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Jasov is located in the south-western part of the Kosice Basin, to the north of Moldava nad Bodvou, in fact directly on the "Old Spis Road" of medieval times which led, as a branch off the main trade route, into the Smolnik Hills and beyond into the Spis region. The town has an elongated ground-plan, without a central square, and the Gothic parish church overlooks it from the eastern slope of the valley. No planning was involved in Jasov's original development, as it spread along the banks of the river Bodva. According to paleontological and archeological finds in the cave dwellings here, this territory was populated by various cultures, albeit not continuously, during each prehistoric period (starting with the early Stone Age) and throughout early recorded history.

The beginnings of permanent settlement almost certainly date back to the first half of the 12th century. Of all the catalogues published by the Praemonstratensian Order, it is specifically the Niniva Catalogue (Catalogus Ninivensis) which leads us to believe that the monastery at Jasov must have been established even prior to the year 1170. In any case, it is a recognized fact that a community of Slavonic origin had itself already existed for at least one generation by that time. The advantageous location of the Jasov settlement, close to the trade route, and the rich resources of the surrounding countryside led to this place being selected as the seat of the conventoi the Praemonstratensians, who from then on had far-reaching influence over a long period on life in the surrounding area. The building of the monastery involved the participation of German immigrant settlers, who came to the Spis and Abov regions. In this way, the ethnic make-up of the Jasov area became diversified, for the population was otherwise dominated by the original Slav inhabitants, who also by that time showed marked assimilation with the local Hungarians. The unfinished monastery building fell victim, together with the settlement of Jasov, to local fighting during the Tartar invasion in the years 1241-1242 and 1285-1288.

The rebuilding of the monastery was completed after the year 1255, and subsequently the monks granted land to the German settlers, the majority of whom were skilled craftsmen. Between 1243 and 1290, the Praemonstratensians awarded them many privileges. The economic development of Jasov was strengthened by the awarding of annual fair and toll-collecting rights, and the privilege of mining for ore. The most important of these rights concerned administrative, judicial and proprietary autonomy, hunting rights and the permission to hold a weekly market. In this way, Jasov was transformed into a small town.

After the year 1290, a separation arose in the fast- growing community of Jasov. A new part of town developed on the right bank of the River Bodva, called Jasovsky Podzamok (Jasov Bailey), the most likely inhabitants being people in service at the monastery, while on the left bank there was Jasov proper, with its concentration of craftsmen and the merchant classes. In 1394 Jasov was granted the right to hold an annual fair. The following years form one of the more peaceful periods in the history of the town, but from the beginning of the 15th century, however, inhabitants' objections grew to the lack of respect for the privileges granted by the monarch, to new taxes being imposed locally, and to other kinds of work being exacted from them, which ultimately led to serious disputes between the people of Jasov and their local lord - in this case the prelate of the monastery - which were not resolved until the year 1756. The population was involved mainly in agricultural and mining activities, and to a lesser extent in pottery and waggon-driving. Apart from precious metals, the local mines produced iron, lead and copper. Iron ore production was stepped up during the last decades of the 18th century. In 1780 a blast furnace was built in the town, which then operated alongside three blacksmith's forges and a hammer works. The ironworks closed down in 1870. Several smaller companies emerged at the beginning of this century, including a sawmill, some flourmills and a brickworks. In the 1950's a cooperative farm was established, which became a state farm in 1965. Later developments consisted of a modern brickworks, a tileworks and a carpenter's yard, while in recent years small-scale private enterprise has shown encouraging growth in the town.