Although a tourist attraction now, they are a nod back to the Communist years and a resistance movement known as the Orange Alternative in the 1980's. Protest marches were organised advocating "Dwarves Rights" "Freedom of Speech for Dwarves" etc. - in fact all the things the locals were forbidden to protest about for themselves. When the authorities tried to crack down on the protests, the resulting publicity simply made them look stupid.
In 2001 the city wanted to commemorate the movement with a single gnome - then a local sculptor suggested making some more and the whole thing proved so popular the city kept commissioning them.
These days you can buy a map showing where they all are and some people come to Wrocław just to find the gnomes.
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