Wartenburg had its first documentary mention in 1176 under the name "Wardenberch". The community has become well known for the engagement and successful crossing of the Elbe by Prussian and Russian troops under General Yorck von Wartenburg in 1813, late in the Napoleonic Wars once they were into a phase known in Germany as the Wars of Liberation. For his success in battle, Yorck was awarded the title of Count York of Wartenburg.