Olešče


Olešče is a settlement in the Municipality of Laško in eastern Slovenia. It lies in the hills east of Laško. The area was traditionally part of the Styria region. It is now included with the rest of the municipality in the Savinja Statistical Region.

Name

The name of the settlement was changed from Sveti Peter pri Jurkloštru to Olešče in 1959. The name was changed on the basis of the 1948 Law on Names of Settlements and Designations of Squares, Streets, and Buildings as part of efforts by Slovenia's postwar communist government to remove religious elements from toponyms. The settlement is still locally known as Šempeter. The name Olešče was first attested in 1328 as Beleczicz. The name Olešče is derived from a plural demonym, *Velešiťane, based on a patronymic derived from the hypocorism *Velešь. Before Olešče became the name of the entire settlement, the name used to refer to one of the hamlets in the settlement.

Mass grave

Olešče is the site of a mass grave from the end of the Second World War. The Olešče Mass Grave is located about north of the neighboring village of Reka. It measures and lies between two apple trees, and it contains the remains of about 14 Ustaša soldiers that were shot in May 1945.

Church

The local church, built on a small hill south of the settlement core, is dedicated to Saint Peter and belongs to the Parish of Sveti Rupert. It is a Gothic building that was restyled in the Baroque in the 17th century.