From soprano singer to organist and composer, Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) created masterpieces in every Baroque genre. Augmenting established German musical styles, he declared his 200 cantatas ‘for the glory of God alone’. His music influenced modern genres, and is infused by tragedy in his life; as an orphan, or in his violin solo after losing his wife.
Famous for his moustache, Polish former electrician Lech Wałęsa (born 1943) entered politics when he became the leader of Solidarity, the largest anti-communist social movement in Central Europe. In the 1980s he led mass protests in Poland, which eventually contributed to the downfall of the Soviet Union. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983, and elected as the president of Poland in 1990.
The “Grandmother of the European Union”, French journalist and feminist Louise Weiss (1893-1983) was an influential voice in international affairs from the 1920s. She founded The New Europe magazine, inspired ideas about European integration, and led France to granting voting rights for women in 1944. Elected to the European Parliament at the age of 86, she was the oldest MEP at the time.
His fictional knight-errant rescued ‘imaginary damsels’, and spawned the word ‘quitoxic’. Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes’ (1547-1616) Don Quixote de La Mancha is the first modern novel, and sits among the top 10 most translated books. An ex-soldier, Cervantes was captured by pirates and enslaved in Algiers before writing the Western literary classic.
Robert Lewandowski (born 1988) is not only an icon of Polish and European football and one of the best strikers in the world, but also a successful entrepreneur. He invests mostly in innovative business ideas and promising startups. His civic engagement in charities supporting disadvantaged families and kids made him one of the most respected personalities in Polish public life.
A symbol of the peaceful transition from communism to democracy in Eastern Europe, writer and idealist Václav Havel (1936-2011) was transformed from an imprisoned dissident to the president of the Czech Republic. During the so-called Velvet Revolution, he showed that an important political change can be implemented in a non-violent way – even if it seems impossible.
Winning a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics at the age of 15, swimmer Rūta Meilutytė (born 1997) became one of the youngest gold medallists ever. Born in Lithuania, she now lives and trains in the UK. She is the only swimmer in history to hold the Olympic, World and European titles at both senior and youth levels at the same time.
People once thought that the Earth was the centre of the universe, until Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) presented a new view of the world. The Renaissance-era polyglot and polymath’s heliocentric model placed the Sun at the centre of the solar system. Despite being banned by the church for over 200 years, the mathematician's book, On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres, formed the basis of modern astronomy.
German composer Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) created some of the world’s best musical masterpieces such as Moonlight Sonata or Für Elise. Despite the loss of his hearing, he wrote music that evoked the spirit of humanism: admiration for life, human strength and the power of solidarity. His 9th Symphony accompanied by Friedrich Schiller’s lyrical verse, Ode to Joy, was chosen as the European anthem.
A name synonymous with English literature, William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was an English poet, playwright, actor and a genius of his native tongue. His plays have been translated into every major language and have inspired countless other artists. Proving that art and business can go hand-in-hand, he was a successful co-owner of a theatre company.
