Krasiejów, Poland

Krasiejów near Opole is home to a cemetery of Mesozoic reptiles and amphibians. Its geological age, preceding the worldwide expansion of the dinosaurs by several million years, provides insight into environmental relations during one of the most important events in the history of life on Earth.

The Institute of Paleobiology of the Polish Academy of Sciences has conducted excavations in Krasiejów since 2000, and in 2010-2011 in cooperation with the University of Warsaw and the University of Opole.

Within the Upper Triassic rocks, massive accumulations of large fragments of lake and terrestrial vertebrate skeletons from about 230 million years ago were encountered in two deposits. Among the most interesting are the remains of the dinosauromorph Silesaurus opolensis. There are also numerous fossils of amphibians from the labyrinthodont group (Metoposaurus, Cyclotosaurus) and reptiles from the “tekodont” group (Paleorhinus, Stagonolepis, Polonosuchus). Krasiejów finds of these genera are mostly much more complete than specimens found at other sites. Sphenodonts, fish, invertebrates and plants have also been discovered.

In 2003, the Museum of Evolution opened an exhibition showing the results of past excavations by the Institute of Paleobiology of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Krasiejów.

You can read more about the paleontological finds from Krasiejow in the bulletin Ewolucja.

Reports from the first 2 years of excavations - Krasiejów 2000-2002

Photo gallery of field work from 2000-2005 - Galeria [Power Point]

Thanks to the fossil finds, two museums have been established in Krasiejów, one in a former school and the other on the bone deposit itself (opened in 2006). The latter, located in the Paleontological Pavilion, presents an exposed and undisturbed by researchers fragment of the silt deposit with preserved bones and skeletal fragments of reptiles and amphibians. The largest skulls reach 0.5 meters. In 2010, on the site of the excavation and above it, an educational and entertainment park Jura Park Krasiejów