7/28/2019 Gnome, Sweet Gnome (1)

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/gnome-sweet-gnome-1 1/1

NOME,SWEHTNOMEo moy look silly, ul the numerous nomesof WroclowdeliVer n imporlonl messoge, oysDuncon Rhodes

spendmostof your ime with neck iltcrl

upwards, aking in the the city's lnrncd

Gothlcspiresand Baroquegables.

Buf Blance downwards and you'll

discofer a mor€ modern addition to

the tlwn's ,treasures:a mushrooming

popujationof :little leprechauns triking

poseCon,$e.citys pivements.These

l ) a t r ona l l c l r cy l r ; r vc ; o t ' r ruppca r i r r g

arrrrrrr t l l r r : ( ) i t l I 'crwrr sirrcc 2005.

Wlrcreas l r t : i l :utc ;rctor night prorrrJrt

cynics lc r r l isrrr iss hc da[t dwarves as

l i t t lenrore l rarr tour istgirnrnick, ehincl

thcir rosy faccs and absurd attirc li es a

nrore seri<.lus ressalle.'l 'he

gnonrc was a syrrrbol of ' the

Orange Alterrrat ivc Movement, which

soug,ht to rrndernr inc Comrnunisrrr

i r r Wroclaw in th c latc l9B0s. l -cd by

Waltlernal lr.y<lrych. r'l'lrc

Major, the

Orangc Altcrnat ivc optcd againstdirect

con[ lontat io l l l t l r r : overrrnrent,tagi l rg

instcad a rrrrrrrber f r i r l iculousstunts,

intcndcd o rcl lcct lhc r ic l iculcus atrrre

of t l tc Corrntrrrrst egirne.

SirrgingStal in ist nthcrrrs o bernuscd

clr i rnpanzecsr rWroclaw oo arrd cacl i r rg

a 2,,000-stnrrrg rrarch rlernancling tlre

releasco{ SantaClaus hc d been banncd

an<l cplacerlby lhe lnrrre socialist

IratlrerFro:;t)wcle two ol 'f lte

Major 's nrore rrrenrorable

coups. ( i r rr . rnrcs, it h thcir

pctrchant lo r trouble, were

a natural rnascot for thc

Moverncrrt an<l supprrrtcrs regularly

tlressctl thcnrsclvcs in luminous

orarrge hats and drcv picturcs of

gnonles on builtlings wherevcr anti-

governn)el)tslogans rarl ;ccn eraserlby

the establ ishrncnt 'sairr tbnrslres.

lbday, thc rcsrrrgencc of these

mischievous nttnchkrns as oroved so

popular that the littlc fellas arc bcing

threatened with pest control. Twenty

new Srronlcs sprung up

around tlre city last

auturnn alone, and many

companies are cashing

in on their popularity by

commissiorring hern right

promptingearsby the council hat the

gnornes "selling ut".' l-hele

arc no immediate lans o pull

the plug ust ye t though, nd wo more

of the critters by originalartist lbmasz

Moczekwww.moczek.com)ave lready

beenunveiled n 2008.Look out for a

cheeky chappie making phone calls

on the Rynekand one riding he tram.

I-et'shopehe setsa good exampleby

validating is icket.W

and chances are vou'll

diminutive:dudes an be found riding

pigecjns,,lnpphing,onumplings,aking

napspn street ornersor evenswingirrg

fromI

ampposts.,After you've tripped

over lyout. third one, you might ask,

"Wh{ exactly are these fellows, an<i

wherb did thev come rom?"heri did the.ycome rom?"

Wdn, hgqgglomes,or krosndle s hcy

are qrown n Pplish, re he work of local

artistlTomaq,lttloczekndwith thc city's

t . . .

3i3,ifr.'liX8i,:'i:^&oFREsrsTANcE,,1:t;;:ir:BUT oME ORRYji,i;-;,

M.I4!E^.._''i":t

in f lonto[ lhci l s lurpwindows.