Dwarf hunting in Wroclaw, Poland

Two Tickets To

4 years ago

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 Wiesław Cupała 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.

“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.

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.

Papa Dwarf – a very different style to the more recent additions

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.

Dwarf graffiti on 22. Smoluchowskiego Street

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.