Wrocław's Dwarfs

Scattered across the streets and squares of Wrocław are hundreds of small bronze dwarf figurines, a much-loved feature of the city. Their origin lies in the anti-communist Orange Alternative movement of the 1980s, which painted dwarfs over official slogans as a form of absurdist protest. The first sculptural dwarf appeared in 2001, and their number has since grown steadily, each posed in a playful scene by a shop, bank or lamppost. Visitors, especially children, hunt them with maps, turning a walk through the old town into a treasure trail.