Weißwasser was mentioned for the first time on 8 June 1552, when it was part of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown in the Holy Roman Empire.

In 1635 it passed to the Electorate of Saxony, and following the Napoleonic Wars, in 1815 it fell to the Kingdom of Prussia and was included within the Province of Silesia.

During World War II, the Nazis established and operated the FAL Weisswasser subcamp of the Gross-Rosen concentration camp, whose prisoners were mainly Jewish women.

Weißwasser now struggles with the after-effects of German reunification, as the fall of the Berlin Wall has had a devastating effect on the local economy.

Blue and yellow are the traditional colours of Upper Lusatia and the white waves in the bottom part of the coat of arms symbolise the name of the city.

Development of the population figure since 31 December 1960 Source from 1998 on: Statistics office Saxony A new city council was elected on the 13 June 2004.