Vieve's Voyages: Wroclaw, Poland

WrocLovek or Wroclove Dwarfs

We got to Wroclaw in the early afternoon checked into our hostel and headed to see the square. It was another beautiful square with colorful buildings and a lot of charm. We paused for a few minutes at Town Hall and looked at the astronomical clock that shows not only the time but also the moon phases. Then we ate lunch at Pizza Hut, and I learned that Pizza Huts in other countries are actually really nice restaurants.

Right outside of our restaurant was this little guy!!! GNOMES. They are a symbol of the Orange Alternative, a communist era rebel group that used ridicule as a weapon. Waldemar Fydrych set up the Orange Alternative in the 1980s. They began by painting gnomes around areas where authorities had painted over anti government graffiti. The little gnomes were to draw attention to what had once been there. During the second half of the decade the group became even more active by handing out items that were in short supply like toilet paper and other hygiene products. They hoped this would embarrass the communist regime and encourage independent thought.

We thought the cigarette under his plate was funny! His name is Obiezysmak or the Gourmet gnome.

Now days gnomes have taken over the streets. The can be found everywhere because there are over 230 of them throughout Wroclaw. But it isn’t that easy to spot them. They are sneaky little guys, so you have to be on the lookout. We found 46 while we were there. If you are really excited about gnome spotting like I was you can purchase a handy map to help you out, but beware they are not all on the map because more gnomes are continually being added to the collection.