On International Women’s Day, TVP World presents its curated rundown of the Polish women everyone needs to know.
While it is the names of author Olga Tokarczuk and tennis megastar Iga Świątek that most likely spring to mind when thinking of Poland’s greatest living women, the country’s dynamism is perhaps better mirrored by the other heroes whose contribution to Poland’s cultural, sporting and social life have been no less significant.
Standing out in their respective fields–and some more known than others–TVP World presents the ten names that demand a follow.
Standing out in their respective fields–and some more known than others–TVP World presents the ten names that demand a follow.
Ewa Pajor
As the Women’s European Football Championships loom closer, Poland’s hopes stand to be closely intertwined with the form of their talismanic team captain Ewa Pajor.
Considered to be the country’s greatest ever female footballer, Pajor has been in prolific form since securing a dream move to Barcelona last summer, with her goalscoring exploits including a hattrick against bitter rivals Real Madrid in Thursday’s Queen’s Cup semi-final.
Regarded as ‘the complete forward’, her killer instinct will be needed if Poland are to advance out of a tricky group stage in this summer’s Euros. At club level, Pajor will be hoping to finally break her Champions League hoodoo in 2025. Having finished runner-up in the competition four times with her previous club, Wolfsburg, the 28-year-old will face her former teammates in the competition’s quarter final later this month.
You can follow her here.
Considered to be the country’s greatest ever female footballer, Pajor has been in prolific form since securing a dream move to Barcelona last summer, with her goalscoring exploits including a hattrick against bitter rivals Real Madrid in Thursday’s Queen’s Cup semi-final.
Regarded as ‘the complete forward’, her killer instinct will be needed if Poland are to advance out of a tricky group stage in this summer’s Euros. At club level, Pajor will be hoping to finally break her Champions League hoodoo in 2025. Having finished runner-up in the competition four times with her previous club, Wolfsburg, the 28-year-old will face her former teammates in the competition’s quarter final later this month.
You can follow her here.
NeSpoon
Polish street art is riding the crest of a wave, but few of the country’s renegade artists have had the same global impact as NeSpoon. With her work already spread across five continents and 44 countries, the artist’s reach continues to grow at a meteoric pace—not bad going for someone that only found ‘their style’ in 2009.
Marking the year of her symbolic rebirth, it was then that NeSpoon discovered her love of lace before taking it a step further to decorate the streets of the capital with lace-patterned stencils and ceramics.
Since these early days, the artist has super-sized her work, often decorating entire buildings and even town squares with her unique, giant patterns. Quite why the public has embraced her work is not hard to fathom: “Fundamentally, it gives people good vibes,” she says.
You can follow her here.
Marking the year of her symbolic rebirth, it was then that NeSpoon discovered her love of lace before taking it a step further to decorate the streets of the capital with lace-patterned stencils and ceramics.
Since these early days, the artist has super-sized her work, often decorating entire buildings and even town squares with her unique, giant patterns. Quite why the public has embraced her work is not hard to fathom: “Fundamentally, it gives people good vibes,” she says.
You can follow her here.
Ewa zu Beck
With just under two million YouTube subscribers, journalist, vlogger and all-round adventurer Ewa zu Beck has become one of the hottest names in travel.
Once “chained to the system”, the Oxford graduate left the corporate rat race behind to “follow her heart” and live “a wild and free life”. Having already collaborated with BBC, National Geographic and Euronews, her escapades include camping on a frozen lake in the Arctic, living with Bedouins, staying on unpopulated, rat-infested islands and becoming a Kosovan bride for a day.
Always looking to bring something fresh to the table, her groundbreaking videos include such offerings as ‘Giving up modern life to become a goat herder in Montana’, ‘Lost in the Amazon with the Matis tribe’, and ‘I tried to become a porter on Mount Kilimanjaro’. Expect the unexpected from this natural born storyteller.
You can follow her here.
Once “chained to the system”, the Oxford graduate left the corporate rat race behind to “follow her heart” and live “a wild and free life”. Having already collaborated with BBC, National Geographic and Euronews, her escapades include camping on a frozen lake in the Arctic, living with Bedouins, staying on unpopulated, rat-infested islands and becoming a Kosovan bride for a day.
Always looking to bring something fresh to the table, her groundbreaking videos include such offerings as ‘Giving up modern life to become a goat herder in Montana’, ‘Lost in the Amazon with the Matis tribe’, and ‘I tried to become a porter on Mount Kilimanjaro’. Expect the unexpected from this natural born storyteller.
You can follow her here.
Beata Śniechowska
Chef Beata Śniechowska came to the nation’s attention in 2013 when she won the second edition of Master Chef Poland. Describing this moment as a turning point, she hasn’t looked back since.
Now fronting two restaurants in Wrocław, Baba and Młoda Polska, she’s carved a name as one of the most exciting chefs in the country, a point underscored by her appearance in last year’s international Best Chef listings. Ranked alongside Poland’s Michelin star holders, Śniechowska’s reputation has continued to soar.
“To me, tradition is really important, but I like showing my version of it,” she says. “I’m inspired by nature, I’m inspired by my childhood, and I’m inspired by tradition. Memories of taste are really important and I would like to transfer taste from the past and bring it to today’s world.
You can follow her here.
Now fronting two restaurants in Wrocław, Baba and Młoda Polska, she’s carved a name as one of the most exciting chefs in the country, a point underscored by her appearance in last year’s international Best Chef listings. Ranked alongside Poland’s Michelin star holders, Śniechowska’s reputation has continued to soar.
“To me, tradition is really important, but I like showing my version of it,” she says. “I’m inspired by nature, I’m inspired by my childhood, and I’m inspired by tradition. Memories of taste are really important and I would like to transfer taste from the past and bring it to today’s world.
You can follow her here.
Marta Sękulska-Wrońska
As the CEO of the WXCA studio, Sękulska-Wrońska has seen the practice morph into one of the most important architectural firms in Poland. Often described as trail-blazing, WXCA have transformed Warsaw with a string of award-winning projects that include the humanization of Five Horns Square, the stunning revitalization of Pole Mokotowskie Park, and the realization of the museum complex in the city’s Citadel.
But WXCA’s name extends beyond the Polish capital, with several of their projects receiving international plaudits. Few can question Sękulska-Wrońska’s role in raising the global profile of Polish architecture.
You can follow her here.
But WXCA’s name extends beyond the Polish capital, with several of their projects receiving international plaudits. Few can question Sękulska-Wrońska’s role in raising the global profile of Polish architecture.
You can follow her here.
Natalia Sielewicz
No cultural institution has caused a bigger stir in recent times than Warsaw’s MSN Museum of Modern Art, and despite initial public misgivings concerning its controversial home, the grand debut of MSN’s opening exhibition has won over many of the critics.
Playing a key role in the museum’s activities, curator Natalia Sielewicz has become one of the more influential voices in Polish art, and it is MSN’s ‘Synthetic Materialities’ section, co-curated by her, that is arguably the most visually striking of all the displays.
You can follow her here.
Playing a key role in the museum’s activities, curator Natalia Sielewicz has become one of the more influential voices in Polish art, and it is MSN’s ‘Synthetic Materialities’ section, co-curated by her, that is arguably the most visually striking of all the displays.
You can follow her here.
Natalia Maczek
Merging streetwear with haute couture, few Polish fashion brands have enjoyed the same global recognition as MISBHV. Sported by the likes of Rihanna, Miley Cyrus and A$AP Rocky, the label has become a mainstay of both catwalks, clubs and magazine covers.
Co-founded in 2009 by Natalia Maczek during her days as a student, both MISBHV and Maczek remain as relevant now as they ever were.
You can follow her here.
Co-founded in 2009 by Natalia Maczek during her days as a student, both MISBHV and Maczek remain as relevant now as they ever were.
You can follow her here.
Agnieszka Rojewska
That Poland has undergone a coffee revolution is evidenced by the number of specialty cafes that have hatched not just in the major conurbations, but also secondary and even tertiary towns and cities. Turbo-charging the scene are a rich cast of characters that include Agnieszka Rojewska, one of the most decorated coffee pros on the planet.
Starting her coffee adventure working in a train station café, Rojewska later became the first ever woman to be crowned the World Barista Champion back in 2018, slaying her rivals to win by the largest ever recorded margin. The influence she wields continues to drive the country’s coffee scene forward.
You can follow her here.
Starting her coffee adventure working in a train station café, Rojewska later became the first ever woman to be crowned the World Barista Champion back in 2018, slaying her rivals to win by the largest ever recorded margin. The influence she wields continues to drive the country’s coffee scene forward.
You can follow her here.
Weronika Tofilska
Last year proved memorable for Weronika Tofilska, with the Katowice-born director earning critical acclaim for co-writing Love Lies Bleeding with Rose Glass, and also a Primetime Emmy nomination for her work on ‘Baby Reindeer’, the disturbing stalker-drama that became arguably Netflix’s most talked about show of 2024.
The future, though, stands to be even brighter. In the pipeline, Tofilska has been signed up to direct episodes of Netflix’s forthcoming horror series ‘Something Very Bad is Going to Happen’. Produced by the same teams behind ‘Stranger Things’, big things are expected.
You can follow her here.
The future, though, stands to be even brighter. In the pipeline, Tofilska has been signed up to direct episodes of Netflix’s forthcoming horror series ‘Something Very Bad is Going to Happen’. Produced by the same teams behind ‘Stranger Things’, big things are expected.
You can follow her here.
Kasia Michalik
Though something of a wildcard entry, Michalik warrants recognition as the brain behind Warsawholic, the quirkiest online guide that the Polish capital has. Peering below the covers of the city, Michalik’s explorations shine a fresh light on Warsaw, bringing it alive in a way that reflects its burgeoning reputation as ‘the city of now’.
Whether it’s guiding her followers through the city’s niche ethnic eateries or its deepest unknown corners, Michalik’s inside perspectives and behind-the-scenes vids have firmly installed her as Warsaw’s unofficial ambassador—for this, she merits a medal for services rendered.
You can follow her here.
Whether it’s guiding her followers through the city’s niche ethnic eateries or its deepest unknown corners, Michalik’s inside perspectives and behind-the-scenes vids have firmly installed her as Warsaw’s unofficial ambassador—for this, she merits a medal for services rendered.
You can follow her here.
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