The name "Wulframus de Sunneberc" is mentioned in a document of Archbishop Adalbert I of Mainz in 1126. This document is considered to be the first documented mention of today's Sonnenberg district.

In 1200, the count brothers Henry II and Ruprecht IV of Nassau began building Sonnenberg Castle, which initially comprised a keep as a residential and defensive structure. However, the region was under the rule of the Archbishopric of Mainz. When the Nassau family continued with the construction without the consent of the cathedral chapter, a conflict arose. This was resolved in 1221 with the purchase of the castle grounds for 30 marks. The cathedral chapter retained the fief, while the Nassauers took over the castle grounds. Such purchases were a common method of resolving territorial disputes in the Middle Ages.

The castle was further expanded under Counts Adolf (1292-1298 German king) and Gerlach von Nassau. Emperor Ludwig visited the castle in 1338. In 1351, King Charles IV of Bohemia granted Sonnenberg its town charter. This led to the construction of a town wall, which was completed in 1360.

In 1429, the landlord Werner Hut von Sonnenberg had a small church built, the Sankt Mariae im Dhal. By 1602, however, the church was in such a poor state that it no longer had any windows and the communion wafers had to be protected from the wind. The oldest bell from 1690, which cracked while ringing during the funeral of Pastor Rohr in 1934, now stands on his grave. The chimes of today's bells form the Te deum motif.

The district of Sonnenberg was demarcated to the east by the Rambach border, to the south by the Bierstadt border and to the west by the Wiesbaden border. Expansion to the north was only possible by clearing land. This spatial narrowness repeatedly led to conflicts with the neighboring villages, which accused the Sonnenbergs of illegally moving their boundary stones. From 1620, the manorial land was leased to farmers, who were also responsible for keeping the manorial farmstead in good condition. The Sonnenbergs lived mainly from agriculture, sheep farming and horticulture, with cabbage and cabbage gardens characterizing the area around the castle. There is evidence of a communal sheep farm as early as 1540.

After the Thirty Years' War, there were only twelve inhabited houses left in Sonnenberg. In 1672, Brandenburg troops destroyed the village, plundered it and set it on fire. Around 1700, farming predominated in Sonnenberg, which the farmers ran as tenants and only to a lesser extent on their own. There were also day laborers, civil servants and municipal employees. In the 18th century, crafts increased: more and more people from Sonnenberg earned their living in the building trade and as linen weavers, basket makers or sword sweepers. There were also several millers, as Sonnenberg had an old milling tradition.

Sonnenberg underwent a remarkable transformation in the 19th century. In 1814, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe visited the village, which at that time had around 600 inhabitants.

Between 1817 and 1822, the Waldmark zur Höhe was divided up and 185 hectares of forest became municipal property, making Sonnenberg a prosperous community.

In 1818, Sonnenberg had 154 families and 636 inhabitants. By 1866, the population had grown to 1,232 people, of whom 1,080 were Protestant, 114 Catholic and 38 Jewish. Around a quarter of the population worked in the trades.

However, the following years were marked by natural disasters: a devastating flood in 1867 and a major fire in 1896 caused severe damage.

Around 1900, Sonnenberg began to develop into a preferred residential area on the outskirts of Wiesbaden. In 1901, the district was connected to the electric tramway, followed by the canal network in 1909. On October 1, 1926, Sonnenberg was finally incorporated into Wiesbaden.

In 1911, Konrad Duden, the creator of the Duden dictionary, died in Sonnenberg. The Konrad Duden elementary school on the Burgberg and a street were named in his honor.

115 people from Sonnenberg died in the First World War. The Second World War also brought heavy destruction and suffering: a bombing raid in February 1945 destroyed the town hall and the fire station. Six people lost their lives in the Goldstein Valley. On March 28, 1945, the Second World War ended for Wiesbaden with the invasion of American troops.

The Sonnenberg district now has a population of around 7,900 and has developed into an attractive and affluent residential area on the outskirts of Wiesbaden.

The major fire in Talstraße in 1896 led to the founding of the Sonnenberg volunteer fire department. The fire department and its support association have been an important part of the community for over 100 years.