Jeseník is located about 70 kilometres (43 mi) north of Olomouc, in the historical land of Czech Silesia.

The southern part of the municipal territory is situated in the Hrubý Jeseník mountain range.

The highest point of the municipal territory is the Velké Bradlo mountain at 1,050 m (3,440 ft) above sea level.

It became a town between 1284 and 1295, thanks to the development caused by its strategic location on a trade route from Moravia to Silesia and on the confluence of two rivers, and thanks to the iron ore deposits in the surroundings.

In 1506, the flourishing town was purchased by the Swabian Fugger dynasty who resumed mining activity.

The iron ore deposits were soon exhausted or have become unprofitable, and the Fuggers sold the town back to the Wrocław bishops in 1547.

Despite the difficulties, economic prosperity continued until 1742, when Jeseník became part of Austrian Silesia after the First Silesian War.

Due to the loss of Silesian markets as the main customer of production, linen got into a crisis and the town lost its mining privileges.

[4] New economic development occurred in the 19th century, when industrialization began and new factories and enterprises were established.

In 1808, the Grabenberg hamlet (later known as Gräfenberg/Gräfenberk, today Lázně Jeseník) was founded, and the spa was established here in the 1820s.

[4] Jeseník remained with the Austrian Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy until World War I and the creation of Czechoslovakia in 1918.

According to the Austrian administration census of 1910 the town had 6,859 inhabitants, with 6,588 (99.5%) were speaking German, 16 Czech and 13 Polish.

During World War II, the German occupiers operated several forced labour subcamps of the Stalag VIII-B/344 prisoner-of-war camp in the town.

[8] The town was restored to Czechoslovakia after the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II in 1945.