Wanda Rutkiewicz
Polish mountain climber (1943–1992)
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Key Takeaways
- Wanda Rutkiewicz ( Polish pronunciation: [/ˈvanda rutˈkʲevitʂ/] 4 February 1943 – 12–13 May 1992) was a Polish mountaineer and computer engineer.
- Early life Wanda Rutkiewicz was born into an educated Polish family in Plungė, Lithuania.
- Zbigniew was also a passionate sportsman.
- Maria, her mother, on the other hand, enjoyed reading about Western culture and traveling in the Himalayas.
- She was initially homeschooled, but began attending 2nd grade in elementary school in 1949 and joined the 18 Scout Team of the “Zośka” Battalion.
Wanda Rutkiewicz (Polish pronunciation: [/ˈvanda rutˈkʲevitʂ/] 4 February 1943 – 12–13 May 1992) was a Polish mountaineer and computer engineer. She was the first woman to reach the summit of K2 and the third woman (first European woman) to summit Mount Everest.
Early life
Wanda Rutkiewicz was born into an educated Polish family in Plungė, Lithuania. Her father, Zbigniew Błaszkiewicz, was an engineer for the Communal Building Projects Bureau (Biuro Projektów Budownictwa Komunalnego). Zbigniew was also a passionate sportsman. He excelled at swimming, shooting, and judo. Maria, her mother, on the other hand, enjoyed reading about Western culture and traveling in the Himalayas. After World War II, her family chose to leave for Poland, first moving to Łańcut before settling in Wrocław in southwestern Poland's Recovered Territories. She was initially homeschooled, but began attending 2nd grade in elementary school in 1949 and joined the 18 Scout Team of the “Zośka” Battalion. When she was five, her seven-year-old brother, Jerzy, was killed after he and his friends found an unexploded bomb in post-war Wrocław and threw it into a bonfire.
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