Moving Dinosaur Park at Zatorland

The Argentinosaurus that Zatorland bills as the world's largest moving dinosaur is 35 metres long, according to the Małopolska tourist board. It is the star of the Moving Dinosaur Park in Zator – the oldest part of the Zatorland complex, opened in 2012 as Dinozatorland. More than 100 prehistoric reptiles stand among the trees here, and most of them move and roar.

Over a hundred dinosaurs in the woods

The exhibition includes more than 100 models from 17 dinosaur families, set along the forest paths of the Dinosaur Valley. You can see a gliding Triceratops, tyrannosaurs with their young, a family of Ornitholestes and a Styracosaurus hiding among the trunks – and check whether its camouflage really works. The Tyrannosaurus's roar carries a long way, so younger children quickly work out where the big attraction is. For a souvenir photo, climb into the shell of a giant egg.

Argentinosaurus – a Cretaceous giant

The real Argentinosaurus lived in the Cretaceous in what is now Argentina. The park's website says it may have been 30–35 metres long, weighed 65–80 tonnes and stood up to 15 metres tall, placing it among the largest animals ever to walk the Earth. A curious detail: the giant's eggs held about a litre at most, and the hatchlings were no more than a metre long.

The museum and the rest of Zatorland

According to the Małopolska tourist board, the trail also has a Museum of Skeletons and Fossils with fossilised dragonflies, fish, birds and dinosaur bones, plus rock and mineral specimens. Zatorland now offers more than 60 attractions on about 20 hectares: besides the dinosaurs there are the Insect Park, the Mythology Park and a funfair. Zator, on the Skawa river, is also known for carp farming, and Energylandia lies within the town as well.

Tripto tip

The park is at ul. Parkowa 7, about 50 km from Kraków and just over 55 km from Katowice, with a car park on site. Opening days and hours are published in the calendar on Zatorland's website – check before you go, as the park is seasonal. Allow about 2 hours for the dinosaur trail and a full day for the whole complex. Zator can also be reached by train from Kraków or Katowice.