Historians date the remains of human settlement in the area back to the 9th century,[6] revealing evidence of the Chernyakhov culture and ancient Kievan Rus' civilizations, as well as the Roman Empire.[7] Historic documents first mentioned the settlement in 1414 as the village of Tolste (Ukrainian: Толсте).[6][8]
In the 15th century, the settlement came under control of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and was renamed to the Polish variant Tłuste (Ukrainian: Тлусте). In 1548, Tłuste was granted Magdeburg rights, which it kept until 1944 when its status was downgraded to that of an urban-type settlement.[3] The settlement was renamed two years later from its Polish name to its current Ukrainian equivalent Tovste.[3] On December 4, 1996, Tovste was admitted into the League of Historic Cities of Ukraine.[3]
Until 18 July 2020, Tovste belonged to Zalishchyky Raion. The raion was abolished in July 2020 as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which reduced the number of raions of Ternopil Oblast to three. The area of Zalishchyky Raion was merged into Chortkiv Raion.[9][10] On 26 January 2024, a new law entered into force which abolished the urban-type settlement status, and Tovste became a rural settlement.[11]
In the town there are numerous architectural monuments: the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Saint Anne, built in late 19th-early 20th century, whose reconstruction is being funded by former Polish residents of Tovste; the Greek Catholic Church of Saint Michael the Archangel, built from 1913-1939; as well as a modern Ukrainian Orthodox Church, built from 1991-1995.[8] The town also housed a Jewishsynagogue, which was destroyed during World War II, the remains of which are no longer to be found.[8]
