The Wrocław Dwarfs

1 - Wrocław is one of the largest cities in Poland, with a population of more than 672,000 today. The city was once called Breslau. Another story in the Hamsterkiste tells how that came about.

2 - Wrocław is visited by many tourists. They explore the beautiful old town, enjoy the restaurants and cafés, and learn about the city’s history. Sooner or later, most people notice little figures that seem to be standing at random by the roadside, on the corner of a building, or near a monument. They are the famous “Wrocław dwarfs.”

3 - The figures are cast in bronze and are about 30 centimeters tall, roughly the size of pigeons. Here’s how these small figures came about: From 1945 to 1989, Poland was ruled by the Communist Party, which was closely linked to other communist parties in the Soviet Union of the time and in other Eastern European countries. In all these countries, leading party officials were in power and cared little about what the people thought.

4 - Many people in Poland disagreed with this party. One group, for example, held demonstrations dressed as dwarfs. As a sign of protest, the group eventually put up a dwarf in Breslau’s Old Town. They called him Papa Dwarf.

5 - In 1989, Poland became a democratic state and the Communist Party’s sole rule came to an end. Other parties could now stand for election too. In 2001, students from the art academy created a project in which they made several dwarfs and placed them around the city. More and more followed. Today, there are over 600 such dwarfs in Wrocław. They make people smile, but they are also a reminder that resistance is necessary whenever one person or party rules a country alone.

Pictures: Hamsterkiste