100 Notable alumni of
Jagiellonian University
Updated:
Jagiellonian University is 61st in the world, 20th 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.
-
John Paul II
- Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
- 1953-1954 graduated with Doctor of Sacred Theology
- Occupations
- authorautobiographerarchbishopprofessorpolitician
- Biography
-
Pope John Paul II was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death in 2005. He was the first non-Italian pope since Adrian VI in the 16th century, as well as the third-longest-serving pope in history, after St. Peter and Pius IX.
-
Nicolaus Copernicus
- Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
- Studied in 1491-1495
- Occupations
- astronomerlegal scholarcanonmathematicianphysicist
- Biography
-
Nicolaus Copernicus was a Renaissance polymath who formulated a model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than Earth at its center. The publication of Copernicus's model in his book De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres), just before his death in 1543, was a major event in the history of science, triggering the Copernican Revolution and making a pioneering contribution to the Scientific Revolution. Though a similar heliocentric model had been developed eighteen centuries earlier by Aristarchus of Samos, an ancient Greek astronomer, Copernicus likely arrived at his model independently.
-
Andrzej Duda
- Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
- 1991-1996 graduated with magister degree in jurisprudence
- Occupations
- juristlawyeruniversity teacherpolitician
- Biography
-
Andrzej Sebastian Duda is a Polish lawyer and politician who served as the 6th president of Poland from 2015 to 2025. 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.
-
Stanisław Lem
- Occupations
- philosopherresearcherfuturistessayistscreenwriter
- Biography
-
Stanisław Herman Lem was a Polish writer. He was the author of many novels, short stories, and essays on various subjects, including philosophy, futurology, and literary criticism. Many of his science fiction stories are of satirical and humorous character. Lem's books have been translated into more than 50 languages and have sold more than 45 million copies. Worldwide, he is best known as the author of the 1961 novel Solaris. In 1976, Theodore Sturgeon wrote that Lem was the most widely read science fiction writer in the world.
-
John III Sobieski
- Occupations
- military leadermonarchpolitician
- Biography
-
John III Sobieski was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1674 until his death in 1696.
-
Wisława Szymborska
- Occupations
- criticessayistmechanicpoetliterary critic
- 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.
-
Ivo Andrić
- Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
- In 1914 studied philosophy
- Occupations
- poetwriternovelistessayistshort story writer
- 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.
-
Beata Szydło
- 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 jure leader of Poland, with the de facto leader being Jarosław Kaczyński, the leader of the party Szydło is a member of.
-
Jan Kochanowski
- Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
- In 1544 studied liberal arts education
- Occupations
- translatorplaywrightpoetwriter
- Biography
-
Jan Kochanowski was a Polish Renaissance poet who wrote in Latin and Polish and established poetic patterns that would become integral to the 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.
-
Bronisław Malinowski
- Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
- Graduated with Doctor of Philosophy in physical science 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.
-
Juli Zeh
- 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).
-
Jan Matejko
- 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.
-
Zbigniew Ziobro
- Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
- In 1994 graduated with magister degree in law
- Occupations
- juristlawyerpolitician
- 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.
-
Agata Kornhauser-Duda
- Occupations
- teachergermanist
- Biography
-
Agata Kornhauser-Duda is a Polish teacher who served as the First Lady of Poland from 2015 to 2025 as the wife of the president of Poland, Andrzej Duda.
-
Stefan Banach
- Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
- Studied in 1916-1920
- Occupations
- mathematicianuniversity teacher
- Biography
-
Stefan Banach was a Polish mathematician who is generally considered one of the 20th century's most important and influential mathematicians. He was the founder of modern functional analysis, and an original member of the Lwów School of Mathematics. His major work was the 1932 book, Théorie des opérations linéaires (Theory of Linear Operations), the first monograph on the general theory of functional analysis.
-
Jerzy Stuhr
- 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.
-
Stanisław Wyspiański
- Occupations
- playwrightpedagoguescenographerarchitectwriter
- Biography
-
Stanisław Mateusz Ignacy Wyspiański was a Polish playwright, painter, poet, and interior and furniture designer. A patriotic writer, he created symbolic national dramas accordant with the artistic premises of the Young Poland movement.
-
Karl Radek
- 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.
-
Ivan Fyodorov
- Years
- 1510-1583 (aged 73)
- Occupations
- printertypographerpublisher
- 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.
-
Ryszard Terlecki
- Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
- In 1976 graduated with magister degree in study of history
- Occupations
- historianjournalistuniversity teacherpolitician
- 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.
-
Jarosław Gowin
- Occupations
- philosopheropinion journalistuniversity teacherpolitician
- 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.
-
Maciej Stuhr
- Occupations
- stage actorcomedianperforming artistactorfilm actor
- 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.
-
Józef Cyrankiewicz
- 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.
-
Francysk Skaryna
- Occupations
- Bible translatorpublisherwriterpublic figuretypographer
- 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.
-
Adam Bielecki
- 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.
-
Stanisław Sosabowski
- 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.
-
Zbigniew Herbert
- Occupations
- essayistwriterplaywrightauthorpoet
- 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. Starting in the 1960s, he was nominated several times for the Nobel Prize in Literature. His books have been translated into 38 languages.
-
Carl Menger
- 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.
-
Małgorzata Wassermann
- 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.
-
Krzysztof Zanussi
- Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
- 1959-1962 studied philosophy
- Occupations
- writerfilm directorfilm producerscreenwriter
- 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.
-
Rudolf Weigl
- Occupations
- physicianbiologistimmunologistuniversity teacher
- 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.
-
Ignacy Łukasiewicz
- Occupations
- chemistentrepreneurpoliticianacademicinventor
- 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.
-
Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz
- 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.
-
Róża Thun
- 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.
-
Zbigniew Preisner
- Occupations
- film score composercomposermusician
- 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.
-
Wojciech Smarzowski
- Occupations
- screenwriterdirectorfilm director
- Biography
-
Wojciech Smarzowski is a Polish screenwriter and director.
-
Zygmunt Berling
- 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.
-
Mikołaj Rej
- Occupations
- musicianpoliticianwritertranslatorpoet
- 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.
-
Tadeusz Różewicz
- 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.
-
Jadwiga Emilewicz
- Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
- In 1998 studied political science
- Occupations
- political scientistcultural managerpolitician
- 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.
-
Adam Stefan Sapieha
- Occupations
- Catholic deaconCatholic priestpoliticianCatholic bishoptheologian
- 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.
-
Wanda Półtawska
- 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.
-
Marian Banaś
- 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. From 2019-2025 He served as the President of the Supreme Audit Office, one of the oldest state institutions in Poland.
-
Norman Davies
- 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.
-
Vasyl Stefanyk
- Occupations
- short story writerwriterpolitician
- 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.
-
Edward Rydz-Śmigły
- Occupations
- military officerpoliticianpainterwriterpoet
- Biography
-
Marshal Edward Śmigły-Rydz [ˈɛdvard ˈɕmiɡɫɨ rɨdz] also Edward Rydz-Śmigły, was a Polish politician, statesman, Marshal of Poland and Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Armed Forces, as well as a painter and poet.
-
Jan Długosz
- Occupations
- Catholic priesthistorianheraldistdiplomatCatholic bishop
- 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.
-
Tadeusz Boy-Żeleński
- Occupations
- university teacherpediatricianwriterlinguistliterary critic
- 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 by profession.
-
Franciszek Macharski
- Occupations
- theologianCatholic bishopCatholic priest
- 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.
-
Jakub Żulczyk
- Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
- Studied journalism studies
- Occupations
- screenwriterwriterjournalist
- Biography
-
Jakub Żulczyk is a Polish writer and journalist who writes for Elle, Machina, Przekrój and Onet.pl. He lives in Warsaw.
-
Małgosia Bela
- 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.
-
Jacek Majchrowski
- Occupations
- historianteacherpolitician
- 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.
-
Wanda Wasilewska
- Occupations
- playwrightediting staffjournalistpoetscreenwriter
- 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.
-
Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer
- Occupations
- prose writerwriterjournalistplaywrightpoet
- Biography
-
Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer was a Polish Goral poet, novelist, playwright, journalist and writer. He was a member of the Young Poland movement.
-
Stanisław Żółtek
- 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.
-
Edward Ochab
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Edward Ochab was a Polish communist politician and top leader of Poland between March and October 1956.
-
Yaroslav Stetsko
- 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.
-
Hugo Kołłątaj
- Occupations
- university teacherhistoriananthropologistpublic figurephilosopher
- 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.
-
Elżbieta Bieńkowska
- 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.
-
Paweł Kowal
- Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
- In 1999 studied study of history
- Occupations
- political scientistmuseologistuniversity teacheropinion journalistpolitician
- 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.
-
Ignacy Daszyński
- Occupations
- writerstatespersonjournalistpolitician
- 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.
-
Ryszard Legutko
- 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 from 2009 to 2024 being a prominent member of the minority European Conservatives and Reformists political group.
-
Arkady Fiedler
- Occupations
- military officerwriterjournalistzoologisttraveler
- Biography
-
Arkady Fiedler was a Polish writer, journalist and adventurer.
-
Jacek Dukaj
- Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
- Graduated with magister degree in philosophy
- Occupations
- science fiction writerauthorwriter
- 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.
-
Joanna Lichocka
- Occupations
- journalistpolitician
- Biography
-
Joanna Katarzyna 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.
-
Jerzy Pilch
- 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.
-
Marek Jackowski
- Occupations
- composerguitarist
- Biography
-
Marek Norbert Jackowski was a Polish rock musician, best known as a member of the rock band Maanam.
-
Maciej Stryjkowski
- Occupations
- historianpoetdiplomatwriter
- 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.
-
Jan Sztaudynger
- Occupations
- translatorsatiristpoetwriter
- Biography
-
Jan Izydor Sztaudynger was a Polish poet and satirist who enjoyed enormous popularity after World War II.
-
Izabela Leszczyna
- Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
- Studied Polish studies
- Occupations
- teacherpolitician
- Biography
-
Izabela Dorota Leszczyna is a Polish politician, teacher, who served as Minister of Health from December 2023 to July 2025. She is also a Member of the Sejm since 2007.
-
Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka
- Occupations
- phenomenologistphilosopheruniversity teacher
- 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.
-
Wacław Sierpiński
- Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
- Studied in 1906-1908
- Occupations
- mathematicianteacheruniversity teachertopologist
- 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.
-
Józef Tischner
- Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
- In 1959 studied philosophy and theology
- Occupations
- university teacherphilosopherCatholic priest
- Biography
-
Józef Stanisław Tischner was a Polish priest and philosopher. The first chaplain of the trade union, "Solidarity" (Polish Solidarność).
-
Adam Zagajewski
- Occupations
- linguistuniversity teacherwritertranslatorauthor
- Biography
-
Adam Zagajewski was a Polish poet, novelist, translator, and essayist.
-
Feliks Koneczny
- 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.
-
Jerzy Vetulani
- Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
- In 1957 studied biology and chemistry
- Occupations
- biologistpharmacologistuniversity teacherbiochemistneuroscientist
- Biography
-
Jerzy Adam Gracjan Vetulani was a Polish neuroscientist, psychopharmacologist and biochemist, professor of natural sciences, member of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Polish Academy of Learning, between 1956–2017 employee at the Institute of Pharmacology of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Kraków, where he was head of the Department of Biochemistry (1976–2006), deputy director for Science Affairs (1994–2002) and vice chairman of the Scientific Council (2003–2017). He published more than 240 original research papers in peer-review journals. While a Research Associate Professor at the Vanderbilt University, together with Fridolin Sulser in 1975 he formulated an early hypothesis of the mechanism of action of antidepressant drugs, suggesting that downregulation of beta-adrenergic receptors is responsible for their effects. In 1983, he received Anna-Monika Prize for research on the mechanisms of the electroconvulsive therapy. Beside depression, his research interests included memory, addiction and neurodegeneration. According to Andrzej Pilc, he was one of the most frequently cited Polish scientists in the field of biomedicine between 1965 and 2001.
-
Piotr Skarga
- Occupations
- preacherpriestCatholic priesthagiographermissionary
- 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".
-
Krystyna Zachwatowicz
- Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
- In 1952 studied art history
- Occupations
- costume designerathleteuniversity teachertheatrical directorsocial activist
- 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.
-
Michał Woś
- 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.
-
Stanisław Pięta
- 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.
-
Edward Bernard Raczyński
- Occupations
- historiandiplomatpoliticianwriter
- Biography
-
Count Edward Bernard Raczyński was a Polish diplomat, writer, politician who served as President of Poland-in-exile (between 1979 and 1986).
-
Krzysztof Gonciarz
- Occupations
- YouTuberexplorerfilm directorphotographer
- 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.
-
Tadeusz Konwicki
- Years
- 1926-2015 (aged 89)
- Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
- Studied Polish studies
- Occupations
- science fiction writerscreenwriterwriterdramaturgefilm director
- Biography
-
Tadeusz Konwicki was a Polish writer and film director, as well as a member of the Polish Language Council.
-
Jan Baudouin de Courtenay
- Occupations
- linguistesperantologistprofessorphoneticianphilologist
- Biography
-
Jan Niecisław Ignacy Baudouin de Courtenay, also known as Ivan Alexandrovich Baudouin de Courtenay, was a Polish linguist and Slavist, best known for his theory of the phoneme and phonetic alternations.
-
Manuela Gretkowska
- Occupations
- writerjournalistscreenwriterpolitician
- Biography
-
Manuela Gretkowska is a Polish writer, screenwriter, feminist and politician. She is the foundress of the Feminist Initiative.
-
Felicjan Sławoj Składkowski
- 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.
-
Yuriy Drohobych
- Occupations
- astrologerphilosopheruniversity teacherwritereditor
- 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.
-
Andrzej Zoll
- Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
- 1959-1964 graduated with magister degree in jurisprudence
- Occupations
- university teacherlawyerjudge
- 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.
-
Oskar Lange
- Occupations
- politiciandiplomatmathematicianprofessoreconomist
- 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.
-
Zbigniew Wassermann
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Zbigniew Franciszek Wassermann was a Polish politician. He was an MP representing Law and Justice (Prawo i Sprawiedliwość).
-
Stanisław Koniecpolski
- Years
- Died in 1646
- Occupations
- castellanmilitary commanderstarosta
- 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.
-
Andrzej Nowak
- Enrolled in Jagiellonian University
- In 1982 studied history
- Occupations
- historianopinion journalistuniversity teacherlibrarian
- Biography
-
Andrzej Witold Nowak is a Polish historian and opinion journalist.
-
Piotr Szczęsny
- 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.
-
Franciszek Blachnicki
- Occupations
- lecturerwriterCatholic priestuniversity teachereducator
- Biography
-
Franciszek Blachnicki was a Polish Roman Catholic priest and the founder of the Light-Life movement, also known as the Oasis Movement, and the Secular Institute of the Immaculate Mother of the Church. He founded several other movements and religious congregations that would address a range of social and ethical issues. These issues included anti-alcoholism and human rights. His movements first came about after starting out as simple retreats designed for both altar servers and families that later began to address a series of issues in Poland at the time. His concern for human rights came during the communist era in Poland as well as his experiences as a prisoner of war during World War II in which he was incarcerated in Auschwitz and other concentration camps under the German Nazi regime.
-
Jan Hartman
- Occupations
- authorphilosophernon-fiction writeruniversity teacher
- Biography
-
Jan Marek Hartman is a Polish-Jewish philosopher specializing in bioethics, writer, anticlerical, opinion journalist and politician, professor of the humanities.
-
Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski
- Occupations
- humanistwritertheologianscientistphilosopher
- Biography
-
Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski, known in Latin as Andreas Fricius Modrevius, 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.
-
Krzysztof Warlikowski
- 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.
-
Józef Maria Bocheński
- Occupations
- theologianmathematicianphilosopher
- Biography
-
Józef Maria Bocheński or Innocentius Bochenski was a Polish Dominican, logician and philosopher.
-
Rafał Bochenek
- Occupations
- weather presenterjuristpolitician
- Biography
-
Rafał Bochenek is a Polish lawyer and politician.
-
Marcin Wrona
- Occupations
- basketball playerfilm directordirectorscreenwriter
- 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.
