 It was under the rule of the Olomouc monastery until 1548, when the town achieved recognition as a King's town.Until 1918, "Gaya in Mähren - Kyjov" (previously "Gaya" or "Gaia") was part of the Austrian monarchy (Austria side after the compromise of 1867), head of the district with the same name, one of the 34 "Bezirkshauptmannschaften" in Moravia.Kyjov is a centre of regional folklore.