As early as the 13th century, the village of Waldfeucht was the most important place in the surrounding area that extends beyond today's municipal boundaries, it was called a "city" and had market rights. The location on the Roman road Heerlen - Xanten and on the road that led from Heinsberg through the Echter Bruch into the Maasland contributed significantly to this development and led to the possession of Waldfeucht between the rival territories of Guelders, Burgundy, Brabant and Heinsberg for centuries was controversial. The fortifications around Waldfeucht, which are characterized today by hedge paths and cottage gardens and consisted of a wall, moat and two city gates destroyed in the Second World War, are witnesses of these times.
The wealth of forests and the fertile farmland formed the basis for the economic life of the municipality in the Middle Ages. Very early on, craft and trading companies settled in Waldfeucht, from which the tanning and brewing trades have been operated to this day. Locksmith and blacksmith trades flourished in Waldfeucht in the 16th century. Linen and velvet weaving was also carried out in Waldfeucht up until the 19th century.
The demarcation established by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 severed a cultural and economic area that had grown over the centuries. Waldfeucht came to the Prussian Rhine Province and became a border town. Today's municipality of Waldfeucht was formed in connection with the Aachen Law on January 1, 1972 from the then Waldfeucht office with the affiliated municipalities of Braunsrath, Haaren and Waldfeucht as well as the Haas and Haaserdriesch districts of the former Kirchhoven municipality.