Initially a Sorbian stronghold and settlement, it was first mentioned in 1225.[3] It was granted town rights in 1375.[3] It was raided by the Hussites in 1429.[3]
Pulsnitz became famous for its Pfefferkuchen, a type of Christmas cookie, when in 1558 the bakers of Pulsnitz received permission to bake them. Today there are still eight Pfefferküchlereien bakeries. In 1745 the PfefferküchlerTobias Thomas was known to be practising his craft in Pulsnitz as well as in Toruń, Poland, where the famous Toruń gingerbread were made. Pulsnitz is informally known as Pfefferkuchenstadt meaning "Gingerbread Town".
Other crafts also developed, with a linen weavers' guild founded in 1597, and the first local potter mentioned in 1653.[3]
During the Thirty Years' War of 1618–1648 the town suffered four fires, and in 1633 and 1680 it was hit by epidemics.[3]