Velike Lašče (; german: Großlaschitz)''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 42. is a town in

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, and ...

. It is the seat of the Municipality of Velike Lašče. It is part of the traditional region of

Lower Carniola Lower Carniola ( sl, Dolenjska; german: Unterkrain) is a traditional region in Slovenia, the southeastern part of the historical Carniola region. Geography Lower Carniola is delineated by the Ljubljana Basin with the city of Ljubljana to the ...

and is now included in the

Central Slovenia Statistical Region The Central Slovenia Statistical Region ( sl, Osrednjeslovenska statistična regija) is a statistical region in central Slovenia. Geography This is the second-largest region in terms of territory. It has a total area of 2,555 km², with a ...

Name

The name ''Velike Lašče'' literally means 'big Lašče', distinguishing the town from the neighboring village of ''

Male Lašče Male Lašče (; german: Kleinlaschitz''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 46.) is a village immediately north of Velike Lašče in centr ...

'' (literally, 'little Lašče'). The name of the settlements was first attested in written sources in 1145 as ''Lasis'' (and as ''Lasissa'' in 1251, and ''Lasitsch'' in 1256). The medieval transcriptions indicate that the name was originally ''*Lašiče'', an accusative plural form of the

patronymic A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. Patronymics are still in use, including mandatory use, in many countries worldwide, al ...

''Lašič'', derived from the name ''Lah''—thus meaning 'the place where Lah's people live'. The name ''Lah'' is derived from ''Vlah'' and originally referred to the Romanized Celtic population, and later to Romance speakers, including Italians and

Uskoks The Uskoks ( hr, Uskoci, , singular: ; notes on naming) were irregular soldiers in Habsburg Croatia that inhabited areas on the eastern Adriatic coast and surrounding territories during the Ottoman wars in Europe. Bands of Uskoks fought a g ...

. In the past the German name was ''Großlaschitz''.

Mass graves

Velike Lašče is the site of two known

mass graves A mass grave is a grave containing multiple human corpses, which may or may not be identified prior to burial. The United Nations has defined a criminal mass grave as a burial site containing three or more victims of execution, although an exact ...

associated with the Second World War. The Jamnik Woods Mass Grave ( sl, Grobišče Jamnikov gozd) is located in the woods east of the train station. It contains the remains of civilians and local anti-communist militia members, who were allied with the Italian forces. The Train Station Mass Grave () is located in the woods northeast of the train station. It contains the remains of undetermined victims.

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 activitie ...

in the settlement is dedicated to the

Nativity of Mary The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Nativity of Mary, the Marymas or the Birth of the Virgin Mary, refers to a Christian feast day celebrating the birth of Mary, mother of Jesus. The modern canon of scripture does not record Mary's b ...

and belongs to the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ljubljana The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Ljubljana ( sl, Nadškofija Ljubljana, la, Archidioecesis Labacensis) is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Slovenia.Neo-Romanesque Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...

church built after the original building dating to the 13th century was destroyed by fire in 1856. Its double belfry is a dominant landmark on the local skyline. In front of the church is an

obelisk An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by An ...

monument to

Fran Levstik Fran Levstik (28 September 1831 – 16 November 1887) was a Slovene writer, political activist, playwright and critic. He was one of the most prominent exponents of the Young Slovene political movement. Life and work Levstik was born in 183 ...

, erected in 1889.Slovenian Ministry of Culture register of national heritage
reference numbers ešd 2639 & 26271

Gallery

File:Velike Lašče - Levstik monument.jpg, Fran Levstik monument

References

External links

*

* ttp://www.velike-lasce.si/ Velike Lašče municipal site {{DEFAULTSORT:Velike Lasce Populated places in the Municipality of Velike Lašče nl:Velike Lašče