The Quartet was founded in 1967 and was named after the former residence of King John III Sobieski which served as the venue for its concerts. The Quartet has toured in all European countries as well as in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Peru, Brazil and Japan. For several years now it has regularly appeared at the festival in Callate, Canada in programmes devoted to all Beethoven's quartets and Polish music. It also took part in many important festivals to mention but Wiener Festwochen, Musikprotokoll in Graz, Berliner Festwochen, Bergen Festival, Helsinki Festival. In 1971 it won the Second Prize at the International Haydn Competition for String Quartets in Vienna, in 1972 - a silver medal at the 5th Biennale in Bordeaux, in 1973 - the Third Prize at the International Music Competition in Munich.

Beside classical music, the ensemble's repertoire also includes many works of 20th century composers such as Baird, Bartok, Barber, Berg, Crumb, Lutoslawski, Meyer, Penderecki, Schönberg, Shostakovitch. The Wilanów Quartet appeared many times at the Warsaw Autumn Festival: in 1983 it was honoured with the „Orpheus" critic's award for the best performance of Polish music at the 26th Warsaw Autumn Festival (Meyer's Fifth String Quartet). In 1986 and 1990, the Quartet received the annual award of the Polish Composers Union.
The Wilanów Quartet records regularly for Sonoton of Munich; the company has already released discs with its interpretation of works by Meyer, Bloch, Bargielski. Together with the pianist Maciej Paderewski the Wilanów Quartet recorded the chamber works of Witold Lutoslawski: Partita, Grave and String Quartet for the Accord company of France; the disc was honoured in France with the „Diapason d'Or" award in December 1990. Also Wilanow's recording of the Grieg quartet received the Diapason award, in May 1996. For many years the Quartet has cooperated with the excellent Swiss clarinettist Eduard Brunner (recording together for Tudor, Callig and Col Legno) and also with the Finnish pianist and conductor Ralf Gothoni. Wilanow cooperates with the famous jazz musicians Adam Makowicz (piano) and Tomasz Stanko (trumpet).

Tadeusz Gadzina studied violin with Zenon Bakowski at the State Higher School of Music in Warsaw. Since 1975-76 he has continued his studies with Yehudi Menuhin and Yfram Neamen at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He is a laureate of the following competitions: at the International Sibelius Competition in Helsinki (1970), at the International Paganini Violin Competition in Genoa (1971), at the International Wieniawski Competition in Poznan (1972). In 1973 he won the gold medal at the International Laureates' Festival in Plewen (Bulgaria), and a year later at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels. He is a professor at the Academy of Music in Warsaw.

Pawel Losakiewicz studied violin from 1967-71 with Irena Dubiska at the State Higher School of Music in Warsaw. He records for Polish Radio and often gives solo concerts. He is a professor at the Academy of Music in Warsaw.

Ryszard Duz studied viola with Jan Michalski at the State Higher School of Music in Wroclaw. In 1975 he received the first prize at the 1st All Polish Competition for Violists in Poznan. In the same year his group, the Stanislaw Barcewicz Quartet of Wroclaw, took the third prize at the International Competition for String Quartets in Colmar, France.

Marian Wasiólka studied cello with Kazimierz Wilkomirski at the State Higher School of Music in Wroclaw, and continued his studies with Radu Aldulescu and Paul Tortelier. He was a soloist with the Antwerp Philharmonic and also member of the Herford Piano Quartet. He was also concert-master with the National Philharmonic, Warsaw.