Šilperk likely originated as a settlement below Šilperk Castle, which was built by a member of the margrave retinue of Protiven of Zábřeh. The first historic evidence of the existence of Šilperk is the Protiven Title from 1278, which is considered as the founding charter of the town. The first known keeper of the castle was the marauding knight Ješek of Šilperk. Shortly after 1308 the castle was taken away from him and handed over to the Šternberk family, and according to the land registers this family owned the town until 1480. In 1334 the Šternberk family gave the town its crest - an eight-pointed gold star in a blue field with small eight-pointed gold stars. Štíty was admi nistered by the Žalkovský family beginning in 1576, and the tombstones of the Lords of Žalkovský are preserved today in a wall of the local rectory.
Following the Battle of White Mountain Štíty fell into the hands of the Liechtenstein family. The Liechtensteins incorporated the previously independent Štíty estate into the larger mining domain, where it remained until the end of the feudal period in 1848. Štíty was decimated several times under Liechtenstein rule – by the Swedes, the plague, cholera, and by fires. When corvée ended in 1848 Štíty was an agricultural village with Czech and German residents living side by side. In 1850 Štíty became the seat of the district court and the revenue office, and was part of the Zábřeh political district until 1938. In the period before the Second World War, due to the ascent of German fascism, imbalanced political and social relationships were the norm in Europe. The situation was no different in Šilperk. Beginning in 1938 the political tension in Šilperk toward the Sudeten Germans was on the rise.
The widespread displacement of Czech families from Štíty began after the Munich betrayal, and only a few original old settlers remained. Czech schools were closed down and only German was taught. Shortly after midnight on May 9, 1945 military vehicles of the liberating Russian units approached on the roads from Horní Studénky and Písařov, and they were welcomed on the empty streets and on Šilperk Square by the Czech residents of the small town. Teaching in the elementary and secondary schools began on May 17, 1945. The rebuilding of Czech Štíty had begun. Many Czech clubs and organizations were founded in the post-war period. New work opportunities were created in the "Čemolen," "Družspoj," "Dřevotvar," and "Jesan" factories.
On 5.7.1949 Šilperk was renamed ŠTÍTY a short time after the German name was replaced by the Czech name ŽALKOV. This had a certain amount of logic, as the name Šilperk loosely translated means "štítová hora," or "gabled mountain." In 1970 Štíty had a population of 1050, and by 1973 it had grown to 1250. In 1976 two villages were incorporated into Štíty – Crhov and Heroltice, followed later by Březná, Horní Studénky, and Zborov. Horní Studénky and Zborov later became independent once again. November 17, 1989 became a landmark in the recent history of our country, as it marked the beginning of the "Velvet Revolution."
On May 8 and 9, 1990 the first free democratic elections in decades were held; these elections were won nationwide as well as in Štíty by the Civic Forum party. On November 24 of the same year municipal elections to town councils followed. Eight representatives from Civic Forum, five representatives from the Czechoslovak People's Party, and three representatives from the Czechoslovak Communist Party were elected to the Štíty Town Assembly. During the 1990's the health centre was reconstructed, a new pharmacy was established and new firms and private shops were created. A wastewater treatment facility was built and gas lines were installed. Štíty Square became a monument zone in 1993. In this same year the renowned annual Štíty folk market was renewed on the last Saturday in May. On July 1, 1994 Štíty regained the status of a "town." Three years later the Březná Stream basin, which flows through the town, was declared a natural park. In June 2002 the sport facility Acrobat Park opened in Štíty on the initiative of Olympic acrobatic skiing champion Aleš Valenta (gold medal, Salt Lake City, 2002).
