When exploring the beautiful Polish city of Wroclaw, it’s almost impossible to miss the miniature army of Krasnale going about their daily lives. From the diminutive figure withdrawing money from an equally diminutive ATM in the main square to the tiny team of eight rowing alongside the Odra River, there seems to be a little bronze figure everywhere you turn.
You may think these dwarf statues are some sort of treasure hunt invented for tourists – perhaps as part of Wroclaw’s 2016 European Capital of Culture celebrations. However, a weight of historical significance rests on the shoulders of these little bronze figures. To understand why, we must turn to a darker time in Polish history…
There is no freedom without dwarfs
In response to increased resistance and heightened political instability, the ruling communist party declared martial law in Poland in December 1981, bringing drastic restrictions to ordinary life. The authorities introduced curfews and censorship. Schools and universities were under strict control. Independent assembly and political organisations were banned, with demonstrations met with political force.
In this censorship state, anti-regime graffiti was rapidly painted over, leaving behind patches of fresh white paint. On the night of 30th August 1982, Waldemar ‘Major’ Fydrych and WiesÅ‚aw CupaÅ‚a painted a picture of a dwarf into one of these splotches. Dwarfs appeared in their droves, painted by artistic protestors in Wroclaw, Lodz, Krakow, Warsaw and Gdansk. The rest of the world watched as the Polish authorities humiliated themselves, frantically censoring paintings of dwarfs.
Read next: An afternoon walking around Bratislava in Slovakia
“Can you treat a police officer seriously when he is asking you why you participated in an illegal dwarf meeting?”
This dwarf-painting collective grew into the Orange Alternative – a movement that employed ridicule as its weapon of resistance. What began with painting dwarfs escalated into the organisation of a series of ‘happenings’, demonstrations against the regime with a heavy dose of mockery.
On one occasion, the movement assembled 5000 students dressed in red by the orangutan enclosure in Wroclaw zoo to sing Stalinist hymns and wave red flags. On another occasion, the movement staged a happening involving individuals dressed as Santa. As it was St Nicholas day, there were also ‘professional’ Santas around – working in department stores and similar. This meant that the militia couldn’t tell who was involved and who was not, resulting in international headlines of “30 Santas arrested in Wroclaw”.
The largest of these happenings was on 1st June 1988, when more than 10 thousand people marched through Wroclaw wearing orange dwarf hats. This became known as the Revolution of Dwarfs. Although not as well-known as the Solidarity movement, the actions of the Orange Alternative contributed to the collapse of the communist regime in 1989.
Read next: Reasons to visit Sheki in Azerbaijan
Remembering the Orange Alternative
In 2001, city officials decided to honour the legacy of the Orange Alternative by commissioning a dwarf statue for the city. ‘Papa Dwarf‘ stands proudly on the corner of ul. Swidnicka and ul. Kazimierza Wielkiego, a spot previously used as a meeting point by the Orange Alternative.
Then, in 2005, the city commissioned a local artist to create a further five dwarf statues: a fencer, a butcher, a launderer and a pair pushing a rock. When created, these were not explicitly linked to the Orange Alternative. However, they have become so in later years.
Either way, the dwarfs proved so popular that they spawned rapidly all over Wroclaw, to the point that no one knows how many there are. The official total is 165, but sources suggest the actual figure is as high as 400.
Dwarf hunting in Wroclaw
Today only one of the original dwarf paintings in Wroclaw remains. You can find it just outside the old town, at 22. Smoluchowskiego Street. Keep an eye out for a sandstone-coloured building and walk up the path – the dwarf is to the right of the main doorway. It’s well worth the excursion to see this little piece of history.
There is no such shortage when it comes to the bronze statue dwarfs. All you need to do is keep your eyes on the pavement when exploring Wroclaw, and you’ll spot a myriad of dwarfs going about their daily lives. If you’d like a little more focus and structure to dwarf hunting in Wroclaw, there are plenty of resources available:
- Pick up a map from Tourist Information. This handy guide includes the officially registered dwarf population and is perfect for a phone-free explore.
- Download the app. Yes, there is an app dedicated to dwarf hunting.
- Check out community generated maps. There are multiple google maps which have pins marking dwarf locations. This has the benefit of more frequent updates than a paper map.
So if you find yourself in Wroclaw and spot a dwarf or two when you are out and about, remember that there’s more than meets the eye to these little bronze figures.
Read more about the Wroclaw dwarfs:
If you’ve not had your fill of Orange Alternative history, there’s a mountain of information available:
- The Museum of the Orange Alternative. Yes, an entire online museum dedicated to the Orange Alternative. As you’d expect, this is a very detailed account. A particular highlight is the photo archives.
- The Orange Alternative Foundation. This site offers more detail on the conservation and commemoration of the movement.
- Krasnale.pl. The official website of the Wroclaw dwarfs. This includes a mini profile for each of the official statues.
Read next:
For more Wroclaw travel inspiration, check out:
Wow this is so lovely, so many dwarfs in Wrazlow.
So original to have this unusual citizens here..
Thanks for reading, so pleased you enjoyed it! They’re such a great addition to the city.
That is so interesting! I bet it make the whole exploration more fun, not to mention the rich history behind it!
Absolutely! Trying to find as many dwarfs as you can is a great way to explore parts of Wroclaw that you might otherwise have missed. The history behind them makes it doubly worthwhile. Thanks so much for reading!
Although there is a dark, interesting history behind these dwarfs, I can’t help but feel a little hunt for them could become so much fun! Especially as no one knows just how many there are!
Thanks Kirstin – you’re spot on! It’s a great way to spend a day (or more) in Wroclaw, and a brilliant excuse to head out of the more typical tourist spots. I wonder how long it would take to find each and every one….
Thanks for reading!
What a fascinating read! I had no idea about this little slice of history. One of my colleagues is from Wroclaw – I will need to ask her about her dwarf knowledge!
Hi Lucy, thanks for reading and glad you enjoyed it! That’s great, it’d be fascinating to hear the local lowdown on the dwarfs!
What a very interesting article! I have to tell you its the first time I’ve heard of it. And I really loved the statues. Thanks for sharing
Thanks for reading! It’s definitely not widely known about, but it was really interesting learning about it all whilst we were there 🙂
Great article, I was planning on traveling to Poland soon too! By the way, curious what type of camera do you use to take photos?
Thanks Warren! Poland is a great country, some amazing cities and plenty of beautiful nature. These will have been taken on a Canon M50 (possibly a couple on a Huawei P20 Pro phone too) – the Canon is a nifty little mirrorless, good travel companion! Thanks for reading 🙂
Oh wow this is so interesting, been dying to visit Poland for a while now so good to know about this fun bit of History!
Thanks Hannah! Poland is such a great country to visit – Wroclaw is just one of many brilliant cities, and there’s tons of nature, hiking etc. to enjoy out in the countryside. Definitely recommend it 🙂 Thanks again for reading!
This was so interesting, I’d never heard of the dwarves of Wroclaw before. I think it’s such a wonderful way to commemorate a very sad period of history and turn it into something that brings joy. I’ve never been to Poland but it’s on my bucket list for one day! Fascinating post and great pictures, thank you for sharing 🙂 Lisa
Thanks Lisa! We hadn’t either before visiting but they are a brilliant addition to the city. Poland is a wonderful country to visit – hopefully you’ll get to tick it off your bucket list one day! Thanks for reading 🙂
This is so fascinating! I had no idea that this existed! Will have to seek them out when I get the chance to visit!
Thanks for reading! Wroclaw and the dwarfs are definitely well worth a visit 🙂
The dwarves are brilliant. I love that that they are so charming, but have an interesting history behind them. I’d love to visit Wroclaw one day. Hopefully soon!
Thanks for reading – they are so cute to spot all over the city but are so much more interesting because of the historical connection. Hopefully you’ll get to visit Wroclaw soon 🙂
Oooh! It is so cool that there are so many different dwarf statues in Wroclaw! Wow, the origin is not necessarily the best. The last thing we want is to be restricted by the government of everyday living. I like that the citizens responded with this. Thanks for sharing!
Nancy ♥ exquisitely.me
Thanks Nancy! Agreed, it’s such a different form of protest but clearly had an impact. Thanks for reading 🙂
This is truly interesting. I’d love to do some dwarf hunting in Wroslaw, they’re so cute 🙂
Thanks for reading! They’re such fun little things to find all over the place – definitely worth a visit when we can travel again!
Omg, they look so adorable! I wanted to visit Wroclaw on last year (December / January) but I changed my plans to Szczecin. But now I want again to Wroclaw! 😀 I really didn’t know about dwarfs but I like the idea of ”haunting” them! That’s a great activity for whole family (especially children). I am planing very soon to visit one town in Germany, where are many pugs (dog breed) statues! There are also some history behind and I want to discover it! 🙂
Thanks Sandra! The Wroclaw Dwarfs are definitely a great activity for the family, we barely scratched the surface with our photos – kids would love trying to find as many as they could in a day! Szczecin looks absolutely beautiful too – Poland has some really fantastic cities! The pug statues sound intriguing, I’ll have to take a look at that! I have fond memories of doing a tour of flying Rhinos whilst living in Dortmund – maybe Germany has a love for unusual animal collections! Thanks again for reading! Matt