Skala received Środa Śląska rights on November 10, 1267, due to efforts of Salomea, the sister of duke Boleslaw V the Chaste.

The town itself was located in the area of earlier village of Stańków (Stankoy), and became home to a monastery of the Order of Poor Ladies, who came here in the 1260s.

In the late Middle Ages Skała prospered, due to a convenient location on a merchant route from Kraków to Greater Poland.

In 1794, after the Battle of Racławice, Tadeusz Kościuszko designed Skała as a fortified camp, protecting northern approaches to the city of Kraków.

Due to the proximity of the sealed border, the development of Skała was stopped for more than 100 years, as both Russian and Austrian governments did not promote mutual trade.

During World War II, Skała was an important center of Polish resistance, in July 1944, the Home Army units fought the Germans in several skirmishes.

The town retains its medieval urban shape, with a large market square in the middle, and a stone monument of Saint Florian (ca.