The name "Altenberga" was commonly used until the 19th century. Winfrid Boniface is said to have founded the first Christian baptistery in Thuringia in 724 on the Alteberg (or Johannisberg), after which the village got its name. Count Ludwig mit dem Barte, who according to a document (Reinhardsbrunn forgery, date: 1039) took possession of the area around Altenbergen, had this St. John's Church extended around 1042 and had his son, later Louis the Springer, baptized in it (however, experts assume that Ludwig mit dem Barte rebuilt this church).

Altenbergen was first mentioned in a document on September 1, 1141, in which Archbishop Marcolf of Mainz confirmed the boundaries of the parish district belonging to St. John's Church. However, the suffix "berg" or "berga" indicates that the village was settled as early as the 8th century. For centuries, the Christians from the surrounding villages formed the congregation of St. John's Church. Names such as "Kirchstieg", "Messstieg", "Totenstein" and "Totenbrücke" still refer to the fact that residents from Schönau, Ernstroda, Finsterbergen, Catterfeld and beyond once made their way to the Alteberg to attend church services or bury their dead in the churchyard of St. John's Church. Over time, however, the growing number of inhabitants found it too far to walk. The individual villages built their own churches. Altenberg and Catterfeld also came to an agreement with the parish of Engelsbach and jointly built the Immanuel Church on the Tomlaich between Catterfeld and Altenbergen between 1710 and 1712. St. John's Church, which was no longer in use, gradually fell into disrepair.

In the past, the organization of the school system was also under the control of the church, so the school belonging to the parish of St. John's Church was located in Altenbergen. Children from the villages belonging to the parish were mainly taught religious texts. There were at least three different school buildings in Altenbergen in succession. The last building used as Altenbergen's school was built in 1869/70. Before that, built around 1750, the school was located in what is now the street "Zum Candelaber" and before that probably near the old rectory, which burned down in 1964.

The vicarage, which was extended in 1727, formed the center of the village as the church's administrative headquarters. The parish tavern with brewery (now the "Waldfrieden" restaurant) was also located here. Around 1700, Altenbergen had around 200 inhabitants.

Due to its proximity to the forest, Altenbergen was mainly home to the timber processing industry. Agriculture was not very productive due to the geographical location and only served as a supplementary source of income. Some women supplemented their families' meagre livelihoods by trading in collected forest fruits, and the doll industry, which was on the rise in the 19th century, mainly employed women from Altenbergen who produced doll parts by molding.

As in Catterfeld, carving was also carried out for the toy industry. Another line of business developed with the founding of the August Scharff bust factory in 1908. After the three sons took over the business in the 1930s, three different companies producing mannequins were established.

Tourism also gained in importance, especially when the number of holidaymakers increased considerably in 1975 with the opening of the VEB Lufttechnik Gotha vacation home (formerly Bungalow Park - since 2012 St. Gabriel Monastery - Genuin Orthodox Church of Greece).