Monuments & mounds

Wrocław Dwarfs

The smallest inhabitants of Wrocław have their own trail, a mobile app and a crowd of fans: dwarf figurines have been appearing in the city since 2001 and today there are nearly 1000 of them. They stand on streets and pavements, climb lamp posts and rest on the banks of the Oder, and searching for them has become one of the most pleasant ways of exploring the city, especially with children.

Dwarfs from the underground

The history of the dwarfs begins with the Orange Alternative, an anti-communist happening movement born in Wrocław in the 1980s. Its participants painted orange dwarfs on walls and dressed up as dwarfs, poking fun at the authorities. The first dwarf, Papa Krasnal (Papa Dwarf), was placed in 2001 at the underpass on Świdnicka Street and serves as the Monument of the Orange Alternative, standing out in appearance from the other figurines.

The dwarfs trail

The trail is considered to have begun in 2005, when the Syzyfki dwarfs appeared on Świdnicka Street, Gołębnik by the Spiż restaurant on the Market Square, Rzeźnik (Butcher) on Stare Jatki, as well as Pracz Odrzański and Szermierz. The first figurines were created by Michał Osuch, a graduate of the Wrocław Academy of Fine Arts, and some dwarfs are made of bronze while others of resin. In 2007 the first commercial dwarf, Pierożnik, appeared in front of a restaurant; today the figures are funded both by the city authorities and private entrepreneurs. The trail map is available at the Tourist Information Centre on the Market Square, in front of which stands the Turysta dwarf, and on the Market Square and Salt Square alone you will find dozens of figurines.