In its thousand-year history, Wrocław (a city in Western Poland) has been called many names, but recently, it has been referred to as the ”City of Gnomes”. The first little bronze figure of a dwarf appeared in central city in 2001; it quickly became popular among the citizens and soon gained the companionship of others, growing like mushrooms after the rain.

Today, the dwarf ‘population’ of Wroclaw is quickly approaching 700. Every gnome has a name, performs a profession or devotes time to his hobby. Although the gnomes try to remain outside “Human Events” and live their own lives, they have become an inseparable part of city life and play an important role in the life of Wrocław.

To make it easier to find the small inhabitants of the city, there are special explorers’ maps and gnome trails around Wrocław. The groups of tourists visiting Wrocław are invited to track the gnomes, and this attraction drives thousands of tourists to the city all the year round. Children and adults are delighted to join the game of walking about the streets, looking for gnomes and counting them.

This simple attraction has become a very smart, money-making business idea for the city. It gave a strong boost to development of all hospitality industry businesses, created thousands of jobs, attracted more people into the city, and set up a good vector for the long-term growth of general population and inflow of tourism into the city.

I could not find information about the exact amount of revenue generated by the Wroclaw gnomes for the city budget, however, it’s clear that the gnomes play a significant role in boosting tourism and the local economy. The presence of gnomes throughout the city attracts numerous visitors, which in turn benefits local businesses, including hotels, restaurants, and shops.

Additionally, the gnomes have become a cultural symbol, enhancing Wroclaw’s attractiveness as a travel destination, and this is how good marketing works worldwide. I think we need to remember the example of Wroclaw when building marketing plans for our businesses, no matter small or big, online or on site.