The area was inhabited by humans around 8,000–6,000 BCE.
The first written document mentioning Tachov comes from 1115.
King Ottokar II of Bohemia (1233–1278) built a new castle with a massive round stone tower there.
He also founded a walled town near the castle.

During the Hussite Wars (1419–1434), the town was several times besieged and conquered.
In 1427, Prokop the Great defeated the crusaders near Tachov.
The Thirty Years War (1618–1648) damaged the town considerably.
In 1664, Count Johann Anton Losy became the new proprietor.
The Losy family began conversion of the medieval castle to a large baroque château.
In 1784, the title passed to the Windisch-Graetz family.
The Windisch-Graetzs, in their turn, rebuilt the house in the classical style at great expense.

Until 1918, Tachov (as Tachau) was part of the Austrian Empire, capital of the district of Tachau, and one of the 94 Bezirkshauptmannschaften in Bohemia.

A post office was opened in Tachov in October 1850.

In 1938, it was occupied by the German army as part of the Sudetenland.
Most of the German-speaking population was expelled in 1945 (see the Beneš decrees).
The area was only partly repopulated, mostly by Czechs and Slovaks, but also by immigrants from Romania and Ukraine.
Later on uranium was mined here, attracting laborers to work in the mines.

After the Velvet Revolution that ended the Communist era in 1989, the uranium mines were closed.
Some German companies established factories in the area to make use of the cheap labour.
However, the Tachov area is still among the economically least developed Czech regions.
The area was inhabited by humans around 8,000–6,000 BCE. The first written document mentioning Tachov comes from 1115. King Ottokar II of Bohemia (1233–1278) built a new castle with a massive round stone tower there. He also founded a walled town near the castle.
During the Hussite Wars (1419–1434), the town was several times besieged and conquered. In 1427, Prokop the Great defeated the crusaders near Tachov. The Thirty Years War (1618–1648) damaged the town considerably. In 1664, Count Johann Anton Losy became the new proprietor. The Losy family began conversion of the medieval castle to a large baroque château. In 1784, the title passed to the Windisch-Graetz family. The Windisch-Graetzs, in their turn, rebuilt the house in the classical style at great expense.
Until 1918, Tachov (as Tachau) was part of the Austrian Empire, capital of the district of Tachau, and one of the 94 Bezirkshauptmannschaften in Bohemia.
A post office was opened in Tachov in October 1850.
In 1938, it was occupied by the German army as part of the Sudetenland. Most of the German-speaking population was expelled in 1945 (see the Beneš decrees). The area was only partly repopulated, mostly by Czechs and Slovaks, but also by immigrants from Romania and Ukraine. Later on uranium was mined here, attracting laborers to work in the mines.
After the Velvet Revolution that ended the Communist era in 1989, the uranium mines were closed. Some German companies established factories in the area to make use of the cheap labour. However, the Tachov area is still among the economically least developed Czech regions.
Tachov