The very name of the municipality is proof of the importance of the place due to the crossing, a ford over the Unstrut. Last but not least, Straußfurt was and is a railroad junction, as evidenced by the Erfurt-Nordhausen line, which went into operation in 1869, and the "Saale-Unstrut-Bahn" (Peppermint Railway), which opened five years later. In view of these junctions, it is not surprising that Straußfurt was declared to be the center of Germany in 1990. The eventful history begins in 744 with the first written mention as "Stuffefurte". In 1324 (construction of St. Mary's Chapel), 1613 (severe flooding during the "Thuringian Deluge"), 1724 (construction of an orphanage by Baroness von Münchhausen), 1911 (electric light arrives in the village) or 1996 (closure of the last Thuringian sugar factory).

Henschleben and Vehra have belonged to Straußfurt since 2020. The first mentions of the two villages can be found around 1080. An earlier spelling of the place "Hantschuhesliebe" was certainly the inspiration for the old town seal, a man standing on a bridge and holding gloves. If today's name Vehra is interpreted as the name of a ferry station, it is not surprising that the otherwise tranquil River Unstrut left its mark on the two settlements for centuries with annual floods. Only the retention basin built in Straußfurt in the 1950s offers permanent protection against the recurring flood risks.