Traunen was first mentioned in documents in 1256, Brücken in 1374.
Until the end of the 18th century, the current municipality was divided, Brücken belonged to the Hintere Grafschaft Sponheim, Traunen to the Duchy of Palatinate-Zweibrücken.
In 1794, the left bank of the Rhine was taken by French revolutionary troops. From 1798 to 1814, Brücken and Traunen belonged to the canton of Birkenfeld in the Saar department. Due to the agreements made at the Congress of Vienna (1815), the region became part of the Oldenburg principality of Birkenfeld in 1817. The municipality of Brücken was assigned to the mayoralty of Birkenfeld in the Birkenfeld district, the municipality of Traunen to the mayoralty of Achtelsbach in the Nohfelden district. From 1918 onwards, both places belonged to the Oldenburg "region of Birkenfeld". The current district of Traunen was incorporated into Brücken in 1934. The municipality of Brücken became part of the Prussian district of Birkenfeld in 1937, and has been part of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate since 1946.
Brücken is known for the legend of Hinzhausen. According to this legend, there was a village in the forest that was struck by the plague. After much deliberation, the surviving residents decided to lock their village from the inside and burn everything down. This way, the rest of the area was spared from the plague. Today, it is said that there are still some ruins in the middle of the forest around Brücken. These ruins do indeed exist, but it is not clear whether they are left over from the tragic plague in Hinzhausen.