The Anti-Communist Dwarves of Wroclaw

Scattered throughout the metropolis of Wroclaw , Poland , are hundreds of pocket-sized bronze statues of dwarves. They began appearing inwards the streets inwards 2005 , but their roots larn dorsum to the 1980s , to an anti-communist hush-hush drive called the Orange Alternative.

In the 1980s when Poland was nevertheless nether the communist dominion , the Orange Alternative Movement started inwards Wroclaw equally a agency to peacefully protestation against the authoritarian regime. The grouping flora creative ways to phase protestation , oft bordering on silliness , such equally dressing upwards equally dwarfs too epitome figures of dwarfs over all communist symbols throughout the city. The sentiment was to exercise absurd too nonsensical elements thus that participants could non endure arrested yesteryear the police. The drive spread to other cities merely about Poland similar Warsaw , Łódź , Lublin , too Tomaszów Mazowiecki , eventually becoming a purpose of the larger Solidarity Movement that led to the autumn of Communism inwards Poland.

wroclaw-dwarves-7

Three dwarves —one blind , i inwards wheelchair too i who is difficult of hearing— inwards front end of the Old Town Hall inwards Wroclaw , portray Wroclaw’s epitome equally a disabled-friendly city. Photo credit: Piotr/Flickr

In 2001 , the metropolis of Wroclaw placed the offset dwarf statue , known equally “Papa Dwarf” , inwards observe of the Orange Alternative. Four years after , the metropolis commissioned a local creative mortal to practise v to a greater extent than dwarves , too since too then novel dwarves guide maintain been popping upwards all over the city. Although the official figure is 163 , some guess at that topographic point are over 350 dwarves inwards Wroclaw.

Many of the dwarves were position upwards yesteryear local businesses too used equally a flat of advertisement. There is a dwarf sprawled on a pizza exterior the local Pizza Hut , some other handing out newspapers exterior a erstwhile paper kiosk , too yet some other sitting alongside 2 H2O ice cream cones exterior an H2O ice cream parlor. H5N1 bespectacled dwarf inwards graduation robes too a majority stands exterior the University of Wroclaw. Rubbing the dwarf’s chapeau , polished yesteryear thousands of hands , is said to pick out proficient luck. Another couple of dwarves inwards firefighter costume too hose inwards manus is seen running towards the red-bricked Gothic St Elizabeth’s Church that has a long history of catching fires during lightning storms.

Dwarf hunting is a pop activeness amid tourists inwards Wroclaw now.

wroclaw-dwarves-8