Hunting for Dwarfs in Wroclaw, Poland

Last Updated on April 29, 2021

Wroclaw is without a doubt one of the most picturesque cities in Poland. When you come visit, be prepared to be charmed by the beautiful Market square, amazing architecture and lots of colorful buildings. It is one of biggest University cities in the country, it was named the European Capital of Culture in 2016, as well as one of the most colorful European destinations. Finding things to do won’t be an issue, as there are many attractions, one of them quite unusual: Wroclaw dwarfs! When you start walking down the streets of Wroclaw, very quickly you start noticing little bronze statues popping out in random places. They are about one foot tall, each comes with a name and quite a personality.

So what are they? Well, they’re Wroclaw dwarfs, or as they are called in Polish: Krasnale. In recent years they took over the beautiful city of Wroclaw, and there’s no end in sight. There are close to 400 of these adorable creatures scattered all over the city and more are being added regularly. Some are in plain sight, while others require a little more effort to be found. Wroclaw dwarfs are a much loved addition to the city, and one of the biggest tourist attractions. One that sure sets Wroclaw apart from other cities in Poland.

For more ideas what to see and do in Wroclaw read here.

2 statues of firefighters, Wroclaw gnomes

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. If you venture out to find the dwarf that started it all, you will find Papa Krasnal to be quite a bit larger than all the dwarfs that followed him, and definitely different in style.

A few years later, in 2005 the city decided to add more dwarf statues to one of the most picturesque and most frequented 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 enough 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 attractions. At the time of writing this, there are close to 400 of these adorable dwarfs scattered all over Wroclaw.

To find out more about Krasnale, you can head over to their official website Krasnale.pl .Yes, you read that correctly. 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 strive 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 400, trying sure is fun, no matter what your age is. The Tourist Office sells a map for 10 zl ( $2 ), if you want help finding them. Just keep in mind, it might be a bit outdated, given new statues are being added regularly. To be completely honest, 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.

a statue of a dwarf by the ATM, one of Wroclaw dwarfs

a statue of Arcik the traveler in front of a hotel in Wroclaw, Poland — ***Arcik the traveler***

a bronze statue of a dwarf sleeping in a hotel bed, one of Wroclaw gnomes

two brozne dwarf statues : opera singer and ballet dancer in front of Wroclaw Opera

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.