Wrocław's Gnomes

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, or ‘krasnale’ (in local parlance), to be precise. In Wrocław’s city centre these merry munchkins are simply ubiquitous, dotting doorways, alleyways and street corners, constantly underfoot but seldom seen by the unobservant. You may well overlook the first dozen or so that cross your path, but inevitably – and often literally - you will stumble upon these popular local residents. Keep your eyes peeled and you’re bound to notice the little fellas engaged in a variety of activities about town – from guarding public space to passed-out drunk. Beloved by locals and tourists alike, and the object of more photos than the towering Cathedral, these prolific pranksters have become the unlikely symbol of one of PL’s most picturesque cities.

Although it sounds like little more than a twee tourist gimmick, gnomes have long held a place in Polish folklore, and their current iconic incarnation as symbols of Wrocław actually has a direct correlation to the political climate of 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. Armed with paint cans and led by Waldemar ‘Major’ Fydrych, an artist and art history student at Wrocław University, the group specifically ridiculed the establishment’s attempts to censor public space. 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 quickly painted over them yet again...with gnomes. As the movement gained popularity, gnomes became inexorably linked with the Orange Alternative and Wrocław, though they soon began appearing in other major Polish cities as well.

For all the trouble it gave the authorities however, the Orange Alternative was never as interested in political ideology as buffoonery. 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 bigger 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 iconic peaked red gnome hats to passing pedestrians. After the fall of communism in Poland, the gnomes remained a symbol of Wrocław, repurposed by the new regime to be a tribute to the Orange Movement and playful city ambassadors.

The first gnome in its modern statuette form was Papa Krasnal who was placed in 2001 on the corner of ul. Świdnicka and ul. Kazimierza Wielkiego (A-4), near the subway where Orange Alternative demonstrations often took place. Commissioned by Agora (the publisher of newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza) to celebrate the history of the Orange Alternative, Papa Krasnal remains perhaps the largest of his progeny. Things really took off in 2005 when local artist Tomasz Moczek - a graduate of the Wrocław Academy of Fine Arts – created five gnomes. Commissioned by Wrocław City Council, that original quintet consisted of:  Rzeźnik on ul. Jatki (A-3), Syzyfki, the two Sisyphus-inspired gnomes on ul. Świdnicka near the Post Office (B-3), Pracz Odrzański (referring to one of Wrocław’s suburbs - Pracze Odrzańskie - with a bit of wordplay around “pracz,” the Polish word for “washer”) who can be seen washing something in the Odra River near Piaskowy Bridge (C-2), and Szermierz, who sadly disappeared from the subway station under Plac Uniwersytecka (B-2). The little devils soon proved so popular that envious local businesses got in on the game contracting other artists to produce more. Some of the most popular include Życzliwek (Well-Wisher Dwarf), located on the Rynek next to the fountain (A-3), who even has his own official holiday (November 21^st), blog and Facebook page; Śpioch on the back of the Jaś tenement house on ul. Św. Mikołaja (A-3); and Więziennik on the parapet of the old prison building on ul. Więzienna (B-2). Costing about 4,000zł apiece, each work has become embedded in the hearts of the locals and now has a GPS device embedded in its heart - a necessary precaution after Rzeźnik also disappeared (he has since been recovered and is back at his post on ul. Jatki).

In almost no time at all gnomes have proliferated around Wrocław to the point that now we’re not even certain exactly how many there are, though the little buggers are rumoured to be running rampant to the score of nearly 180. Due to their number and range, it really isn’t possible anymore to find them all on your own (although trying to do so can be a fun alternative to regular sight-seeing). To make the work easier, head to the local tourist office at Rynek 14 (A-3), where you can pick up a map showing where the 30 most central gnomes are located. There is also a special, dual-language (Polish and English) website dedicated to Wrocław’s gnomes - www.krasnale.pl – where you can find their history, photos and useful information including downloadable maps of their various locations around the city. Spend an afternoon as a gnome-watcher and see how many of the mischievous miscreants you can spot as you stroll around the city, and happy hunting.