The town of Kežmarok came into existence on the foundations of several original Slavonic settlements and of the settlements of Saxon colonists who came in the 13th century. In 1380 the town Kežmarok was nominated as a free royal town. The inhabitants of the settlement were guarding the important trade route („via magna“) connecting Orient and the north of Europe. In the 15th and 16th century the trade was the most important for all inhabitants whereas more than 30 gilts and crafts were working in the town.    In the 19th century the most important was the textile industry.