Given any compact manifold $M$, we construct a non-empty open subset $𝒪$ of the space ${\mathrm{Diff}}^1\left(M\right)$ of $C^1$-diffeomorphisms and a dense subset $𝒟\subset 𝒪$ such that the centralizer of every diffeomorphism in $𝒟$ is uncountable, hence non-trivial.

We deal with locally connected exceptional minimal sets of surface homeomorphisms. If the surface is different from the torus, such a minimal set is either finite or a finite disjoint union of simple closed curves. On the torus, such a set can admit also a structure similar to that of the Sierpiński curve.