The village developing here had its first documentary mention in 1217 in a document from the abbot of Hersfeld Abbey, Ludwig I to the Vogt (roughly “reeve”) Bertho von Buchenau, in which the place is named as Cruceberc.

In the Middle Ages, the Knights of Buchenau (Buchenaouwe) held the Amt of Schildschlag and the court district of Johannesberg as a fief from the Hersfeld Abbey.

Later, under the Landgraves of Hesse, the administrative areas were ruled from Hauneck Castle (now in ruins), out of which then came the community's name in 1971.

Through municipal reform on 31 December 1971, the community of Hauneck came into being with the amalgamation of Oberhaun, Rotensee, Sieglos and Unterhaun.

The municipal election held on 26 March 2006 yielded the following results: The community's executive (Gemeindevorstand) is made up of six members, with four seats allotted to the SPD, one to the CDU and 1 to the FWG.