PL-987295 The Gnomes of Wrocław

Wrocław is the largest city in western Poland and the fourth largest in Poland.  Wrocław is the historical capital of Silesia and Lower Silesia. Today, it is the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship.

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 the local language).  In Wrocław’s city centre these statues are everywhere - dotting doorways, alleyways and street corners; constantly underfoot but only seen by the observant. The gnomes are displayed in a variety of activities about town – from guarding public space to a passed-out drunk. Beloved by locals and tourists alike, these gnomes have become the unlikely symbol of Wrocław.

Although it sounds like a 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 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.

This postcard came from Urszula (20 January 2015) Postcrossing.