| Official Name: | Stara Vrhnika |
| Pushpin Map: | Slovenia |
| Pushpin Label Position: | right |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Slovenia |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Slovenia |
| Subdivision Type1: | Traditional region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Inner Carniola |
| Subdivision Type2: | Statistical region |
| Subdivision Name2: | Central Slovenia |
| Subdivision Type3: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name3: | Vrhnika |
| Area Total Km2: | 7.59 |
| Population As Of: | 2002 |
| Population Total: | 646 |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Ethnicities |
| Population Blank2 Title: | Religions |
| Coordinates: | 45.9744°N 14.28°W |
| Elevation M: | 322.5 |
| Footnotes: | [1] |
Stara Vrhnika (in Slovenian pronounced as /ˈstaːɾa ˈʋəɾxnika/; German: Altoberlaibach[2]) is a village north of Vrhnika in the Inner Carniola region of Slovenia.[3] It includes the hamlets of Kuren (or Koren), Podčelo, and Razor.[4]
The name Stara Vrhnika literally means 'old Vrhnika'. Stara Vrhnika was attested in Latin church records as ex superiore Verchnik, and as Alt Oberlaibach oder Gorena Verchnik between 1764 and 1783. The village was originally called Gornja Vrhnika or Zgornja Vrhnika (literally, 'upper Vrhnika') in Slovene, referring to its position about 30 meters above neighboring Vrhnika. 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. It was first mentioned in written sources in 1526.[4] A second church on Kuren Hill west of the settlement is dedicated to Saint Nicholas. It has a flat painted wooden ceiling with poorly preserved paintings from the 16th century.[4] Both churches belong to the Parish of Vrhnika.[7]
Notable people that were born or lived in Stara Vrhnika include: