Leše, Tržič

Leše
Leše Location in Slovenia
Coordinates: 46°21′16.27″N 14°15′22.43″E / 46.3545194°N 14.2562306°ECoordinates: 46°21′16.27″N 14°15′22.43″E / 46.3545194°N 14.2562306°E
Country	Slovenia
Traditional region	Upper Carniola
Statistical region	Upper Carniola
Municipality	Tržič
Elevation	518.9 m (1,702.4 ft)
Population (2002)
• Total	210
[1]

Leše (pronounced [ˈleːʃɛ]) is a village in the Municipality of Tržič in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia.

Name

Leše was attested in written sources in 1040 as silva que Leschahc nuncupator (and as predium Lêscah in 1050–63, and Loschach and Leschach in 1498). The name is derived from the plural demonym Lěščane, derived from the word lěska 'hazel'. The name thus originally means 'people living by the hazel grove'.^[2]

History

During the Second World War, the school in Leše was burned by the Partisans in 1944. A new school was built after the war.^[3]

Church

The local church is dedicated to Saint James (Slovene: sveti Jakob). It dates from 1822 and contains paintings by Matija Bradaška (1852–1915).^[3]

Notable people

Notable people that were born or lived in Leše, or with ancestry from Leše, include:

• Josip Valjavec (1897–1959), lexicographer and religious writer^[3]
• Sunita Williams, American astronaut^[4]

References

1. Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia
2. Snoj, Marko. 2009. Etimološki slovar slovenskih zemljepisnih imen. Ljubljana: Modrijan and Založba ZRC, p. 232.
3. Savnik, Roman, ed. 1968. Krajevni leksikon Slovenije, vol. 1. Ljubljana: Državna založba Slovenije, p. 440.
4. Sunita Williams in her ancestors' homeland one more time, Delo, March 26, 2013

External links

• Media related to Leše, Tržič at Wikimedia Commons
• Leše at Geopedia