Turopolje

For the Croatian village near Velika Gorica, see Turopolje, Zagreb County.

Old Turopolje coat of arms

Turopolje (Croatian pronunciation: [tûropoʎe]) is a region in Croatia between the capital city Zagreb and Sisak. The administrative center of the Turopolje region is the town of Velika Gorica.

Geography

Turopolje forms part of Posavina, a region south of Zagreb bordering the right banks of the Sava River on the east, and the Vukomericke Gorice hills to the southwest. It extends across an alluvial plain 45 km in length and up to 23 km in width. The area of the region occupies an area of about 600 km², with an average elevation of 110 m above sea level. Turopolje is divided into two halves by the river Odra and its tributary Lomnica.

Etymology

The name Turopolje stems from the Croatian and Old Slavic word Tur 'aurochs' (Bos primigenius), a type of wild cattle present in the area during the Middle Ages.

History

Velika Gorica is the largest settlement and is first mentioned as Gorica in 1228. Other settlements include Mraclin (since prehistoric times), Staro Čiče (Bronze Age), Šćitarjevo (Roman empire), Lukavec (defense castle dating to the 15th century), Lekenik, Vukojevac, Peščenica, Buševec, Ogulinec, Vukovina, Poljana Lekenička and Brežana Lekenička.

The village of Vukojevac is currently in the middle of an environmental battle in order to reroute the proposed highway between Zagreb and Sisak.

Culture

There is a pig breed from the region named the Turopolje pig.

Sources

• Turopolje at enciklopedija.hr (in Croatian)