Museum of the Earth in Kletno

More than 40 fossilised dinosaur eggs in four nests, some 70 million years old – according to the museum, this is the only place in Poland where you can see such a collection. The Museum of the Earth in Kletno is a private geological museum in the valley leading to Bear Cave (Jaskinia Niedźwiedzia), founded by geologist and collector Arnold Miziołek. Alongside the eggs you will find reptile tracks 250 million years old, minerals from around the world and a garden of dinosaur models – and every visit is guided.

A geologist's passion

Arnold Miziołek built up the collection over almost three decades – during fieldwork, expeditions and at European mineral fairs – and collected much of it himself. The collection keeps growing, and some specimens can be bought in the museum shop. The museum has received a distinction from Poland's Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. Miziołek also came up with the International Polish Championship in Stone and Mineral Hunting, held on the medieval mining spoil heaps in Kletno.

What to see

• Four dinosaur egg nests from China – more than 40 eggs in total, about 70 million years old.
• Tracks of mammal-like reptiles about 250 million years old, which the museum describes as the best preserved in Europe, plus dinosaur footprints from the Table Mountains (Góry Stołowe) – among the first found there.
• Huge ammonites from Morocco, tree trunks and plant fossils 250 million years old.
• Clusters of rose quartz from the Jizera Mountains, which the museum says are the largest found in Europe, and agates from around the world, including the largest agate ever found in Poland.
• Striped flint from the Holy Cross Mountains and mineral curiosities: opals, staurolite, okenite, ulexite.
• The Jurassic Park with dinosaur models and a petrified Permian forest, surrounded by rock gardens with mountain plants.

For families and groups

It is a good choice with children, especially on a rainy day in the Śnieżnik Massif. From 1 April to 30 October the museum runs geology workshops for organised groups: hunting for minerals on the nearby medieval spoil heaps, stone-cutting demonstrations and minerals glowing under ultraviolet light. Guides can also lead tours in English, German and French.

Tripto tip

The tour lasts about 45 minutes and is always guided; the ticket includes the Jurassic Park. The museum website says it is open daily 9:00–18:00, but different pages list different ticket prices (PLN 20/15 and PLN 25/20) – call before you go: +48 74 814 08 28. The museum is at Kletno 27 in the Stronie Śląskie municipality; the village stretches for about 4 km along the Kleśnica valley. Combine the visit with Bear Cave, the route through the former uranium mine and a hike up Śnieżnik (1,425 m).