Jurapark Baltow

In 2001 a palaeontologist identified dinosaur tracks in the rock of a gorge at Baltow, a village in one of the poorer parts of the region with high unemployment after the collapse of local industry. A local association, not an outside investor, built a park around the find, and it worked: Jurapark Baltow now draws several hundred thousand visitors a year and the village economy is built on it, a case study cited in Polish rural development literature. The park has life-size dinosaur models along a trail through the valley, a palaeontology exhibition, a small oceanarium, a zoo, a rollercoaster and a summer toboggan run, rafting on the Kamienna and a ski slope in winter. The tracks themselves are the origin and are shown on the geological route. It is unashamedly a family attraction rather than a museum, and it is honest about that.

What you actually see

• Real Jurassic tracks - the footprints found in the gorge in 2001.
• A model trail - life-size dinosaurs along the valley.
• A village-run park - built by a local association, not an outside company.
• Rides and rafting - a toboggan run, rollercoaster and river trips alongside.

When to go

May to September. A day.

Honest expectations

It is a family theme park, not a scientific museum, and the models are the main event. Attractions are separately priced or bundled in tiers. Very busy in school holidays. Rural access without a car is poor.

Nearby

Krzemionki flint mines are about twenty kilometres south-west.