Orehek () is a

dispersed settlement A dispersed settlement, also known as a scattered settlement, is one of the main types of settlement patterns used by landscape historians to classify rural settlements found in England and other parts of the world. Typically, there are a numb ...

below Mount Kojca west of

Cerkno Cerkno (; it, Circhina; ger, Kirchheim) is a small town in the Littoral region of Slovenia. It has around 2,000 inhabitants and is the administrative centre of the Cerkno Hills. It is the seat of the Municipality of Cerkno. Cerkno is a small bu ...

in the traditional

Littoral The littoral zone or nearshore is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely inundated), to coastal areas ...

region of

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

Geography

In addition to the village center, Orehek contains the hamlets and isolated farmsteads of Gradež, Nemci, Zabrežnica, Mlinar, Abram, and Androjne. Orehek lies on a slope below Mount Kojca and Jesenica Creek flows through the village. The soil is sandy and marly, and there are tilled fields on very steep slopes, which traditionally necessitated carrying the soil from the last plowed furrow to the top of the field. Below the village there are tilled fields and meadows in the area known as Dovšca, and above the road there are low-quality hay fields in the area known as Pod Kojca (literally, 'below Mount Kojca').

Name

Like similar place names in Slovenia (e.g., '' Orehovica'', '' Orehovec'', ''

Orešje Orešje is a settlement (''naselje'') in the Sveta Nedelja administrative territory of Zagreb County, Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Li ...

'', etc.), the name ''Orehek'' is based on the root ''oreh'' '

walnut A walnut is the edible seed of a drupe of any tree of the genus ''Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. Although culinarily considered a "nut" and used as such, it is not a true ...

', thus referring to the local vegetation.

History

The hamlet of Nemci (literally, 'Germans') is named after German miners that started mining lead ore here in 1787. The original church in the village, which was later demolished, stood in the hamlet and its site is now known as ''Pri stari cerkvi'' 'at the old church'. A water main was installed in Orehek in 1904. The writer

France Bevk France Bevk () (17 September 1890 – 17 September 1970) was a Slovene writer, poet and translator. He also wrote under the pseudonym Pavle Sedmak. Biography Bevk was born in the mountain village of Zakojca (Coizza during Italian rule, now p ...

taught in Orehek from 1913 to 1914. During the Second World War, there was an engagement between Italian forces and the Partisans at Rodne Hill () southwest of the village. The village came under attack by German forces in 1944. A fire caused by a short circuit destroyed most of the village on July 18, 1951—at the time, most of the houses still had thatched roofs. The locals established a dairy above the village in 1954.

Church

The

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

in the settlement is dedicated to Saint Ubald and belongs to the

Koper Koper (; it, Capodistria, hr, Kopar) is the fifth largest city in Slovenia. Located in the Istrian region in the southwestern part of the country, approximately five kilometres () south of the border with Italy and 20 kilometres () from Triest ...

Diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

. It was built in 1755 and is a Baroque structure with a polygonal chancel walled on three sides, a wider rectangular nave, and a bell tower. The interior is barrel-vaulted and the furnishings date from the 19th century.Slovenian Ministry of Culture register of national heritage
reference number ešd 3859.

References

External links

Orehek on Geopedia
Populated places in the Municipality of Cerkno {{Cerkno-geo-stub