With the arrival of the German-speaking Habsburgs, Vrhnika became known as Oberlaibach (literally, 'upper Ljubljana'), which would have made the German designation for Stara Vrhnika the semantically awkward Ober-Oberlaibach.

It was therefore called Alt Oberlaibach (literally, 'old upper Ljubljana') in German, and this was the source of the Slovene name Stara Vrhnika.

[5][6] The local church in Stara Vrhnika is dedicated to Saint Leonard.

[4] A second church on Kuren Hill west of the settlement is dedicated to Saint Nicholas.

[7] Notable people that were born or lived in Stara Vrhnika include: