Hunting for Dwarfs in Wroclaw, Poland

Last Updated on June 3, 2026

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Wroclaw is one of the most beautiful cities in Poland and there’s a lot to do and see there. From beautiful architecture, lively Market Square, museums, strolling the Cathedral Island to enjoying riverside views. But one of the most unique and fun things to do in Wroclaw is hunting for dwarfs.

Wroclaw dwarfs, or Krasnale in Polish, are those small bronze statues, that are scattered all over the city. There are literally hundreds of them and new ones are being added regularly. Some are in plain sight, others require a little bit more effort to find, but that’s the fun part of it. No two dwarfs are the same, each has a name and its own personality.

Hunting for dwarfs is especially fun if you are visiting Wroclaw with kids, but many grown ups enjoy the treasure hunt just as much.

If you want some help finding the Wroclaw dwarfs, you might enjoy this Dwarfs and Sightseeing E-Car Tour

History of Wroclaw dwarfs

As cute as they are, Wroclaw dwarfs are much more than just a fun addition to the city. It all started back in the 1980s, when Poland was still under communist rule. As a way to protest against it, a group of students started an underground movement Orange Alternative. Each time their anti-communist graffiti was painted over, they’d follow it with a picture of a dwarf. It was their peaceful way of showing the absurdity of the oppression, and the dwarf quickly became a part and a symbol of the movement.

In 2001, the city of Wroclaw decided to honor the Orange Alternative, by placing a sculpture of a dwarf in the old meeting spot. Papa Dwarf (Papa Krasnal) was unveiled on the corner of Swidnicka and Kazimierza Wielkiego street, the exact spot where most of the protests took place.

This was the very first dwarf statue in Wroclaw, one that began the whole dwarf craze in the city. If you find Papa Dwarf, you’ll see that it’s quite a bit larger than the dwarf that followed and different in style as well.

A few years later, in 2005 the city decided to add more dwarf statues to one of the most visited places in Wroclaw: The Old Town. A local sculptor Tomasz Mroczek was commissioned to create 5 more of them, and once they appeared, they became a hit immediately. Soon more and more dwarfs started popping out all over the city, creating some sort of a dwarf craze.

I don’t think anyone imagined, that in a few short years, these little bronze statues will become one of the biggest and most photographed Wroclaw attractions. As more dwarfs are being added it’s hard to keep track how many there are in Wroclaw, but number is now around 600.

To find out more about Krasnale, you can head over to their official website Krasnale.pl .Yes, Wroclaw dwarfs have an entire website dedicated to them. You can get more information about each and one of the dwarfs, their stories, habits and personalities.

Where can you find the Wroclaw dwarfs?

A more appropriate question would be, where can’t you find them? Because as you start strolling the streets of Wroclaw, you will see them EVERYWHERE. They are in front of stores, restaurants and various businesses. Some represent a profession, an everyday activity, while others are part of a campaign.

Among my favorite ones are the three disabled dwarfs. They are part of the Wroclaw Without Barriers campaign, that draws attention to the disabled people living in the city. Seeing the popularity of the dwarfs, many businesses want to have one in front of their establishment, because of the way they draw people to it.

If you happen to visit Wroclaw, it won’t take you long to get caught up in the fun of hunting for the adorable dwarfs. Although you probably won’t be able to find all 600 trying will be fun no matter what your age is.

If you need some pointers, you can buy a map at the Tourist Office. But honestly, strolling through the city and finding them as you go is the most fun. The best part about the hunt is that it will help you discover parts of Wroclaw, you might not have necessarily visited.

You can also use this detailed map of Wroclaw dwarfs.

Dwarfs going abroad?

Looks like there’s no stopping the dwarf craze and the creativity of the creators. The city adds new statues to the streets of Wroclaw, but not only, because there are 6 dwarf statues outside of Poland. The locations of them are not accidental: all the cities listed below are Wroclaw’s long-time partners. What’s a better way to acknowledge that partnership than to send over the biggest symbol of the city.

• Reykjavik ( Iceland)
• Hradec Kralove ( Czech Republic )
• Vilnius ( Lithuania )
• Dresden ( Germany )
• Washington D.C. ( USA )
• Guadalajara ( Mexico )

READ MORE:

• Best Things to do in Wroclaw – My Favorite Polish City
• Sopot in Poland – a perfect day trip from Gdansk

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