Built on the banks of the River Oder in western Poland, with 12 islands, countless bridges and riparian parks, Wroclaw is for me one of the most special Polish cities and (my favorite part) one of the least touristy. But what is hiding in this city? And when I say hiding, I mean it literally because Wroclaw is a city where you can spend your time hunting dwarves! Read more about Wroclaw and get inspired.
Scattered in various parts of the city hide more than 250 bronze dwarfs. You will find them everywhere. On the street corners, in the windows, at the entrances of the houses. They hang from the pillars, hide behind benches and look like they are secretly watching you. Ask at tourist information centers for the special map that will guide you in your search or download a special app for your mobile phone and start the hunt!
But how did it all start?
In the 1980s Poland was still under a communist (rather authoritarian) regime. An anti-government protest movement was formed under the name Orange Underground which aimed to make extremely peaceful (almost funny) protest marches and when the police extinguished their anti-government graffiti, it responded by painting a dwarf on top.
On 2001 an event in honor of this resistance took place: now that the regime had fallen, a dwarf sculpture was erected on Widnicka Street in the city, and so the start was made. Soon other dwarfs were added, not so big in size but in places that everyone could admire.
From the moment you locate the first dwarf, it is impossible not to get into the process of looking at every nook and cranny in the hope that you will find someone else. They usually represent simple everyday things, some read, some drink, some sit on a bench. But some of them symbolize messages or are created as part of social campaigns.
From the huge number of dwarfs -250 so far and continues to grow - so far there are only three women. Maybe this is a sample of folklore where male dwarfs seem to be more than women (I was not lucky and did not meet any of them)
Combine your journey with dwarf hunting and I'm sure Wroclaw will stay in your heart forever!
Evita.
