Wrocław’s gnomes ( pl,
krasnale) are small figurines (20-30
cm) that first appeared in the streets of
Wrocław
Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, rou ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
in 2005. Since then, their numbers have been continually growing, and today they are considered a tourist attraction: those who would like to combine sight-seeing in Wrocław with "Hunting for dwarfs" are offered special brochures with a map and
mobile application software
A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a phone, tablet, or watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop applications which are designed to run on d ...
for
smartphone
A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, whic ...
s. In April 2019, there were already 600 dwarfs in the city. Six are located outside the city at the
LG plant in
Biskupice Podgórne.
History
In 2001, to commemorate the
Orange Alternative
The Orange Alternative (Polish language, Polish: ''Pomarańczowa Alternatywa'') is a Polish far-left anti-communist underground movement, started in Wrocław, a city in south-west Poland and led by Waldemar Fydrych (sometimes misspelled as Frydr ...
(Polish
anti-communist
Anti-communism is Political movement, political and Ideology, ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, w ...
movement), a monument of a gnome (the movement’s symbol) was officially placed on Świdnicka Street, where the group’s gatherings used to take place. In 2003, the Mayor of Wrocław, in an attempt to continue the new tradition, unveiled a small plaque on the door of The Dwarves’ Museum. It can be found at the height of human knees on the wall of a historic tenement called Jaś, which is situated between the
Market Square and
St. Elizabeth’s Church.
The figures of the gnomes, which are smaller than the Orange Alternative monument on Świdnicka Street, were placed in different parts of the city. The first five, designed by Tomasz Moczek, a graduate of the
Academy of Fine Arts in Wrocław, were placed in August 2005. These were the Fencer near the University of Wrocław, the Butcher in Stare Jatki arcade, two Sisyphuses on Świdnicka Street and the Odra-Washer-Dwarf, near Piaskowy Bridge. The name of the last dwarf is related to Pracze Odrzańskie, an estate on the outskirts of the city. Since that time, the number of figures has continued growing.
A ceremony unveiling two other dwarves took place on the day of June 18, 2008. They were situated on Świdnicka Street, next to W-skers: a dwarf in a wheel chair. The figures represent two disabled dwarves: the Deaf-mute and the Blind. They are part of the Wrocław Without Barriers campaign, which aims at drawing attention to handicapped people living in Wroclaw. Five days later, at the Hematology and Pediatric Oncology Clinic in Wrocław, another dwarf was erected. It was to be the third female dwarf, Marzenka, whose design was based on the logo of the ''Mam marzenie'' charity.
The Dwarves' Festival takes place in Wrocław every year in September.
Gallery
File:Automatek.jpg, Automatek
File:Bankomatki.jpg, Bankomatki
File:Chrapek (Snorer) Wroclaw dwarf 01.JPG, Chrapek
File:Capgeminiusz Programista.jpg, Programmer Capgeminiusz
File:Dlugi.jpg, Dlugi
File:Drukarz Kacper.jpg, Printer Kacper
File:Florianek.jpg, Florianek
File:Gazus.jpg, Gazus
File:Gieldus.jpg, Gieldus
File:Golebnik.jpg, Golebnik
File:Grajek i Meloman.jpg, Grajek and Meloman
File:Janinek.jpg, Janinek
File:Kanapownik.jpg, Kanipownik
File:Kawiarek.jpg, Kawiarek
File:Kowal.jpg, Kowal
File:Listonosz.jpg, Listonosz
File:Pomagajek.jpg, Pomagajek
File:Recyklinek.jpg, Recyklinek
File:Rogalik (Krasnal).jpg, Rogalik
File:Suvenirek.jpg, Suvenirek
File:Syzyfki.jpg, Syzyfki
File:Troszka i Adoratorek.jpg, Troszka and Adoratorek
File:Turysta.jpg, Turysta
File:Ursus (Krasnal).jpg, Ursus
File:Wiezien (Prisoner) Wroclaw dwarf 01.JPG, Prisoner
File:Krasnal-Wroclaw-ulSwidnicka.jpg, Papa Dwarf
File:Turysta (Tourist) Wroclaw dwarf 03.jpg, Tourist
File:Weteran.jpg, Weteran
File:Slazak (Silesian) Wroclaw dwarf 01.JPG, Fan of WKS Śląsk Wrocław WKS may refer to:
* Wernicke–Korsakoff syndrome
* ''Wetterkurzschlüssel'', German for Short Weather Cipher, a WWII codebook of the German Navy
* .wks (WorKSheet), a filename extension used by early Lotus 1-2-3 and Microsoft Works
* ''Well Know ...
File:WrocLovek (WrocLover) Wroclaw dwarf 01.JPG, WrocLovek
File:Wrocklik (Wroclick) Wroclaw dwarf 02.JPG, Wrocklik
File:Ossolinek (Ossolineo) Wroclaw dwarf dressed 2016 P01.jpg, A wrocław dwarf during the winter action of dressing dwarfs
References
Wrocław
Figurines
Landscape architecture
Dwarves in popular culture
Tourist attractions in Wrocław
Outdoor sculptures in Poland
2001 introductions
Fictional gnomes
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