It is one of the oldest urban centers of the province, located along the Tarnobrzeg Route of historic Lesser Polish Way of St. James, and on the National Road Nr.

In 1185, Prince Casimir II the Just brought here the Cistercians, and in the same year, local nobleman Mikołaj Bogoria Skotnicki of Bogorya coat of arms presented Koprzywnica to the monks, together with several villages in the area.

Due to the presence of the Cistercians, Koprzywnica prospered, and from the 14th to the 17th century it was among medium-sized towns of Lesser Poland.

In 1606, it was one of the centers of a rokosz (armed rebellion) of the nobility against King Sigismund III Vasa, organized by Mikołaj Zebrzydowski.

Following the German-Soviet invasion of Poland, which started World War II in September 1939, it was occupied by Germany.