Vešter

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Vešter is a small settlement in the Municipality of Škofja Loka in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia. It covers 2.37 square kilometers and sits at about 372 meters above sea level. In 2002 it had 178 residents.

Location and geography
Vešter lies east of Trnje on the road from Škofja Loka to Železniki, on the left bank of the Selca Sora River. It sits in the Vešter Plain, with Puštal Hill and Cavrn Hill to the north.

Name and history
Vešter appears in old records with several spellings, including Obernwester (1291), Westreden (1421), Westert (1481), and Bestrad (1500). The name comes from Obernwester, meaning “upper Vešter.” The nearby village Trnje was once called Wester, so Vešter was used to distinguish the two.

The name is linked to field names such as Westerfeld (“western field”) near Stara Loka, with Osterfeld (“eastern field”) to the east and Mittelfeld (“middle field”) between them.

Prehistory and medieval times
There is an unexcavated hillfort on Puštal Hill, showing ancient settlement in the area. In the 13th century, Vešter belonged to the Gadmar (Gadnerambt) district.

World War II
During the war, Partisans used the Vešter Mill (Veštrski mlin) just south of the village as an underground print shop. The mill was burned by German forces on 8 February 1944, killing three Partisans; a memorial marks the site.

Mass graves
Vešter has three known postwar mass graves:

- Gorge Mass Grave (Grobišče Soteska): in the narrow part of the Selca Sora Valley along the road from Škofja Loka to Železniki, about 10 meters east of the road. It contains the remains of six to ten Home Guard soldiers and civilians released from Škofja Loka Castle prison and murdered on their way home.

- Lovrec House Mass Grave (Grobišče Lovrčeva hiša), also known as Matjaž Valley Mass Grave (Grobišče Matjaževa dolina): below Cavrn Hill, along a path about 600 meters northwest of the village of Trnje. It contains eight Home Guard soldiers.

- Cavrn Mass Grave (Grobišče Cavrn): on the slope of Cavrn Hill near a former Partisan bunker. It contains eight Home Guard soldiers.