Staré Hory was first mentioned as a local settlement of Banská Bystrica in a document dating from 1536, but precious metals - copper and silver were mined in the settlement in 1006 yet. Together with Špania Dolina and neighbouring villages - Valentová, Prasnica, Turecká, Rybô, Polkanová, Horný a Dolný Jelenec, it was the centre of copper mining in the area. The local people were working in mines, also in the forests. The lace making had developed as a supplementary job.
Nowadays there are some noteworthy historical monuments in the village: the late Gothic church of the Virgin Mary from the 15th century, rebuilt in the 18th century; the Baroque building of the former Mining Chamber from the middle 18th century; and the Chapel of the Saint Ann. The bronze monument dedicated to the famous Slovak gamekeeper Jozef Dekret Matejovie is situated near the main road under a limestone cliff in the village of Dolný Jelenec.
Since 1925 there has been a dam with a small reservoir at the mounth of the Jelenská Valley. The Horný Jelenec Valley enters through a deep canyon in the Velká Fatra mountains. There are small houses in the both sides of a road and high limestone walls over those houses.
The road under the big rocky overhangs leads into the villages of Prasnica and Rybô. They are situated at the foot of the slopes of Krížna mountain. The biggest avalanche on these slopes buried 18 people, 4 houses and some agricultural property in 1924.
A wooden crucifix and a plaque made of cast-iron reminds us of this event.