Today´s industrial town, Schwarzheide, was created on October 1, 1936, from the independent communities, Zschornegosda (today Schwarzheide-West) and Naundorf (now part of Schwarzheide-Ost).

The name was translated from the Sorbian name, "Zschornegosda", (corny = black, gozd = heath, wood).

Zschornegosda was first written in 1449 (as Cschörnegast) in feudal deed of Duke Frederick II, Elector of Saxony.

The river, Schwarze Elster, was drained and converted to a canal, so it was no longer possible to live from fishing.

The river, Schwarze Elster, forms the border between lower and upper Lusatia.

From 1952 to 1990, Schwarzheide was a part of Kreis Senftenberg in the Bezirk Cottbus of East Germany.

Symbol is the 36 m high water tower built in 1943/44 by French prisoners of war.

The oldest nightclub in eastern Germany is Freizeitpark Wandelhof and there is also a cinema with four sals and 650 places.