Museum of Turopolje

In 1614, the council of Turopolje (turopoljsko spravišće) brought forth the decision to build a municipal house. Not far from the parochial church, they built a wooden belvedere (čardak) that will serve as the Municipal House of Turopolje. The House remained until the 18^th century when, again by the council’s decision, the building of a stone house was started in 1765.

For 60 years, the Museum of Turopolje has been an inevitable spot for everyone who wants to get to know the area. The museum is situated in one of the oldest and most beautiful buildings of the Velika Gorica area, on the eastern side of the town’s park. The park is adorned with the bust of Franjo Lučić, a local nobleman, composer and the prefect of the Aristocratic Turopolje Municipality who put together the museum’s first collection. A very interesting and extensive museum assortment testifies about the turbulent history of this area, as well as about the rich cultural legacy of its tradition.

The Baroque brick building was built in 1765. It is a one storey house and the ground floor has a row of arcades. The councils of Turopolje (spravišća) were held inside since 1848, in the vast and heavily adorned hall on the first floor- the City Hall of Turopolje. The chambers along the hall held the archive where important documents of the Municipality were kept, along with old chests, flags, seals and other archive materials and there also sat the prefect himself. The ground floor used to be a prison, and today it is an exhibit hall. Markets and parish processions were held in front of the building. When the Aristocratic Turopolje Municipality was abolished in 1947, the building changed its function on several occasions and in 1960 it was finally arranged into the Museum of Turopolje that, in its extremely rich collections keeps the archaeological, ethnographic, cultural and historical heritage of the Velika Gorica area. The museum’s collections hold around 3500 objects, and over 20000 photos and negatives.

In March 1891, the Prefect of Turopolje, Stjepan Josipović, proposed “that a second floor be built on the town of Turopolje in Velika Gorica, in which the Royal District of Velika Gorica would be settled”. The plans for the extension were soon prepared by Kosta Tomac, and the plan provided for the construction of a stair tower in the middle of the facade and the extension of the second floor, all in the spirit of medieval neostyles. However, the upgrade did not happen because it was decided to build a new building for this need, which was located right next to Turopolje-town.