One of Wrocław’s most popular, memorable and iconic attractions is not a cathedral, not a castle or monument, but a legion of little people. Gnomes to be precise. Keep your eyes peeled as you walk about town and you’re bound to notice the little fellas engaged in a variety of activities – from guarding public space to passed out drunk. These diminutive statues have become incredibly popular since first arriving in 2005, beloved by local residents and tourists alike and the object of more photos than the towering Cathedral. The work of local artist Tomasz Moczek - a graduate from the Wrocław Academy of Fine Arts - 32 gnomes were originally commissioned by Wrocław's City Council, however they soon proved so popular that envious local businesses got in on the game contracting Moczek to create countless more. In almost no time at all the little devils have proliferated to the point that now no one even knows how many there are, but today they are rumoured to be running rampant to the score of over 150. Costing 2,000zł, each work has become embedded in the hearts of the locals and has a GPS device embedded in its heart, a necessary precaution after one of the beloved buggers disappeared from its post on ul. Jatki a few years ago.

Although this all sounds a bit like a twee tourist gimmick, gnomes have held a place in local lore since the 1980s. Under communism gnomes became the absurdist calling card of the 'Orange Alternative' movement – an underground protest movement that used absurdity and nonsense to stage peaceful, yet subversive protests. Led by Waldemar ‘Major’ Fydrych, an art and art history student at Wrocław University, the Orange Alternative wasn’t interested in politcal ideology as much as buffoonery. During communism, any anti-establishment graffiti or public art was quickly painted over by the militia; upon seeing fresh daubs of paint, the pranksters of the Orange Alternative painted over them again with...gnomes. From there gnomes became inexorably linked with the Orange Alternative and Wrocław, though they began appearing in other major cities in Poland also. Detained in a Łódz police station for graffiti, Major Fydrych was happy to explain the gnomes to state authorities in academic terms: “The thesis is the anti-regime slogan. The anti-thesis is the spot and the synthesis is the gnome.” Spoken like a true art history student. As the Orange Alternative graduated to more happenings, gnomes began to appear in demonstrations as well: International Children’s Day on June 1, 1988, was celebrated in Wrocław by dozens of locals dressed as gnomes and smurfs, complete with red hats and handkerchiefs, while an anti-Chernobyl protest saw Major Fydrych handing out gnome-like headwear to passing pedestrians. Today’s Wrocław gnomes are just as playful – a tribute to the Orange Alternative without the politics. Not that it was ever about politics anyway. A great way to get your kids excited about sightseeing, Wrocław's gnomes are not confined to only the city centre and maps are now available revealing the location of the 123 gnomes sighted in the city when the pamphlet went to print; available at tourist info points as well as some of the galleries on ul. Jatki, enjoy using it to try and spot as many of the mischievious miscreants as you stroll around the city. Happy hunting.