A diplomat who thrives on building bridges…and making things happen

The first time Maja Wawrzyk heard about the International Visegrad Fund, she was nowhere near Bratislava, nor did she imagine she would one day be working there. But in diplomacy, paths cross in unexpected ways.

The Polish diplomat first heard about the Fund over a decade ago when she was in Romania. At the time, Wawrzyk was working as Director of the Polish Institute, and her friend, the director of the Czech Centre in Bucharest, had just finished serving as the Fund’s first deputy executive director.

“He was extremely enthusiastic about the Fund,” she recalls.

That enthusiasm was infectious. He spoke of how, in its early years, the Fund – which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year – had been an ambitious experiment in regional cooperation, building cultural and professional bridges between the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia.

Wawrzyk listened with interest but without any particular personal investment. It seemed like a fascinating project, but her career was on a different track.

But 12 years later, that conversation proved pivotal.

When the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced an open call for a new deputy executive director at the Fund, Wawrzyk did not hesitate. She saw the opportunity not just as a natural extension of her diplomatic career but as a chance to step beyond the purely Polish sphere and engage in a broader regional mission.

After years of working in different fields of diplomacy in France, Romania and Moldova, she saw the Fund as the ideal blend of project management and international cooperation. She was drawn to its dynamism, the way it turned people’s visions into practical initiatives. She is, after all, she says, a woman of action – someone who thrives on organising, planning and making things happen.

“I knew from the beginning it would be a very pleasant professional experience,” she says.

And so, when the Polish rotation came up, she applied, and the ministry chose her. She was soon on her way to Bratislava – armed not just with experience but with advice from that Czech friend who had first introduced her to the organisation.

Building bridges between nations

Wawrzyk’s role at the Fund is not merely administrative – it is rooted in her ability to bring a nuanced, culturally aware perspective to the evaluation of projects spanning different countries. As a Polish professional in an international institution, her contribution is one of contextual understanding. Political landscapes, social dynamics and cultural intricacies all influence the relevance and feasibility of proposed initiatives, and Wawrzyk sees it as her mission to ensure these factors are taken into account.

“It gives me a lot of satisfaction because my work contributes to one of my favourite things – building bridges between people and nations,” she says.

The Fund processes approximately 1000 projects applications annually, selecting ones with the greatest impact for support. Wawrzyk and her colleagues assess these proposals, considering not just their technical feasibility but also their broader societal impact. One recent project stands out: a photography initiative that provided homeless individuals in Poland, Slovakia and Czechia with cameras to capture the realities of their daily lives. The resulting images offered a powerful, often unseen perspective on urban life, later displayed in exhibitions across the region. For Wawrzyk, this was more than an art installation – it was a means of amplifying marginalised voices and fostering empathy through visual storytelling.

Another initiative that stood out was in Hungary - a group of enthusiasts transformed an unremarkable rural area into an interactive cultural hub. By bringing together architects and artists from the Visegrad region, they created an evolving space for community engagement, turning an overlooked location into one of creative expression. Such projects, particularly those with a strong social impact, align with Wawrzyk’s background in sociology and her belief in the power of cultural exchange.

Facilitating cross-border collaboration, enabling meaningful conversations, and fostering mutual understanding are, for her, fundamental to Europe’s future. The Fund contributes to that vision by offering a range of individual mobility programmes, including artistic residencies, scholarships and fellowships.

“It’s always enriching to discover another perspective – one shaped by history, by culture. Only through direct contact can we truly understand each other and work together better,” she says.

For Wawrzyk, the Fund is more than an institution – it is a platform for connection, where ideas that transcend borders become reality.

A vision for the Fund

Wawrzyk arrived at the Fund with a vision shaped by years in cultural diplomacy. Two years into her three-years-long tenure as deputy executive director, The Slovak Spectator asked her to reflect on her role, her team and the impact of her work.

Each day is a new challenge, she says, an unfolding puzzle requiring creativity, adaptability and, above all, dialogue. “There’s no such thing as a typical day,” she adds. Averse to monotony, she thrives in an environment where every hour brings a new discussion, a new initiative, a new problem to solve. From morning meetings with project managers to afternoon consultations with institutional partners, her schedule is dictated by the Fund’s dynamic ecosystem – a mechanism, as she calls it, that serves those with ideas and helps them navigate bureaucratic complexities.

The Fund operates with a committed team of 19, a mix of nationalities bound by a shared mission.

Her office, one level above the bustling square, offers a vantage point – not just of the city’s rhythms but also of the larger picture she constantly pieces together. On difficult days, when grant applicants face hurdles, she finds respite in watching the world below: the ebb and flow of pedestrians, the shifting seasons, the inevitable disappearance of Christmas markets and their familiar jingles.

With one year left in her tenure, Wawrzyk is aware of the ticking clock. When she arrived, she stepped into an organisation with an already sterling reputation in Warsaw’s diplomatic circles. Her goal was never to overhaul but to refine – to improve efficiency, strengthen support for grantees and ensure the Fund remained not just relevant but indispensable.

“The proof of the Fund’s value,” she notes, “is that it is always mentioned ahead of summits, either at ministerial or presidential level. The recognition is there. Now, we just need to keep building.”

A unique place in Europe

The Polish diplomat is full of praise for Bratislava.

“It’s a beautiful place,” she says. “I’m personally extremely happy to be here. At this stage of my life, with still relatively small kids, it’s perfect. It’s a very people-friendly city, everything is easy.”

Yet, for all its attractions, one thing Bratislava cannot offer is the sea. Born in Gdańsk, Wawrzyk grew up with the Baltic Sea on her doorstep. Does she miss it? “Of course,” she says. “But I left the coast long ago. Now, it’s something special – walking along the beach is a nostalgic return, a kind of music of waves that I cherish.”

Her children, meanwhile, have found their own version of paradise: Bratislava’s seemingly endless supply of ice cream. “Before coming here, I had heard that Polish people consume the most ice cream in Europe. But after a summer in Slovakia, I have my doubts. Every five metres in The Old Town, there’s a gelateria.” Their favourite? The family vote is unanimous – Andersen!

For Wawrzyk, the Slovak capital’s appeal extends beyond its compact layout and picturesque streets. Language, too, has offered a sense of comfort. The linguistic proximity of Polish and Slovak means that communication rarely poses a challenge. “I can just Slovak my Polish,” she says, describing how she intuitively blends the two languages in conversation.

One of Bratislava’s greatest advantages is its strategic position. Weekends sometimes turn into cross-border excursions. “As a diplomat – someone who loves crossing borders – this is a unique place in Europe. Within minutes, I can be in Austria or Hungary, an hour takes me to Czechia, three to Poland.”

Beyond the ease of travel, what she has found in Bratislava is a genuine sense of community. The Polish Institute remains active, and the local Polish expatriate community frequently comes together for cultural events.

“We happen to have a lovely circle of Polish women diplomats here—two of them were my office mates back in Warsaw,” she Wawrzyk says. “And my children have made friends at school whose parents have become friends of ours too, so we explore Bratislava and its surroundings together.”

2025: anniversary year

Wawrzyk does not dwell on personal accolades. Ask her what she will be proud of when her tenure ends, and she offers a measured response: “It’s not time yet.” But press a little further, and she admits to one achievement that stands out – the atmosphere she has fostered within the Fund’s team.

“We come from different countries, we are of different ages, with different experiences and personalities. But we like each other. We support each other. There are no negative feelings here,” she says, sitting in one of the rooms of the Fund’s headquarters on Hviezdoslav Square in Bratislava. “With a group of nearly 20 people, that’s an achievement.”

For Wawrzyk, the harmony inside the office extends beyond its walls. She believes this dynamic translates into trust and credibility when dealing with grant applicants.

“If we have such an atmosphere here, people can trust that we work fairly,” she notes.

Her work frequently takes her across borders to promote the Fund’s mission. Earlier this year, she travelled to Armenia, where the Fund has supported several initiatives. While the Fund’s core focus remains Central Europe and the Eastern Partnership, its reach has extended farther afield, supporting projects in countries as varied as France, Portugal, Sweden and the United States. In France, the Fund backed the FIPADOC Festival, a prominent documentary showcase that connects filmmakers from the Visegrad region with French industry professionals. This year’s edition placed particular emphasis on the Balkans—another region high on the Fund’s list of priorities.

Looking ahead, 2025 will be marked by celebrations. “The plan for this year is to celebrate our birthday – and to communicate about it,” Wawrzyk says, referring to the Fund’s anniversary. That means an intense schedule of meetings with grantees, engaging with individuals who have turned their ideas into concrete projects. For Wawrzyk, diplomacy is not just about formal partnerships; it is about creating networks of people and ideas. She is particularly keen on fostering tangible outcomes.

“Every project we support produces something – whether it’s a book, a film, a research paper, or a new connection between institutions. It’s important to see what nations have in common and what kind of know-how they exchange.”

As for her own future, she acknowledges that decisions will have to be made.

“I will need to start thinking about my future and some logistical matters,” she says. But for now, that remains “a question mark.”