Rogatec was first mentioned as a town in 1283; before that it had been mentioned as one of the administration centres of the estates of Breže - Seliški. The town originated under the patronage of the today’s ruined Gornji Rogatec Castle and the renovated Strmol Mansion, which was built in the 15th century on the opposite side of the castle hill.  In the 14th and 15th century, Rogatec was mentioned as a town several times (lat.: oppidum), as it had walls with double gates, however, due to its small number of inhabitants it was never granted the charter.  Its traffic role by the crossing and its border position have enabled Rogatec’s trade and commerce to bloom and with that the well-being of its inhabitants.
The stone relief of the winged dragon built into the façade of the residential building in the south part of the town testifies to the colonisation of that area already in the Roman period.