The team is active in athletics, volleyball, football, wrestling, boxing, gymnastics, badminton, darts, capoeira and sports for the disabled.

The club was founded as FC Germania 1899 Mühlhausen on 23 February 1899 by a group of 14 school boys who had been playing football on the army drill field since 1893–94.

They played their first match in April 1899 against SC Erfurt and dropped a 0:2 decision.

However SV 1899 also remained active in football and is currently fielding only a D-Juniors team wherein players are between 10 and 12 years old.

Kreisklasse Unstrut-Hainich (XI) in 2011 and later withdrew from league play, not featuring a senior men's team anymore.