Velika Gorica (Croatian pronunciation: [ʋêlikaː ɡǒritsa]) is the largest and most populous city in Zagreb County, Croatia.

However,in the local Kajkavian dialect, gorica means 'vineyard', hence the city's name literally translated is 'big vineyard'.

Regarding the Turopolje name, among the most common opinions is that the name, meaning "Tur field", comes from an old Slavic word "tur" which means Aurochs, an ancient type of cattle with long horns, which was a symbol of fertility and the sun god.

Plowing had a symbolic meaning, the fertilization of Mother Earth, so these cattle were often assumed to have "sacred" characteristics.

It is planned that these bypasses will relieve the traffic along the overcrowded Velikogorička road, the fastest link between Zagreb and Velika Gorica as of 2007[update].

It was an important Roman port on Sava river and city on roads connecting Siscia with Emona and Poetovio.

Plemenita opčina turopoljska was granted a rule over Turopolje by Croatian monarchs and exists still today with mainly ceremonial and not political role.

In the late 19th and early 20th century, Velika Gorica was a district capital in the Zagreb County of the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia.

Vrata od krča ("The Timber Gate") is a unique wooden monument to human labour, risen up in forest near the city.

Established in 1960, the People's Open University (hr: Pučko otvoreno učilište, shortform POU) began a phase of rich and complex development in its first home, a building which was previously an inn, and which was situated opposite the present-day building of this institution at 37 Zagrebačka Street.

The most important step was made in 1980, when the Cultural Centre was built, with an art gallery, an additional library and a chamber hall in Galženica, a part of Velika Gorica.

In the late 1980s the University was also using space in the old Secondary School at 5 Zagrebačka Street (the Music School), in the House of Social Protection (Dom društvene samozaštite), today’s Fire Brigade building (the radio-station) and in the Podbrežnica settlement (the library).

The philosophy of the institution has been to listen attentively to the needs of the local populace and design programmes in accord with their changing requirements.

A great deal was achieved between 2006 and 2010, when actress Senka Bulić served as Head of the POU and brought the University's theatre, Scena Gorica, to the attention of the theatre-going public throughout the country.

Libraries and reading rooms have a long tradition in Turopolje, since there is a deeply rooted interest in and love for books in this region.

The Museum is housed in a building dating from 1750,[9] which previously served as the city hall of the Noble Commune of Turopolje.

At the end of the 1970s in particular, moderately intensive development of Velika Gorica's city centre and the surrounding districts took place.

In an attempt to accommodate the need both for green space and for an aesthetic dimension to development, over the city history a number of parks have been created, most of which contain pieces of public sculpture.

HNK Gorica plays its home games at Stadion Radnik, built for 1987 Summer Universiade while NK Udarnik has its own field in Kurilovec neighborhood.