Dutch-Polish relations keep evolving, also in the world of science and scholarship. For some years now, the field of palaeontology has profited from the close cooperation between the University of Opole and the Oertijdmuseum (Prehistory Museum) in Boxtel, Noord-Brabant. Researchers from both institutions have been working together to uncover and analyse ancient remains from Krasiejów, a the village not far from Opole. Krasiejów is home to a ‘mass cemetery’ of reptiles and amphibians. Their bones have been washed together by the flow of rivers and are generally well-preserved. The finds are ca. 225 million years old, which places them in the Triassic period, predating the global dinosaur expansion. At that time, the lands we now call Poland had a subtropical, wet climate, which provided perfect living conditions for these creatures.

The latest result of the cooperation between Opole and Boxtel is the reconstruction of a Metoposaurus: a type of amphibia that could measure between 2 and 3 meters in length and mainly fed on fish. The reconstructed skeleton, which was found in Krasiejów and measures 1.7 meters, is currently on view in the Oertijdmuseum in Boxtel. It is the main attraction of an exhibition titled ‘De Onbekende Reuzen’ (‘The Unknown Giants’). Remains of Metoposauruses have been found across Europe and the United States, but the example from Poland is unique, because it is almost complete: 85% of the skeleton is original! The missing 15% have been added in Boxtel with the use of a 3D-printer.

The prehistoric ‘Polish giant’ will be on view at the Oertijdmuseum in Boxtel for at least another 5 months.

*I originally wrote this post for the social media outlets of the Dutch Embassy in Poland. This was post no. 55.

Did you know that the football match between the Netherlands and Poland last Sunday was the first time the two national teams encountered each other in a European or World Championship? In addition, it was the 20^th official game between the two teams overall. The first ever game was a friendly match that took place in Warsaw on 1 May 1968, and it ended in 0-0. Most other confrontations were part of qualification rounds for a European or World Championship. Until now, team ‘Oranje’ has won 10 times, while the ‘Biało-Czerwoni’ have won 3 times. 7 games ended in a draw.

Most goals were scored in two matches played in 1975, during the qualifications for the European Championship of the following year. Both teams then belonged to the world’s best: at the World Championship of 1974, the Netherlands had finished 2^nd and Poland 3^rd. In the qualifications of 1975, Poland won the first game, which occurred in Chorzów on 10 September 1975: 4-1. Grzegorz Lato, Robert Gadocha and Andrzej Szarmach scored for Poland, while René van de Kerkhof scored for the Netherlands. In the return match, however, which took place in Amsterdam on 15 October that same year, the Netherlands beat Poland 3-0. Johan Neeskens, Ruud Geels and Frans Thijssen were the ones to score that evening.

The Polish coach Kazimierz Górski later recalled that many Poles who lived in France, Belgium, England and even the United States had come to see the match in Amsterdam. The Polish team made an outing to a ship in the docks, where they were very kindly treated by local sailors. The night before the game, most players were busy speaking to their wives on the telephone, who were staying in a hotel a few dozen kilometres from Amsterdam. In the end, the Netherlands won the qualification round and participated in the European Championship of 1976, finishing 3^rd.

*I originally wrote this post for the social media outlets of the Dutch Embassy in Poland. This was post no. 54.