JuraPark Solec Kujawski: everything’s going fuzzy

If one were to follow a single golden rule when traveling abroad, then it would surely be that any opportunity must be taken to visit a park exhibiting model dinosaurs in the woods, so long as it is within a reasonable traveling distance. Naturally, Agata and I followed this important principle when we recently stayed with her aunt and uncle in the city of Toruń, located in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship (province) of Poland. In the same region of the country, one can find one of three JuraParks – not the first, or the grandest, but surely worth checking out all the same. And so off we went, with Agata’s uncle Maciek giving us a lift to Solec Kujawski, and even joining us in the park. What a good sport.

Naturally, there’s more to JuraPark Solec than the dinosaur trail; other delights include a small museum (nevertheless containing a mounted sauropod cast), funfair rides, a play area, some giant arthropods standing around in a circle, and an area entitled ‘Poland in Miniature’ (Polska w miniaturze), which is not a straightforward model village-type affair as the name suggests, but contains a series of scale models of (mostly) castles as they were back in their heyday. It can all be enjoyed for a…somewhat steep price, at least if you pay at the gate, and food and drink can be a little pricey as well. Worry not though if you are a Dutchie on tour in your campervan – ample bankjes are provided for you to enjoy the bolletjes that you sensibly brought with you.

In any case, it’s the life-sized dinosaur models that we’re most interested in, of course, and there’s a very respectable range of them scattered about a meandering trail that must measure a good mile long. Many appear to have been made by the German company Wolter Design, although they look a little different to the Wolter models I’ve seen elsewhere (for example, at Port Lympne in the UK and the Oertijdmuseum Boxtel in the Netherlands). It could be that some (or even most) were made by a different manufacturer in a very Wolter-like style, complete with glass eyes. At least one of them was definitely sourced from somewhere else entirely, and it’s one of the largest and most memorable of the lot…but I’ll get to that shortly.

The trail is presented as a trip through time, starting with a smattering of Palaeozoic beasties before entering the Triassic. This means that, happily, Dimetrodon is able to put in an appearance in the form of an impressively large and pretty well-sculpted model. It’s then on to the likes of Plateosaurus and Coelophysis, and it’s here that one starts to notice a rather curious trend.

JuraPark (or, whoever made these models if they weren’t especially commissioned) appear to really love putting speculative quills and even fuzz on their dinosaurs. This extends from those animals where it feels rather plausible (early dinosaurs and mid-to-large tetanurans) to those where it feels like a bit of an Andy Frazer-style flight of fancy (ceratosaurs and thyreophorans, of all things). From the north came the furry–legged Pinacosaurus! Strangely, this rather avant garde taste in speculative integument is combined with universal bunny hands on the bipedal dinosaurs and a frequent lack of sufficient feathering on dinosaurs like Deinonychus. In fact, Troodon (=Stenonychosaurus, probably) is completely bald!

All that said, though, the general standard is very good, certainly much better than the rubbery, arm-flailing, bargain bin robots that have taken over other parks. These models might not move or emit embarrassing JP-derived noises, but because of their greater anatomical realism (even if not perfect), they have much more presence. Even if one can nitpick aspects of the anatomy, there’s no denying the power of an imposing model of something like Stegosaurus, Ankylosaurus or Triceratops to spark the imagination. Fleshed-out, they go beyond a skeletal mount in conveying a sense of what it would have been like to stand next to one of these animals when they were alive.

The most impressive of these are the two Diplodocus, in regular and steroidal flavours. The smaller, but still massive, model represents Diplodocus carnegii (I believe), while the honkin’ great gigantic one is Diplodocus hallorum. Of the two, I naturally preferred the smaller Diplodocus for its more anatomically correct feet. (Naturally.) All of the models are cleverly arranged so that they are concealed from view until a visitor gets close, making for some wonderful surprises – like spotting glimpses of some huge claws, and then rounding the corner to find two enormous Therizinosaurus craning their necks up and spreading their arms, seemingly engaged in some intraspecific ritual of unknown purpose. (Or, they’re just two copies of the same model, but don’t ruin my fun.) You might complain about them being a bit skinny and what have you, but these large models are still very cool.

The range of animals isn’t entirely predictable, either – T. rex shows up as contractually required, but so does Eotyrannus, complete with a naming credit that mentions someone called Naish. It’s worth mentioning that all the dinosaurs are accompanied by trilingual educational signs, in Polish, German and English, which I wasn’t expecting at all and was very welcome. The information conveyed is mostly correct, mostly. Amusingly, they each feature a nude CG man provided for scale purposes, his completely hairless appearance making him resemble some time-traveling Dr Manhattan…except that someone’s scratched out his genitals. On every sign. Assuming they were there to begin with, of course.

Outside of the trail, the museum provides an excellent look at Polish palaeontological endeavours,  complete with mounted cast of Opisthocoelicaudia (sporting a sculpted head that reminded me of the one that used to be stuck on Brontosaurus). Unlike the trail, the signage is all in Polish; I’m not complaining, but it’s worth noting for international visitors. It also features original artwork by Jan Kępiński in a charmingly original style that’s not necessarily intended to be strictly realistic, and is certainly rather funky in places. (Jan’s on Instagram, by the way.)

Throw in the delightful model castles of Mini-Poland, and JuraPark Solec is a good few hours of fun. We were fortunate enough to visit on a schoolday, when the place was very quiet and we had the dinosaur trail virtually to ourselves, which greatly enhanced the experience; I can’t speak for what it’s like when it’s swarming with mini-Poles. Do check it out if you’re ever staying around Toruń or, heaven forbid, Bydgoszcz. (I get the idea that you have to pick a side.)

As for that one model that really stood out from the rest…it’s a JP3-style Spinosaurus, extremely large and extremely incongruous among the more palaeontologically-informed specimens. You’ve got to love it, though, for that reason alone. If you ask me, they should really lean into it and place a wrecked aeroplane and a massive pile of…reviews of the movie next to it. With a bone and a satellite phone sticking out. Do it, JuraPark!