
    Biography

    Bronisław Kasper Malinowski was a Polish anthropologist and ethnologist whose writings on ethnography, social theory, and field research have exerted a lasting influence on the discipline of anthropology.

  10. Krzysztof Penderecki

    Krzysztof Penderecki
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1933-2020 (aged 87)
    Occupations
    violinistmusic educatorpedagogueconductorcomposer
    Biography

    Krzysztof Eugeniusz Penderecki was a Polish composer and conductor. His best-known works include Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima, Symphony No. 3, his St Luke Passion, Polish Requiem, Anaklasis and Utrenja. His oeuvre includes five operas, eight symphonies and other orchestral pieces, a variety of instrumental concertos, choral settings of mainly religious texts, as well as chamber and instrumental works.

  11. Juli Zeh

    Juli Zeh
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1974-.. (age 51)
    Occupations
    essayistjudgewriterscience fiction writerjurist
    Biography

    Juli Zeh is a German writer and judge. She is known for novels such as The Method (2009), Unterleuten (2016) and About People (2021).

  12. Jan Matejko

    Jan Matejko
    Years
    1838-1893 (aged 55)
    Occupations
    painteruniversity teacher
    Biography

    Jan Alojzy Matejko was a Polish painter, a leading 19th-century exponent of history painting, known for depicting nodal events from Polish history. His works include large scale oil paintings such as Stańczyk (1862), Rejtan (1866), Union of Lublin (1869), Astronomer Copernicus, or Conversations with God (1873), or Battle of Grunwald (1878). He was the author of numerous portraits, a gallery of Polish monarchs in book form, and murals in St. Mary's Basilica, Kraków. He is considered by many as the most celebrated Polish painter, and sometimes as the "national painter" of Poland.

  13. Agata Kornhauser-Duda

    Agata Kornhauser-Duda
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1972-.. (age 53)
    Occupations
    teacherGermanist
    Biography

    Agata Kornhauser-Duda is a Polish former teacher and the current First Lady of Poland. She is married to the president of Poland, Andrzej Duda.

  14. Zbigniew Ziobro

    Zbigniew Ziobro
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1970-.. (age 55)
    Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
    In 1994 graduated with magister degree in law
    Occupations
    politicianjuristlawyer
    Biography

    Zbigniew Tadeusz Ziobro is a Polish politician. He served as the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Poland in the Cabinet of Mateusz Morawiecki until 27 November 2023. He previously served in the same role from October 2005 to November 2007, simultaneously serving as the Public Prosecutor General. He was elected to the Sejm on 25 September 2005 in the 13th Kraków district, running on the Law and Justice party list. He received over 120,000 votes in the parliamentary election, the highest percentage constituency results in the election.

  15. Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz

    Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1981-.. (age 44)
    Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
    Studied in 2006
    Occupations
    politicianphysician
    Biography

    Władysław Marcin Kosiniak-Kamysz is a Polish physician and politician. Since 2023, he has served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Poland and the Minister of National Defence and since 2015, he has served as the chairman of the Polish People's Party (PSL). From 2011 to 2015, he was Minister of Labour and Social Affairs in the governments of Donald Tusk and Ewa Kopacz. He was a candidate for president in 2020.

  16. Jerzy Stuhr

    Jerzy Stuhr
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1947-2024 (aged 77)
    Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
    In 1970 studied Polish literature
    Occupations
    directorfilm actoruniversity teachertheatrical directorfilm director
    Biography

    Jerzy Oskar Stuhr was a Polish film and theatre actor. Considered one of the most popular, influential and versatile Polish actors and an icon of Polish cinema, he also worked as a screenwriter, film director, voice actor and drama professor. He served as the rector of the Ludwik Solski Academy for the Dramatic Arts in Kraków for two terms: from 1990 to 1996 and again from 2002 to 2008.

  17. Stanisław Wyspiański

    Stanisław Wyspiański
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1869-1907 (aged 38)
    Occupations
    playwrightpedagoguescenographerarchitectwriter
    Biography

    Stanisław Mateusz Ignacy Wyspiański was a Polish playwright, painter and poet, as well as interior and furniture designer. A patriotic writer, he created a series of symbolic, national dramas within the artistic philosophy of the Young Poland Movement.

  18. Ivan Fyodorov

    Ivan Fyodorov
    Years
    1510-1583 (aged 73)
    Occupations
    publisherprintertypographer
    Biography

    Ivan Fyodorov or Ivan Fеdorov sometimes transliterated as Fiodorov, was one of the fathers of Eastern Slavonic printing (along with Schweipolt Fiol and Francysk Skaryna). He was also a skilled cannon maker and the inventor of a multibarreled mortar. Fyodorov was forced out of Moscow because of his attempts to employ the “blasphemous” new printing techniques, and found refuge in Poland–Lithuania, first in Zabłudów, then most notably in Ostroh, where he was instrumental in the publication of the Ostrog Bible.

  19. Karl Radek

    Karl Radek
    Born in
    Ukraine Flag Ukraine
    Years
    1885-1939 (aged 54)
    Occupations
    university teacherrevolutionarypoliticianpolitical prisonerjournalist
    Biography

    Karl Berngardovich Radek was a revolutionary and writer active in the Polish and German social democratic movements before World War I and a Communist International leader in the Soviet Union after the Russian Revolution.

  20. Ryszard Terlecki

    Ryszard Terlecki
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1949-.. (age 76)
    Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
    In 1976 graduated with magister degree in study of history
    Occupations
    university teacherpoliticianhistorianjournalist
    Biography

    Ryszard Iwon Terlecki is a Polish politician, the Parliamentary Caucus Head of the Law and Justice party between 2015–2023. Terlecki, a historian and professor of humanities, lectures at the Pontifical University of John Paul II. He is a member of the Sejm, serving since 2007. He served as the Deputy Marshal of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland 2015–2023.

  21. Jarosław Gowin

    Jarosław Gowin
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1961-.. (age 64)
    Occupations
    university teacherpoliticianphilosopheropinion journalist
    Biography

    Jarosław Adam Gowin is a Polish conservative politician and editor. Gowin served as Minister of Justice in the cabinet of Prime Minister Donald Tusk between 2011 and 2013, and as Minister of Science and Higher Education in the cabinet of Mateusz Morawiecki between 2015 and 2020, Minister of Economic Development, Labour and Technology and Deputy Prime Minister from October 2020 until his dismissal in August 2021.

  22. Maciej Stuhr

    Maciej Stuhr
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1975-.. (age 50)
    Occupations
    actorfilm actorstage actorcomedianperforming artist
    Biography

    Maciej Jerzy Stuhr is a Polish actor, comedian and occasional film director. In 2022, he was the recipient of the Polish Academy Award for Best Actor.

  23. Francysk Skaryna

    Francysk Skaryna
    Born in
    Belarus Flag Belarus
    Years
    1486-1541 (aged 55)
    Occupations
    entrepreneurphysicianBible translatorpublisherwriter
    Biography

    Francysk Skaryna was a Belarusian humanist, physician, and translator. He is known to be one of the first book printers in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and in all of Eastern Europe, laying the groundwork for the development of the Belarusian izvod of the Church Slavonic language.

  24. Józef Cyrankiewicz

    Józef Cyrankiewicz
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1911-1989 (aged 78)
    Occupations
    politician
    Biography

    Józef Adam Zygmunt Cyrankiewicz was a Polish Socialist (PPS) and after 1948 Communist politician. He served as premier of the Polish People's Republic between 1947 and 1952, and again for 16 years between 1954 and 1970. He also served as Chairman of the Polish Council of State from 1970 to 1972.

  25. Adam Bielecki

    Adam Bielecki
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1983-.. (age 42)
    Occupations
    mountaineer
    Biography

    Adam Radosław Bielecki is a Polish alpine and high-altitude climber, known for the first winter ascents of the eight-thousanders: Gasherbrum I and Broad Peak. In his book Spod zamarzniętych powiek, written with co-author Dominik Szczepański, Bielecki tells the story of his climbings, memories from Himalayan expeditions, and the effort the highest mountains demand.

  26. Zbigniew Herbert

    Zbigniew Herbert
    Born in
    Ukraine Flag Ukraine
    Years
    1924-1998 (aged 74)
    Occupations
    authorpoetessayistwriterplaywright
    Biography

    Zbigniew Herbert was a Polish poet, essayist, drama writer and moralist. He is one of the best known and the most translated post-war Polish writers. While he was first published in the 1950s (a volume titled Chord of Light was issued in 1956), soon after he voluntarily ceased submitting most of his works to official Polish government publications. He resumed publication in the 1980s, initially in the underground press. Since the 1960s, he has been nominated several times for the Nobel Prize in Literature. His books have been translated into 38 languages.

  27. Małgorzata Wassermann

    Małgorzata Wassermann
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1978-.. (age 47)
    Occupations
    lawyerpolitician
    Biography

    Małgorzata Ewa Wassermann is a Polish politician of Law and Justice. She has been a member of the Sejm since 2015, and was the candidate of Law and Justice for mayor of Kraków in 2018. She is the daughter of Zbigniew Wassermann, who died in the Smolensk air disaster in 2010.

  28. Robert Makłowicz

    Robert Makłowicz
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1963-.. (age 62)
    Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
    1982-1989 studied law and history
    Occupations
    travelerjournalistwritertelevision produceropinion journalist
    Biography

    Robert Witold Makłowicz is a Polish food critic, journalist, historian and television personality, notable as a promoter of the Polish cuisine and slow food. He is best known for his series of culinary TV programs Makłowicz w podróży (Makłowicz on the Road).

  29. Carl Menger

    Carl Menger
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1840-1921 (aged 81)
    Occupations
    professoreconomist
    Biography

    Carl Menger von Wolfensgrün was an Austrian economist who contributed to the marginal theory of value. Menger is considered the founder of the Austrian school of economics.

  30. Stanisław Sosabowski

    Stanisław Sosabowski
    Born in
    Ukraine Flag Ukraine
    Years
    1892-1967 (aged 75)
    Occupations
    military officer
    Biography

    Stanisław Franciszek Sosabowski CBE was a Polish general in World War II. He fought in the Polish Campaign of 1939 and at the Battle of Arnhem (Netherlands), as a part of Operation Market Garden, in 1944 as commander of the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade.

  31. Rudolf Weigl

    Rudolf Weigl
    Born in
    Czech Republic Flag Czech Republic
    Years
    1883-1957 (aged 74)
    Occupations
    university teacherphysicianbiologistimmunologist
    Biography

    Rudolf Stefan Jan Weigl was a Polish biologist, physician and inventor, known for creating the first effective vaccine against epidemic typhus. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Medicine each year between 1930 and 1934, and from 1936 to 1939.

  32. Krzysztof Zanussi

    Krzysztof Zanussi
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1939-.. (age 86)
    Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
    1959-1962 studied philosophy
    Occupations
    screenwriterwriterfilm directorfilm producer
    Biography

    Krzysztof Pius Zanussi is a Polish film and theatre director, producer and screenwriter. He is a professor of European film at the European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland where he conducts a summer workshop. He is also a professor at the Krzysztof Kieślowski Film School of the University of Silesia in Katowice.

  33. Ignacy Łukasiewicz

    Ignacy Łukasiewicz
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1822-1882 (aged 60)
    Occupations
    inventorpharmacistchemistentrepreneurpolitician
    Biography

    Jan Józef Ignacy Łukasiewicz was a Polish pharmacist, engineer, businessman, inventor, and philanthropist. He was one of the most prominent philanthropists in the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, crown land of Austria-Hungary. He was a pioneer who in 1856 built the world's first modern oil refinery.

  34. Edward Rydz-Śmigły

    Edward Rydz-Śmigły
    Born in
    Ukraine Flag Ukraine
    Years
    1886-1941 (aged 55)
    Occupations
    poetmilitary officerpoliticianpainterwriter
    Biography

    Marshal Edward Śmigły-Rydz [ˈɛdvard ˈrɨdz ˈɕmiɡwɨ] also called Edward Rydz-Śmigły, was a Polish politician, statesman, Marshal of Poland and Commander-in-Chief of Poland's armed forces, as well as a painter and poet.

  35. Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz

    Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1961-.. (age 64)
    Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
    In 1987 graduated with magister degree in study of history
    Occupations
    ministeropinion journalistpoliticianhistorianjournalist
    Biography

    Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz is a Polish politician who served as Minister of the Interior in the government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk from 25 February 2013 to 22 September 2014. From 13 December 2023 to 13 May 2024, Sienkiewicz has served as Minister of Culture and National Heritage in the third cabinet of Donald Tusk.

  36. Róża Thun

    Róża Thun
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1954-.. (age 71)
    Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
    In 1979 studied English studies
    Occupations
    translatorpolitician
    Biography

    Róża Maria Thun, is a Polish politician, more usually known as Róża Thun than by her formal style of Countess and from 1990 her style changed to Princess.

  37. Zbigniew Preisner

    Zbigniew Preisner
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1955-.. (age 70)
    Occupations
    composermusicianfilm score composer
    Biography

    Zbigniew Preisner is a Polish film score composer, best known for his work with film director Krzysztof Kieślowski. He is the recipient of the Gold Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis as well as the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta. He is a member of the French Film Academy.

  38. Mikołaj Rej

    Mikołaj Rej
    Born in
    Ukraine Flag Ukraine
    Years
    1505-1569 (aged 64)
    Occupations
    translatorpoetmusicianpoliticianwriter
    Biography

    Mikołaj Rej or Mikołaj Rey of Nagłowice was a Polish poet and prose writer of the emerging Renaissance in Poland as it succeeded the Middle Ages, as well as a politician and musician. He was the first Polish author to write exclusively in the Polish language, and is considered (with Biernat of Lublin and Jan Kochanowski), to be one of the founders of Polish literary language and literature.

  39. Jadwiga Emilewicz

    Jadwiga Emilewicz
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1974-.. (age 51)
    Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
    In 1998 studied political science
    Occupations
    cultural managerpoliticianpolitical scientist
    Biography

    Jadwiga Katarzyna Emilewicz is a Polish politician and political scientist. In 2020, she was Deputy Prime Minister of Poland. In 2019, she became Minister of Development, upon her three-year service as an undersecretary of state in the Ministry of Development, and from 2018 to 2019, she was Minister of Entrepreneurship and Technology in the government of Mateusz Morawiecki.

  40. Tadeusz Różewicz

    Tadeusz Różewicz
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1921-2014 (aged 93)
    Occupations
    playwrightpoetwritertranslatordramaturge
    Biography

    Tadeusz Różewicz was a Polish poet, playwright, writer, and translator. Różewicz was in the first generation of Polish writers born after Poland regained its independence in 1918, following the century of foreign partitions. He was born in Radomsko, near Łódź, in 1921. He first published his poetry in 1938. During World War II, he served in the Polish underground Home Army. His elder brother, Janusz, also a poet, was executed by the Gestapo in 1944 for serving in the Polish resistance movement. His younger brother, Stanisław, became a noted film director and screenwriter.

  41. Zygmunt Berling

    Zygmunt Berling
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1896-1980 (aged 84)
    Occupations
    military officer
    Biography

    Zygmunt Henryk Berling was a Polish general and politician. He fought for the independence of Poland in the early 20th century. Berling was a co-founder and commander of the First Polish Army, which fought on the Eastern Front of World War II.

  42. Wojciech Smarzowski

    Wojciech Smarzowski
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1963-.. (age 62)
    Occupations
    directorfilm directorscreenwriter
    Biography

    Wojciech Smarzowski is a Polish screenwriter and director. He studied filmmaking at the Jagiellonian University and the National Film School in Łódź (1990). His 2004 film, The Wedding (not to be confused with the Andrzej Wajda film of the same title) earned special jury mention at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 2005. He began his film career as a video camera operator.

  43. Wanda Półtawska

    Wanda Półtawska
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1921-2023 (aged 102)
    Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
    In 1951 studied medicine
    Occupations
    psychiatristphysician
    Biography

    Wanda Wiktoria Półtawska was a Polish physician, author, Holocaust survivor and pro-life activist.

  44. Vasyl Stefanyk

    Vasyl Stefanyk
    Born in
    Ukraine Flag Ukraine
    Years
    1871-1936 (aged 65)
    Occupations
    writerpoliticianshort story writer
    Biography

    Vasyl Semenovych Stefanyk was an influential Ukrainian modernist writer and political activist. He was a member of the Austrian parliament from 1908 to 1918.

  45. Norman Davies

    Norman Davies
    Born in
    United Kingdom Flag United Kingdom
    Years
    1939-.. (age 86)
    Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
    In 1968 graduated with Doctor of Philosophy
    Occupations
    historianuniversity teacher
    Biography

    Ivor Norman Richard Davies CMG FBA FRHistS is a British and Polish historian, known for his publications on the history of Europe, Poland and the United Kingdom. He has a special interest in Central and Eastern Europe and is UNESCO Professor at the Jagiellonian University, professor emeritus at University College London, a visiting professor at the Collège d'Europe, and an honorary fellow at St Antony's College, Oxford. He was granted Polish citizenship in 2014.

  46. Marian Banaś

    Marian Banaś
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1955-.. (age 70)
    Occupations
    politicianofficial
    Biography

    Marian Banaś is a Polish politician and civil servant. He served twice as Chief Executive of the Customs Service from 2005 to 2008 and 2015 to 2017. He briefly served in politics as the Minister of Finance for the First Cabinet of Mateusz Morawiecki from 4 June to 30 August 2019. He now serves as the President of the Supreme Audit Office, one of the oldest state institutions in Poland.

  47. Jan Długosz

    Jan Długosz
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1415-1480 (aged 65)
    Occupations
    Catholic bishopgeographermilitary personnelCatholic priesthistorian
    Biography

    Jan Długosz, also known in Latin as Johannes Longinus, was a Polish priest, chronicler, diplomat, soldier, and secretary to Bishop Zbigniew Oleśnicki of Kraków. He is considered Poland's first historian.

  48. Adam Stefan Sapieha

    Adam Stefan Sapieha
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1867-1951 (aged 84)
    Occupations
    Catholic bishoptheologianCatholic deaconCatholic priestpolitician
    Biography

    Prince Adam Stefan Stanisław Bonifacy Józef Sapieha was a Polish Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Kraków from 1911 to 1951. A member of the Polish nobility, between 1922 and 1923 he was a senator of the Second Polish Republic. In 1946, Pope Pius XII made him a cardinal.

  49. Małgosia Bela

    Małgosia Bela
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1977-.. (age 48)
    Occupations
    modelactor
    Biography

    Małgosia Bela is a Polish fashion model and actress. She made her debut as a runway model for Comme des Garçons, Givenchy, and Balenciaga in 1998, and appeared in various photoshoots for Vogue. In 2004, she made her film debut in the Polish film Ono, and in 2018 appeared in Luca Guadagnino's remake of Suspiria.

  50. Tadeusz Boy-Żeleński

    Tadeusz Boy-Żeleński
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1874-1941 (aged 67)
    Occupations
    translatorjournalistphysicianpoetuniversity teacher
    Biography

    Tadeusz Kamil Marcjan Żeleński, better known by his pen name Tadeusz Boy-Żeleński or simply as Boy, was a Polish stage writer, poet, critic and, above all, the translator of over 100 French literary classics into Polish. He was a pediatrician and gynecologist by profession.

  51. Jacek Majchrowski

    Jacek Majchrowski
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1947-.. (age 78)
    Occupations
    politicianhistorianteacher
    Biography

    Jacek Maria Majchrowski is a Polish politician, lawyer, historian, and professor at the Jagiellonian University, who served as the Mayor of Kraków between 2002 and 2024.

  52. Franciszek Macharski

    Franciszek Macharski
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1927-2016 (aged 89)
    Occupations
    Catholic priesttheologianCatholic bishop
    Biography

    Franciszek Macharski was a Polish cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He was appointed Archbishop of Kraków from 1978, named by Pope John Paul II to succeed him in that role. Macharski was elevated to the cardinalate in 1979, and resigned as archbishop in 2005.

  53. Wanda Wasilewska

    Wanda Wasilewska
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1905-1964 (aged 59)
    Occupations
    screenwriterpoliticianwriterplaywrightediting staff
    Biography

    Wanda Wasilewska, also known by her Russian name Vanda Lvovna Vasilevskaya (Russian: Ва́нда Льво́вна Василе́вская) (21 January 1905 – 29 July 1964), was a Polish and Soviet novelist and journalist and a left-wing political activist.

  54. Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer

    Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1865-1940 (aged 75)
    Occupations
    poetprose writerwriterjournalistplaywright
    Biography

    Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer was a Polish Goral poet, novelist, playwright, journalist and writer. He was a member of the Young Poland movement.

  55. Jakub Żulczyk

    Jakub Żulczyk
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1983-.. (age 42)
    Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
    Studied journalism studies
    Occupations
    writerjournalistscreenwriter
    Biography

    Jakub Żulczyk is a Polish writer and journalist who writes for Elle, Machina, Przekrój and Onet.pl. He lives in Warsaw.

  56. Hugo Kołłątaj

    Hugo Kołłątaj
    Born in
    Ukraine Flag Ukraine
    Years
    1750-1812 (aged 62)
    Occupations
    Catholic priestpoliticianuniversity teacherhistoriananthropologist
    Biography

    Hugo Stumberg Kołłątaj, also spelled Kołłątay, was a prominent Polish constitutional reformer and educationalist, and one of the most prominent figures of the Polish Enlightenment. He served as Deputy Chancellor of the Crown between 1791–92. He was a Catholic priest, social and political activist, political thinker, historian, philosopher, and polymath.

  57. Elżbieta Bieńkowska

    Elżbieta Bieńkowska
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1964-.. (age 61)
    Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
    Studied in 1996
    Occupations
    politicianeconomist
    Biography

    Elżbieta Ewa Bieńkowska is a Polish politician who served as Poland's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Regional Development and Transport before becoming a European Commissioner in the team of Jean-Claude Juncker from 2014 to 2019.

  58. Ryszard Legutko

    Ryszard Legutko
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1949-.. (age 76)
    Occupations
    politician
    Biography

    Ryszard Antoni Legutko is a Polish philosopher and politician. He is a professor of philosophy at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, specializing in ancient philosophy and political theory. A member of right-wing Law and Justice party domestically, Legutko has also served as a Member of the European Parliament since 2009, being a prominent member of the minority European Conservatives and Reformists political group.

  59. Stanisław Żółtek

    Stanisław Żółtek
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1956-.. (age 69)
    Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
    Studied mathematics
    Occupations
    entrepreneurpolitician
    Biography

    Stanisław Józef Żółtek is a Polish politician who is the current leader of the Congress of the New Right. He was a Member of the European Parliament representing Lesser Poland and Świętokrzyskie. He was a candidate for president of Poland in the 2020 Polish presidential election.

  60. Edward Ochab

    Edward Ochab
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1906-1989 (aged 83)
    Occupations
    politician
    Biography

    Edward Ochab was a Polish communist politician and top leader of Poland between March and October 1956.

  61. Joanna Lichocka

    Joanna Lichocka
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1969-.. (age 56)
    Occupations
    journalistpolitician
    Biography

    Joanna Lichocka is a Polish journalist and politician serving as a member of the Sejm since 2015. She has been member of the National Media Council since 2016.

  62. Yaroslav Stetsko

    Yaroslav Stetsko
    Born in
    Ukraine Flag Ukraine
    Years
    1912-1986 (aged 74)
    Occupations
    politician
    Biography

    Yaroslav Semenovych Stetsko was a Ukrainian politician, writer and ideologist who served as the leader of Stepan Bandera's faction of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, the OUN-B, from 1941 until his death. During the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, he was named the temporary head of an independent Ukrainian government which was declared in the act of restoration of the Ukrainian state. From 1942 to 1944, he was imprisoned in Sachsenhausen concentration camp. After World War II, Stetsko was the head of the Anti-Bolshevik Bloc of Nations until his death in 1986.

  63. Arkady Fiedler

    Arkady Fiedler
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1894-1985 (aged 91)
    Occupations
    military officertravelerwriterjournalistzoologist
    Biography

    Arkady Fiedler was a Polish writer, journalist and adventurer.

  64. Maciej Stryjkowski

    Maciej Stryjkowski
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1547-1593 (aged 46)
    Occupations
    writerhistorianpoetdiplomat
    Biography

    Maciej Stryjkowski was a Polish historian, writer and a poet, known as the author of Chronicle of Poland, Lithuania, Samogitia and all of Ruthenia (1582). The work is generally considered to be the first printed book on the history of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

  65. Jerzy Pilch

    Jerzy Pilch
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1952-2020 (aged 68)
    Occupations
    screenwriteropinion journalistwriterjournalistplaywright
    Biography

    Jerzy Pilch was a Polish writer, columnist, and journalist. He is the winner of the 2001 Nike Award for his novel Pod Mocnym Aniołem. Critics have compared Pilch's style to Witold Gombrowicz, Milan Kundera, or Bohumil Hrabal.

  66. Ignacy Daszyński

    Ignacy Daszyński
    Born in
    Ukraine Flag Ukraine
    Years
    1866-1936 (aged 70)
    Occupations
    politicianwriterstatespersonjournalist
    Biography

    Ignacy Ewaryst Daszyński was a Polish socialist politician, journalist, and very briefly Prime Minister of the Second Polish Republic's first government, formed in Lublin in 1918.

  67. Marek Jackowski

    Marek Jackowski
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1946-2013 (aged 67)
    Occupations
    guitarist
    Biography

    Marek Norbert Jackowski was a Polish rock musician, best known as a member of the rock band Maanam.

  68. Jacek Dukaj

    Jacek Dukaj
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1974-.. (age 51)
    Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
    Graduated with magister degree in philosophy
    Occupations
    writerscience fiction writerauthor
    Biography

    Jacek Józef Dukaj is a Polish science fiction and fantasy writer. His fiction explores such themes as alternate history, alternative physics and logic, human nature, religion, the relationship between science and power, technological singularity, artificial intelligence, and transhumanism. He is regarded among the most popular Polish contemporary science fiction authors.

  69. Jan Sztaudynger

    Jan Sztaudynger
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1904-1970 (aged 66)
    Occupations
    writertranslatorsatiristpoet
    Biography

    Jan Izydor Sztaudynger was a Polish poet and satirist who enjoyed enormous popularity after World War II.

  70. Paweł Kowal

    Paweł Kowal
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1975-.. (age 50)
    Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
    In 1999 studied study of history
    Occupations
    opinion journalistpoliticianhistorianpolitical scientistmuseologist
    Biography

    Paweł Robert Kowal is a Polish politician and former Member of the European Parliament. During his time in the EP, he served as the Chairman of the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Cooperation Committee in the European Parliament.

  71. Jan Rokita

    Jan Rokita
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1959-.. (age 66)
    Occupations
    politiciantrade unionistlawyeropinion journalist
    Biography

    Jan Władysław Rokita is a Polish liberal conservative politician, a member of the Sejm, the lower chamber of the Polish parliament. He was chairman of the parliamentary club of the Civic Platform party from 2003 to 2005.

  72. Wacław Sierpiński

    Wacław Sierpiński
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1882-1969 (aged 87)
    Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
    Studied in 1906-1908
    Occupations
    university teachertopologistmathematicianteacher
    Biography

    Wacław Franciszek Sierpiński was a Polish mathematician. He was known for contributions to set theory (research on the axiom of choice and the continuum hypothesis), number theory, theory of functions, and topology. He published over 700 papers and 50 books.

  73. Józef Tischner

    Józef Tischner
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1931-2000 (aged 69)
    Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
    In 1959 studied philosophy and theology
    Occupations
    Catholic priestuniversity teacherphilosopher
    Biography

    Józef Stanisław Tischner was a Polish priest and philosopher. The first chaplain of the trade union, "Solidarity" (Polish Solidarność).

  74. Marcin Wrona

    Marcin Wrona
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1973-2015 (aged 42)
    Occupations
    screenwriterbasketball playerfilm directordirector
    Biography

    Marcin Wrona was a Polish film director. His film Demon was shown at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. He debuted at the TIFF in 2010, with The Christening, and was also director of the Polish television series Medics.

  75. Jerzy Vetulani

    Jerzy Vetulani
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1936-2017 (aged 81)
    Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
    In 1957 studied biology and chemistry
    Occupations
    neurologistpharmacistbiologistpharmacologistuniversity teacher
    Biography

    Jerzy Adam Gracjan Vetulani was a Polish neuroscientist, pharmacologist and biochemist, professor of natural sciences, member of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Polish Academy of Learning, one of the most frequently cited Polish scientists in the field of biomedicine after 1965.

  76. Adam Zagajewski

    Adam Zagajewski
    Born in
    Ukraine Flag Ukraine
    Years
    1945-2021 (aged 76)
    Occupations
    linguistuniversity teacherwritertranslatorauthor
    Biography

    Adam Zagajewski was a Polish poet, novelist, translator, and essayist.

  77. Feliks Koneczny

    Feliks Koneczny
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1862-1949 (aged 87)
    Occupations
    historianphilosopher
    Biography

    Feliks Karol Koneczny was a Polish historian, theatrical critic, librarian, journalist and social philosopher. He founded the original system of the comparative science of civilizations.

  78. Stanisław Pięta

    Stanisław Pięta
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1971-.. (age 54)
    Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
    Studied in 2003
    Occupations
    politician
    Biography

    Stanisław Jan Pięta is a Polish politician. He was elected to the Sejm on 25 September 2005, getting 7,240 votes in 27 Bielsko-Biała district as a candidate from the Law and Justice list.

  79. Piotr Skarga

    Piotr Skarga
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1536-1612 (aged 76)
    Occupations
    writertheologianpreacherpriestCatholic priest
    Biography

    Piotr Skarga was a Polish Jesuit, preacher, hagiographer, polemicist, and leading figure of the Counter-Reformation in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Due to his oratorical gifts, he has been called "the Polish Bossuet".

  80. Krystyna Zachwatowicz

    Krystyna Zachwatowicz
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1930-.. (age 95)
    Occupations
    film actortheatrical directorstage actorfilm directoractor
    Biography

    Krystyna Zachwatowicz-Wajda is a Polish scenographer, costume designer and actress. She is a daughter of architect and restorer Jan Zachwatowicz and Maria Chodźko h. Kościesza, and wife of film director Andrzej Wajda. Member of the Polish Film Academy.

  81. Izabela Leszczyna

    Izabela Leszczyna
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1962-.. (age 63)
    Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
    Studied Polish studies
    Occupations
    teacherpolitician
    Biography

    Izabela Dorota Leszczyna is a Polish politician, teacher, local official, Member of the Polish Parliament (since 2007). She currently serves as Minister of Health.

  82. Edward Bernard Raczyński

    Edward Bernard Raczyński
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1891-1993 (aged 102)
    Occupations
    politicianwriterhistoriandiplomat
    Biography

    Count Edward Bernard Raczyński was a Polish diplomat, writer, politician, President of Poland-in-exile (between 1979 and 1986).

  83. Michał Woś

    Michał Woś
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1991-.. (age 34)
    Occupations
    lawyerpolitician
    Biography

    Michał Piotr Woś is a Polish politician of Sovereign Poland serving as a member of the Sejm. He was first elected in the 2019 parliamentary election, and was re-elected in 2023. He served as deputy minister of justice from 2017 to 2018, minister for humanitarian aid in 2019, minister without portfolio from 2019 to 2020, minister of environment in 2020, and secretary of state in the Ministry of Justice from 2020 to 2023.

  84. Jan Baudouin de Courtenay

    Jan Baudouin de Courtenay
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1845-1929 (aged 84)
    Occupations
    slavistlinguistesperantologistprofessorphonetician
    Biography

    Jan Niecisław Ignacy Baudouin de Courtenay, also Ivan Alexandrovich Baudouin de Courtenay, was a Polish linguist and Slavist, best known for his theory of the phoneme and phonetic alternations.

  85. Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka

    Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1923-2014 (aged 91)
    Occupations
    philosopheruniversity teacherphenomenologist
    Biography

    Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka was a Polish philosopher, phenomenologist, founder and president of The World Phenomenology Institute, and editor (from its inception in the late 1960s) of the book series, Analecta Husserliana. She had a thirty-two-year friendship and occasional academic collaboration with Pope John Paul II.

  86. Tadeusz Konwicki

    Tadeusz Konwicki
    Years
    1926-2015 (aged 89)
    Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
    Studied Polish studies
    Occupations
    film directorjournalistscience fiction writerscreenwriterwriter
    Biography

    Tadeusz Konwicki was a Polish writer and film director, as well as a member of the Polish Language Council.

  87. Yuriy Drohobych

    Yuriy Drohobych
    Born in
    Ukraine Flag Ukraine
    Years
    1450-1494 (aged 44)
    Occupations
    editorphysicianmedicastronomerastrologer
    Biography

    Yuriy Drohobych or Yuriy Kotermak was a Ruthenian philosopher, astronomer, writer, medical doctor, rector of the University of Bologna, and professor of Kraków Academy, and the first publisher of a Church Slavonic printed text. He is the author of Iudicium Pronosticon Anni 1483 Currentis.

  88. Zbigniew Wassermann

    Zbigniew Wassermann
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1949-2010 (aged 61)
    Occupations
    politician
    Biography

    Zbigniew Franciszek Wassermann was a Polish politician. He was an MP representing Law and Justice (Prawo i Sprawiedliwość).

  89. Manuela Gretkowska

    Manuela Gretkowska
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1964-.. (age 61)
    Occupations
    screenwriterpoliticianwriterjournalist
    Biography

    Manuela Gretkowska is a Polish writer, screenwriter, feminist and politician. She is the foundress of the Feminist Initiative.

  90. Krzysztof Gonciarz

    Krzysztof Gonciarz
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1985-.. (age 40)
    Occupations
    photographerYouTuberexplorerfilm director
    Biography

    Krzysztof Jan Gonciarz is an internet creator, filmmaker, journalist, and YouTuber, responsible of the channels Zapytaj Beczkę, Krzysztof Gonciarz, and TheUwagaPies on YouTube. He is the owner and creator of Japanese-based filmmaking company Tofu Media. He formerly worked as a journalist for Gry-Online.

  91. Felicjan Sławoj Składkowski

    Felicjan Sławoj Składkowski
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1885-1962 (aged 77)
    Occupations
    politicianmilitary officer
    Biography

    Felicjan Sławoj Składkowski was a Polish physician, general, and politician who served as Minister of Internal Affairs and as the 28th Prime Minister of Poland before and at the outbreak of World War II.

  92. Oskar Lange

    Oskar Lange
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1904-1965 (aged 61)
    Occupations
    professoreconomistpoliticiandiplomatmathematician
    Biography

    Oskar Ryszard Lange was a Polish economist and diplomat. He is best known for advocating the use of market pricing tools in socialist systems and providing a model of market socialism. He responded to the economic calculation problem proposed by Ludwig von Mises and Friedrich Hayek by claiming that managers in a centrally-planned economy would be able to monitor supply and demand through increases and declines in inventories of goods, and advocated the nationalization of major industries. During his stay in the United States, Lange was an academic teacher and researcher in mathematical economics. Later in socialist Poland, he was a member of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party.

  93. Andrzej Zoll

    Andrzej Zoll
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1942-.. (age 83)
    Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
    1959-1964 graduated with magister degree in jurisprudence
    Occupations
    judgeuniversity teacherlawyer
    Biography

    Andrzej Stanisław Zoll is a Polish lawyer, former judge and president of the Polish Constitutional Tribunal, former Polish Ombudsman, former president of the State Electoral Commission, former president of the Legislative Council, co-author of the Polish Penal Code of 1997. Professor of criminal law at the Jagiellonian University.

  94. Stanisław Koniecpolski

    Stanisław Koniecpolski
    Years
    Died in 1646
    Occupations
    starostacastellanmilitary commander
    Biography

    Stanisław Koniecpolski was a Polish military commander, regarded as one of the most talented and capable in the history of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. He was also a magnate, a royal official (starosta), a castellan, a member of the Polish nobility (szlachta), and the voivode (governor) of Sandomierz from 1625 until his death. He led many successful military campaigns against rebelling Cossacks and invading Tatars. From 1618 he held the rank of Field Crown Hetman before becoming the Grand Crown Hetman, the military commander second only to the King, in 1632.

  95. Piotr Szczęsny

    Piotr Szczęsny
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1963-2017 (aged 54)
    Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
    Studied chemistry
    Occupations
    chemist
    Biography

    Piotr Paweł Szczęsny was a Polish chemist and a Mensa member who committed suicide by immolation in protest against the policies of the ruling Law and Justice government.

  96. Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski

    Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1503-1572 (aged 69)
    Occupations
    philosopherpoliticianhumanistwritertheologian
    Biography

    Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski was a Polish Renaissance scholar, humanist and theologian, called "the father of Polish democracy". His book De Republica emendanda (O poprawie Rzeczypospolitej) was widely read and praised across most of Renaissance Europe, influencing thinkers such as Jean Bodin, Hugo Grotius and Johannes Althusius.

  97. Jan Hartman

    Jan Hartman
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1967-.. (age 58)
    Occupations
    university teacherauthorphilosophernon-fiction writer
    Biography

    Jan Marek Hartman is a Polish of Jewish descent philosopher specializing in bioethics, writer, anticlerical, opinion journalist and politician, professor of the humanities.

  98. Józef Maria Bocheński

    Józef Maria Bocheński
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1902-1995 (aged 93)
    Occupations
    university teachertheologianwriterphilosopher
    Biography

    Józef Maria Bocheński or Innocentius Bochenski was a Polish Dominican, logician and philosopher.

  99. Krzysztof Warlikowski

    Krzysztof Warlikowski
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1962-.. (age 63)
    Occupations
    opera directorartistic directortheatrical director
    Biography

    Krzysztof Warlikowski is a Polish theatre director. He is the creator and artistic director of Nowy Teatr (New Theatre) in Warsaw.

  100. Andrzej Nowak

    Andrzej Nowak
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1960-.. (age 65)
    Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
    In 1982 studied history
    Occupations
    university teacherlibrarianhistorianopinion journalist
    Biography

    Andrzej Witold Nowak is a Polish historian and opinion journalist.