The Most Famous
EXPLORERS from Poland
Top 6
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Polish Explorers of all time. This list of famous Polish Explorers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Emin Pasha (1840 - 1892)
With an HPI of 57.16, Emin Pasha is the most famous Polish Explorer. His biography has been translated into 28 different languages on wikipedia.
Mehmed Emin Pasha (born Isaak Eduard Schnitzer, baptized Eduard Carl Oscar Theodor Schnitzer; March 28, 1840 – October 23, 1892) was an Ottoman physician of German Jewish origin, naturalist, and governor of the Egyptian province of Equatoria on the upper Nile. The Ottoman Empire conferred the title "Pasha" on him in 1886, and thereafter he was referred to as "Emin Pasha".
2. Paweł Strzelecki (1797 - 1873)
With an HPI of 51.88, Paweł Strzelecki is the 2nd most famous Polish Explorer. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
Sir Paweł Edmund Strzelecki (Polish pronunciation: [ˈpavɛw ˈɛdmunt stʂɛˈlɛt͡skʲi]; 20 July 1797 – 6 October 1873), also known as Paul Edmund de Strzelecki and Sir Paul Strzelecki, was a Polish explorer, geologist, humanitarian, environmentalist, nobleman, scientist, businessman and philanthropist who in 1845 also became a British subject. He is noted for his contributions to the exploration of Australia, particularly the Snowy Mountains and Tasmania, and for climbing and naming the highest – 2228 metres (7310 feet) – mountain on the continent, Mount Kosciuszko.
3. Gustav Adolf von Götzen (1866 - 1910)
With an HPI of 50.99, Gustav Adolf von Götzen is the 3rd most famous Polish Explorer. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.
Gustav Adolf Graf von Götzen (12 May 1866 – 1 December 1910) was a German explorer, colonial administrator, and military officer who served as Reichskommissar of German East Africa. He came to Rwanda in 1894 becoming the second European to enter the territory, since Oscar Baumann’s brief expedition in 1892, and later, he became the first European to cross the entire territory of Rwanda. During the Maji Maji Rebellion of 1905, Götzen commanded the Schutztruppe against several rebelling African tribes in the German East Africa colony, successfully quelling the uprising. The rebellion and famine that followed resulted in the deaths of up to 300,000 people.
4. Theodor Kotschy (1813 - 1866)
With an HPI of 50.20, Theodor Kotschy is the 4th most famous Polish Explorer. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Karl Georg Theodor Kotschy Polish: Teodor Koczy (15 April 1813 – 11 June 1866) was an Austrian botanist and explorer. On his botanical investigations, Kotschy collected large amounts of plants. For example, he described forty species of oak in this work, most of which are now considered synonyms, but Quercus look is recognised as valid.
5. Krystyna Chojnowska-Liskiewicz (1936 - 2021)
With an HPI of 46.54, Krystyna Chojnowska-Liskiewicz is the 5th most famous Polish Explorer. Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Krystyna Chojnowska-Liskiewicz (15 July 1936 – 13 June 2021) was a Polish naval engineer and sailor as well as the first woman to have sailed single-handed (i.e. solo) around the world, repeating the accomplishment of Joshua Slocum. She sailed from the Canary Islands on 28 March 1976, and returned there on 21 April 1978, completing a circumnavigation of 31,166 nautical miles (57,719 km) in 401 days.
6. Marek Kamiński (1964 - )
With an HPI of 33.53, Marek Kamiński is the 6th most famous Polish Explorer. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Marek Kamiński (born 24 March 1964 in Gdańsk) is a Polish innovator, philosopher and an explorer. He is claimed to have reached both the North and the South Pole in one year without outside assistance (the North Pole on 23 May 1995; the South Pole on 27 December 1995).
Pantheon has 6 people classified as explorers born between 1797 and 1964. Of these 6, 1 (16.67%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living explorers include Marek Kamiński. The most famous deceased explorers include Emin Pasha, Paweł Strzelecki, and Gustav Adolf von Götzen. As of April 2022, 1 new explorers have been added to Pantheon including Krystyna Chojnowska-Liskiewicz.
Living Explorers
Go to all RankingsDeceased Explorers
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Emin Pasha
1840 - 1892
HPI: 57.16
Paweł Strzelecki
1797 - 1873
HPI: 51.88
Gustav Adolf von Götzen
1866 - 1910
HPI: 50.99
Theodor Kotschy
1813 - 1866
HPI: 50.20
Krystyna Chojnowska-Liskiewicz
1936 - 2021
HPI: 46.54
Newly Added Explorers (2022)
Go to all RankingsWhich Explorers were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 5 most globally memorable Explorers since 1700.
