Dolenje pri Jelšanah (; ) is a village north of Jelšane in the Municipality of Ilirska Bistrica in the Inner Carniola region of Slovenia, next to the border with Croatia.Ilirska Bistrica municipal site The settlement includes the hamlets of Dolnji Kraj (), Gornji Kraj (), and Vrh Žloštajna.Savnik, Roman, ed. 1968. Krajevni leksikon Slovenije, vol. 1. Ljubljana: Državna založba Slovenije, p. 88.
Geography The built-up part of the settlement occupies a small level area, the Dolenje Karst Field (), along the road from Ilirska Bistrica to Rijeka. Elevations in the settlement include Big Peak (, 597 m), Brščice Hill (538 m), Kalič Hill (601 m), Kičiber Hill (also: Čičiber, 578 m), Kilovec Hill (516 m), Staregutnik Hill (568 m), and Stražnica Hill (also: Stražica, 577 m). Dolenje pri Jelšanah lies in a heavily karstified area with many caves, sinkholes, and losing streams. One of these streams flows through the village and disappears into Šapjan Cave (). Dolenje Creek () has its source below Stražnica Hill and is known locally as Žloštajn Creek. The stream follows the road to Mala Bukovica, where it joins Molja Creek.
Name The name of the settlement was changed from Dolenje to Dolenje pri Jelšanah in 1955.Spremembe naselij 1948–95. 1996. Database. Ljubljana: Geografski inštitut ZRC SAZU, DZS.Razširjeni seznam sprememb naselij od 1948 do 1964: preimenovanja, združevanja, odcepitve, pristavki, razglasitve in ukinitve. 1965. Ljubljana: Zavod SR Slovenije za statistiko, p. 25. The name Dolenje pri Jelšanah literally means 'Dolenje near Jelšane'. The toponym Dolenje is derived from the adjective dolenji 'lower'. It is an originally masculine accusative plural form (ending in -e) that was later reanalyzed as a feminine nominative plural. The toponym Dolenje is common in Slovenia and indicates that the settlement lay at a lower elevation than nearby settlements.Snoj, Marko. 2009. Etimološki slovar slovenskih zemljepisnih imen. Ljubljana: Modrijan and Založba ZRC, pp. 116–117.
Mass graves Dolenje pri Jelšanah is the site of four known mass graves or unmarked graves from the end of the Second World War. They all contain the remains of German soldiers from the 97th Corps that fell at the beginning of May 1945. The Brajda Mass Grave () is located in the overgrown Brajda meadow at the house at Dolenje pri Jelšanah no. 1. It contains the remains of six soldiers. The House No. 1 Grave () is located in the yard of the same house. It contains the remains of one soldier. The House No. 8 Grave () is located next to a fence under a spruce tree. It contains the remains of one soldier. The Farbečkina Mass Grave () is located north of the settlement, in an overgrown meadow on the west side of the road. It contains the remains of two soldiers.
Church The local church in the settlement is dedicated to Saint Anne and belongs to the Parish of Jelšane.Koper Diocese list of churches
References
External links Dolenje pri Jelšanah on Geopedia