Velika Gorica Sights and Landmarks Guide, Croatia

After being a municipality before 1990 and then a part of Zagreb, Velika Gorica became an independent town in 1995. It is considered to be now the 7th largest town in Croatia and the centre of the well known Turopolje region.

Velika Gorica is situated at 16 km south of Zagreb and it is surrounded by three new municipalities that appeared instead of the former municipality of Velika Gorica; their names are: Kravarsko, Orle and Pokupsko. It is also close to Rijeka.

Velika Gorica Sights – Interesting Places to Visit

The region seems to be perfect for families who feel the need to relax and enjoy nature and natural environment at its best. Such amazing Velika Gorica sights are without any doubt: Turopolje plain with its preserved natural healthy food and Vukomeričke gorice with its wooden chapels, the chapel of St. George being an incredible wooden treasure. There are also the forests of Vrhovlje and Pokuplje where mushrooms and chestnuts grow every autumn offering an incredible chance of walking and riding bicycles on the paths of these forests. The banks of the river Kupa are perfect locations for camping as well. There are also churches in the region that are worth being visited as those of St Bartol and of St. Peter the Apostle.

Situated right in the centre of the town, the “Turopolje Museum”, standing once for a town hall, is in fact a house with one floor built in 1765. The museum was founded much later, in 1960 and it exhibits today collections of archaeology, ethnography, culture and history of the entire area.

“The Timber Gate” stands for a testimony of the success of the people who worked hard to divide the land into 1600 parcels three centuries ago. One can also admire in the surroundings the “castle of Lukavec” with defense towers and the remains of the roman town “Andautonia”.

“The Town Library” in Velika Gorica is another place to be visited by those who like reading books of all kinds, as the local library is rich in reading materials and it is opened today in two locations.

Velika Gorica Sights – Wooden Beauties and Sacral Monuments

There are wooden chapels as well, the most important ones in the region count no more than 11 and they were preserved over time to show visitors the way local people used to work the wood and what came out of their hands represent nothing but some incredible oak-tree pieces of art.

The most famous ones are those from Turopolje and Pokuplje but the most representative are: St. Barbara’s Chapel, St. John the Baptist’s Chapel, St. Antony’s Chapel and the Chapel of Jesus in Wounds.

Chapels, churches and timber-framed houses show visitors what hand-work really means and how man can make appeal to imagination to create special things that resist in time and represent joy for everybody’s eyes.

Velika Gorica Sights –Parks

As a consequence of planning the development of the town which started in 1970, people decided then, that they need green parks and pieces of art in them, so they placed sculptures and statues in parks, such as: “The Legend”, “The Bomber”, “The Tree in Full Leaf”, “Fontana”, “The boy with a Goose” and others.

The natural beauties consisting of a variety of vegetation, animals and birds are paradise for those who are looking for peace, quiet places, and lack of stress. There are no such better places than the forests surrounding Velika Gorica, a Croatian town that gained in 2004 the title of “The Silver Flower of Europe”, competing with 5300 European cities, which represents an incredible performance and it happened thanks to its inhabitants who cherish the nature and everything that is green in it.

Vegetation and flowers are so well preserved and brought to light here and everywhere in Croatia that it is no wonder that people come here to relax, to escape noise, stress and pollution and to feel wonderful in such places full of charm and beauty.

The main goal of Velika Gorica and of all towns in Croatia is to take good care of the environment and to educate and teach its inhabitants and tourists how to appreciate nature.

This is Croatia and Velika Gorica sights and beauties are indeed part of it.