About

About the city

Wrocław (pronounced VRAWTS-WAHF; also known as Breslau, its German name, and English name until 1945) is the largest city in Lower Silesia in Poland. It is home to 630,000 people within the city limits and the metropolitan area has a population of 1.2 million making it the largest city in Western Poland.

Wrocław, the capital of Lower Silesia, is one of the oldest and most beautiful cities in Poland. Located at the foot of the Sudetes, on the Odra River, crossed by its numerous tributaries and canals, it is a unique city of 12 islands and over a hundred bridges. The rich and turbulent history of the city is embedded in its walls.

The times of the early Middle Ages are remembered by Ostrów Tumski, where one of the most beautiful complexes of sacred architecture has been preserved in excellent condition. Another relic from this period is the Wrocław Town Hall is one of the most magnificent Gothic buildings in Central Europe. In Wrocław, you can also see one of the largest baroque interiors in Poland that has survived to our times. It is Aula Leopoldina located in the 18th-century building of the University.

Wrocław is the greenest city in Poland - there is 25 m2 of greenery per inhabitant (not counting the green areas in housing estates).

Little story about Dwarf's

Some call them gnomes or leprechauns, others just call them dwarfs... A meeting with Wrocław dwarfs can be the beginning of a great adventure. The world of gnomes has a rich history. Let's get to know them up close.

Historians, journalists and ordinary residents of Wrocław have been arguing for years about where the dwarfs came from. And although only Papa Dwarf probably knows the truth, it is worth mentioning a few the most probable theories.

The first one tells about Chochlik Odrzański who came to Wrocław on a small raft, and for a long time he harassed and teased the inhabitants of the city. Another popular theory is that the first dwarfs appeared in Wrocław only in the 1980s. It was then that on the walls began to appear paintings with the image of a dwarf: a smiling gnome in an orange hat, with a flower in his hand. These paintings were the work of the movement known as the Orange Alternative, which fought the absurdities of communist times with the help of humor and dwarfs. Yet another theory is that the first historical dwarf has just appeared in Wrocław. Centuries ago, when Wrocław was still a small village and helped run households in exchange for a roof over their heads. People became friends with dwarfs and now the dwarfs are one of the symbols of Wrocław.

Once a year at September, the dwarfs have their "Dwarf Festival". It is a truly fairy-tale celebration, a few days of joyful, colorful fiesta in which dwarfs and people participate. Children put on dwarf hats and color little houses for their little friends. The first monument Papa Krasnal was erected in June 2001.

Today, more than 600 dwarfs live in Wrocław, and this number is constantly growing, because each of us can invite a new dwarf to our city.