The Gnomes of Wrocław originated as a "calling card" of the Orange Alternative, the 1980s underground protest movement who used "absurdity and nonsense" as symbols of peaceful protest against the establishment during Communism. People wore gnome hats, painted gnome graffiti, and wore red -- and made the police look absurd for protesting such actions. In 2001, the city decided to pay tribute to the role that the Orange Alternative had in defining the city today by creating a gnome statue -- and the rest is history, as locals and tourists found them appealing icons of the city. Today, over 300 gnomes can be spotted in obvious and obscure places throughout the city's center.
