Above the clouds – Wanda Rutkiewicz, Wrocław
Fact of the Polish figure „Polon and Rad – Maria Skłodowska-Curie”
Part of the „The emancipation of women” topic
Wanda Rutkiewicz was a pioneering Polish mountaineer and one of the most iconic figures in the history of Himalayan climbing. In 1978, she became the first woman to successfully climb K2 and the third woman overall atop Mount Everest. Determined and skilled, she scaled eight out of fourteen ‘eight-thousanders’, with goal of becoming the first woman atop all of them, before disappearing on Kangchenjunga in 1992, never to be found.Rutkiewicz is revered as a symbol of resilience and ambition. At a time when women’s roles were often limited and gender expectations – rigid, she defied norms by excelling in one of the most physically and mentally demanding areas of human endeavor. She insisted on leading all-women expeditions and openly challenged the notion that mountain climbing was a male domain. In 2018, to mark the centenary of women’s voting rights in Poland, Wanda Rutkiewicz was honored with a mural on Legionów Square in Wrocław, the city where she lived and worked. She still continues to be a role model for women in sports and beyond throughout the world.
