In Jesteburg lies the confluence of two small rivers, the Schmale Aue and the Seeve.

The first official mentioning of Jesteburg dates back to the year 1202, in a document signed by the Hartwig II, Archbishop of Bremen.

In 1872/73, the railroad between Buchholz in der Nordheide and Lüneburg which still runs through Jesteburg was built.

During an Allied air raid on nearby Hamburg in January 1943 incendiary bombs where dropped on Jesteburg, several buildings where destroyed.

On 19 April 1945, the railroad bridge was blown up by the Wehrmacht to slow the advance of British troops.