The village of Haufeld is a typical Thuringian street village located on the plateau between the Ilm and Saale rivers. The first documented mention of Haufeld, at that time still known as "Hauuenenfelde", is in the monastery of Fulda. The document dates back to the year 900 and contains a donation of large parts of Haufeld from Rüdiger zu Hauuenenfeld to the monastery. The village was completely destroyed in the fratricidal war. This was around 1450 and the village was then rebuilt on its present site. In 1611, the village was sold to the Count of Hohenlohe. The village has borne the name Haufeld since 1618. Until 1952, the municipality belonged to the district of Weimar, then to Rudolstadt. The village church in Haufeld is of unique European significance due to its late Gothic wall paintings in the Gothic choir vault, which were uncovered in 1931. The sight can be visited by appointment. Haufeld celebrated its 1100th anniversary in 2001. The town is included in the list of monuments of the Thuringian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments.

The village has been part of the town of Rudolstadt since January 1, 2019.