After World War II in 1947, the town was briefly renamed Žalkov, but soon changed its name to Štíty.

The highest point of Štíty is located on the slopes of the Strážka mountain, at about 830 m (2,720 ft) above sea level.

The historic centre of Štíty is situated on the promontory above the Březná river, which flows through the municipal territory and partly forms its southern border.

During the Hussite Wars, the originally purely German town was partially settled by Czechs.

In 1624, after the Battle of White Mountain, Štíty together with all his properties was confiscated from Jan Odkolek Jr. and assigned to the House of Liechtenstein, who annexed it to the Ruda estate.

[4] During the Thirty Years' War, the town was greatly devastated, especially by the Swedish troops in 1646, and the local castle was destroyed.

[4] During the rule of the Liechtensteins, the town remained a craft centre for its surroundings, but lost its previous significance.

Štíty is known for its large freestyle skiing centre whose operator is the 2002 Olympic winner Aleš Valenta.