Wrocław Dwarfs: Where to Find Them and Which Tour Helps
4 min read
If you want a dwarf hunt that works for children too, book the Dwarfs and Sightseeing E-Car Tour. It lasts one hour, leaves from the Market Square and comes with a dwarf map. Hunting on your own costs nothing, but a guide tells you who each figure is, and that is half the fun.
Where the dwarfs come from
The little bronze figures are a Wrocław trademark with a political start. The city’s own pages say the first one appeared in 2001 on Świdnicka Street as a tribute to the Orange Alternative, the street-theatre movement that mocked the communist authorities in the 1980s. Many more have followed since. The city counted about 300 in 2014 and the number has grown well beyond that, so treat any single figure you read as a snapshot. You will not see them all in one visit; the Old Town alone keeps you busy.
Each dwarf has a trade or a joke. One tour listing describes Moczymorda, a student who stayed too long in the Piwnica Świdnicka cellar pub, and a naked swordsman near the university whose story involves students pawning their clothes for beer. A guide gives you those stories; a map only gives you the spot.
Four tours built around the dwarfs
| Tour | Format | Length | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dwarfs and Sightseeing E-Car Tour | Shared e-car | 1 hour | €15.92 |
| Dwarf Hunting by Golf Cart | Golf cart | 1 hour | €17.05 |
| Following the Dwarfs, Private Walk | Private walk | 2 hours | €33.88 |
| Garden Gnome Hunt with a Local Guide | Team game | 2 hours | €27.28 |
E-car or golf cart: a short ride
The e-car tour meets at Rynek 14, has a live guide in English or Polish plus an audio guide, and hands out a dwarf map. The operator calls it suitable for families, groups and curious travellers; the listing forbids alcohol in the vehicle. The golf cart tour meets at Świętego Mikołaja 1, lists live guides in nine languages and wheelchair accessibility, and adds Ostrów Tumski and the Racławice Panorama area to the dwarf hunt. Both are an hour: enough for an overview, not for photographing every figure.
On foot: the private walk and the game
The private walk starts at the Piwnica Świdnicka restaurant and circles the Old Town with a German- or Polish-speaking guide. The route takes in the Market Square, Plac Solny, Papa Dwarf, the Bridge of Penitents, the university and the Fencer Fountain, and the operator pitches it to adults and children. The English-language game turns the search into a two-hour team competition with points and prizes for the best hunters, and the listing says it has two meeting points depending on the option, so read that before you book.
Which to choose
For a first family visit, the one-hour e-car or golf cart is the easiest start, especially for small children who tire on cobbles. For German speakers who like stories, take the private walk. For a group of friends or a school class, the game is the most playful format. If you only want a few photos, grab a map and look near the Town Hall and the university.
More ideas are in the e-car and golf cart tours and walking tours.
