Dwarfs of Wroclaw

I fell in love with the city of Wroclaw, Poland. A rather small city but none the less charming and full of surprises. From Dresden one can take the train to the city of Wroclaw, Poland (just a short 3 hours ride and you are in another country). During last year's summer my friends and i bought the weekend train ticket which cost about 87Euro a round trip ticket for up to 5 person. So for less than 20 Euro/ pax i got to spend my weekend in another county.. how cool is that?

Dwarf #1, 2 & 3. These represents social causes with 3 disables dwarfs, a dwarf in a wheelchair (w-skers), a blind and a deaf-mute

what makes Wroclaw different from other cities in Europe are these little cuties, The Dwarfs of Wroclaw. Many tourist who comes to this city search high and low for these adorable dwarf and i'm one of them. Feeling like a kid searching for the Easter eggs, so much fun

These small creatures, with their pointed hats and charming personalities started first appearing in the street of Wroclaw in 2001 to commemorate the Orange Alternative Movement (a political movement) goes back to 1982.

it's main purpose was to offer a wider group of citizens an alternative way of opposition against the authoritarian regine by means of a peaceful protest that used absurd and nonsensical elements. The dwarfs were drawn then on the walls covering up anti-government slogans on city walls such as "Solidarity" (Solidamosc) or "Down with communism" (Precz z Komuna) by the member of the opposition movement struggling with the communists

Dwarf #4, 5, 6 & 7

i'm not sure if these are one of them but i took count them anyway

dwarf #8 the traveler dwarf.

Every dwarf has a name and a particular purpose or role. These dwarf can be found near major landmarks. practicing their occupation, or even exercising their right of protest

dwarf #9 & 10

for example this with drawer dwarf located in front of the bank and the other one is a broker with a bell

dwarf #11 the veteran

dwarf #12 well-wisher, an adorable smiley dwarf with a big sunflower

dwarf # 13 lover holding a heart with a crest of Wroclaw

dwarf #14, 15 & 16, a sleeper guarding the door to the underground city of dwarfs and the firemen not sure it's that is the dwarf group but i count them in anyway

dwarf #17 reading a book or librarian. Ossolineo,a fan of knowledge and books in which he finds it. With a classic education background, he knows many languages including Latin, Greek and old-dwarf 

dwarf #18 & 19 musician and music lover

dwarf #20 hugging a pole like a koala bear..hehe it's was kind of hard to spot but a friend of mine found it, it's Olawska street polers

dwarf #21 with a bottle of wine just right outside a wine bar

dwarf #22 the key maker (one of my favorite)

he is known for having the key into dwarf city. who know maybe if you ask him nicely he might show you the way???

another favourite of mine

dwarf # 23 & 24 hard working dwarfs

need a helping hand?

no one realy knows their true names - they've been asked numerous times, but are too busy to answer. People simply know and call them Sisyphers. 

dwarf #25 one relax dwarf, watching tv and talking on the phone with his gf.

his name is Dialogomir, leads a very unhealthy lifestyle. He's not bother neither by the city rush around nor by the possibility of suffering from some lifestyle related condition. time for a walk lazy dwarf

dwarf #26 sleeping dwarf, located just outside a hotel. i heard that he snore really loud....yikes

dwarf #27 another explorer dwarf outside a hotel with his coat and suitcase. A true globetrotter! though long journeys are not in dwarfs nature, buring his not-so-short life he saw alot, yet still due to his unstoppable traveling curiosity he packs his bags and sets off on another journey towards unknown

dwarf #28 professor, looking so engross with the book he is reading. He's beyond doubt the best educated of all Wroclaw dwarfs

dwarf # 29 the swordsman, apparently he was stolen twice. The umbrella, which was his symbol, doesn't do the task of protecting him from vandals, it seems 

dwarf #30 this cool dwarf is also one of my favorite. He is Chopper-dwarf, first motorist among the Little Ones in Wroclaw, a dedicated friend of all those who love driving motorcycles.

He constantly roams the streets of Wroclaw on his bike, but one can likely to catch him somewhere near the St. Mary Magdalene's Cathedral

dwarf #31 the walker, People call him Johnnie Walking but he prefer just Walker ( humble dwarf) This is all that needs to be said about his passion. Equipped with Nordic walking sticks he wanders longer and longer routes through the city streets. He does a great job of popularizing active lifestyle among dwarfs and Big humans

dwarf #32 Smities, he is both a blacksmith and a goldsmith with magical talent with metal. One can trust him and his hammer to turn a simple metal nugget into a masterpiece. Rings or armors, whatever you wish

dwarf #33 the prisoner, day by day he remains behind thick bars. To his leg a heavy ball and chain are cuffed. What is he guilty of? That information been lost for a while. some say he steals from other dwarfs, some even say he is guilty of uncontrollable appetite

he is place by Wiezienna Street

dwarf #34 the recycler, This unusual dwarf who came to us from the Green Forest remind us Big humans about how important the natural environment is and how to care for it. He just couldn't stand and watch the trees disappearing from the forest, so he decided to act on it 

dwarf # 35 the chimney sweeper, he is the 1st chimney sweeper among the dwarf and if you touch him he will give you good luck

dwarf # 36, 37 & 38 dispensers, aren't in dange of overworking themselves as there are only 2 ATMs for dwarfs as they still prefer the old ways of handling money. Too bad i didn't manage to find the other ATM dwarf 

dwarf #39dwarf with a dumplinf or periogi. A gourmet and fan of good food. Above all delicacies he puts a plate of hot and richly decorated with onion periogi. As he allows himself and does not hold his appetite, his smile never goes away. No doubt, this is one of the most content dwarf

dwarf # 40 & 41 i wonder if they are stealing chocolate and ice cream from this shop?

dwarf # 42 Flim buff Jr, fan of movies. He's sitting on an old fashion projector and awaits another film festival. Film buff also likes to write a hard hitting review sometimes, but only on the dwarfs' newspaper. I wonder what are his opinion on snow while and the 7 dwarfs?

dwarf # 43 oddguy, he is a real philanthropist, act as a symbol of the Helping Hand Association " odd fellows". He holds a chain symbolizing community and mutual help of those in need

dwarf # 44 the butcher, were always the oldest son of the oldest dwarf clan in Wroclaw. Their job was to flay the fish, dividing the meat between members of the community and minding that no one will walk hungry. Though most of the dwarfs in Wroclaw are vegetarian, who prefer juicy apple and fresh blueberries but nonetheless the profession of a butcher is one of the oldest and most respected  

dwarf # 45 newsboy, he knows everything that is going on with the world. He starts each day by selling newspapers at Kosciuszki Square, loudly yelling to encourage customers. He love his job, although sometimes the amount of bad news in the Big Humans' press worries him. Thus he prefers the dwarf press, especially the column called " what's on" where all the dwarf pranks and upcoming events are described

dwarf #46 the Dwarf of all dwarfs, Papa dwarf. He is the most eminent of all dwarfs living in Wroclaw. In the past an active participant of social and political matters, he was engaged with the Orange Alternative, Today pm a well deserved retirement, he leads the dwarf community of Wroclaw ad the Head of Wroclaw Dwarf Committee.

dwarf # 47 & 48 one dwarf taking a nap on the grass after reading. not sure what the other dwarf represent. Both dwarf is near to the railway station

dwarf #49 the last dwarf i found from my trip to Wroclaw, the Railway dwarf, seem like this little fellow is traveling to somewhere with his big luggage bon voyage 

cute postcard of the dwarfs

there are over 250 dwarf spread all over the city, though i found all of them are male dwarf but there are also a small numbers of female dwarf in the city and the numbers are growing but sometimes dwarfs are stolen or vandalized, which makes their number fluctuate. Big Humans are really bad can't you just leave them alone they are not hurting anyone!!!!

i had so much fun dwarf hunting in Wroclaw i think for 3 days to find 49 dwarfs are pretty impressive if only i have more time to find them all.

 One can always buy a dwarf map or search them online http://krasnale.pl/en/map/  but i like surprises knowing where they are makes it less fun

i do hope these dwarfs would migrate to when i'm staying also...hehe

till next time little dwarf

~ pozegnanie ~