In 1895, two women who had come from St Petersburg gave talks at Felix Klein’s famous seminar at the University of Göttingen. How far—not only in the geographical sense—did they have to travel? How wide-ranging were their prospects after their stay in Göttingen? The second half of the nineteenth century was a pivot period for women’s higher education in Europe. In general, they were still not formally admitted to universities, but some opportunities for higher education began to emerge. In particular, in 1878, the Higher Women’s Courses, known as the Bestuzhev Courses, were opened in St Petersburg and enabled women deprived of access to universities to obtain higher education. We will focus on the fate of two female graduates of the Higher Women’s Courses: Helena Bortkiewicz (Helene von Bortkewitsch) and Aleksandra Stebnicka (von Stebnitzky), of Polish origin and noble birth. Both came to Göttingen attracted by the opportunity to study under Felix Klein’s tutelage. Because of their gender, they were not allowed to enter the matriculation book, but they were able to attend lectures and seminars of professors who gave their consent. Both not only participated in Klein’s courses but also presented papers in his seminar.