Evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the
early stone age.
Bronze Age burial objects were discovered during the construction of a
highway through the municipality in 1938. A piece of
jewellery found in these discoveries, a robe clasp, is depicted on the municipal coat of arms. The village was first mentioned in 1248 as "Witeshove", roughly meaning "Farm by the forest". It was sold by the
counts of Holstein to the
Reinbek monastery in 1300 which constructed a chapel in the village that would be demolished in 1609 due to poor maintenance. Witzhave was a prominent stop in the trading route between
Hamburg and
Lübeck with heavy freight wagons pulled by four to six horses frequently passing through the sandy road of the village. This route was however also used to troop transport, which obligated the residents of the village to help out soldiers and their horses in providing shelter as well as supplies. Troop movements through the village were often connected to looting. The
Bundesautobahn 24, running through the municipality, started construction in 1938 but was put on hold until December 1978 due to
World War 2 and the
division of Germany. Construction resumed in 1980 and the part of the highway crossing Witzhave was inaugurated on the 12 November 1982. Witzhave came to national attention in late February 1996 when two members of the
far-left terrorist group
Anti-Imperialist Cell (Antiimperialistische Zelle) were stopped and arrested on the main road leading through the village (Möllner Landstraße). Said road was subsequently closed until afternoon due to the arrested men claiming that their car was filled with explosives. The event was reported in many news outlets throughout Germany, including
Tagesschau. Parts of a
Tatort episode were filmed in Witzhave during 2022. == Demographics ==