The town's name derives from the Flemish groene berg, which means "green hill". According to legend, St Winnoc, son of the Breton king, retired to Groenberg, a hill on the edge of the coastal marshes. His establishment soon developed into a small monastery.

In 882, when the Normans began their incursions, the Flanders count Baudouin II built primitive fortifications. Later, about 1022, count Baudouin IV built Saint-Winnoc church and interred the relics of St Winnoc there. This church formed the basis of an abbey.

Trade was aided by proximity to the sea, which had not yet receded to Dunkirk, and the abbey. Bergues was chartered in 1240, and its independence was later expressed in the construction of a belfry. It became a port and textile center of regional importance, and part of the Hanseatic League. Its wool market began in 1276 and over the following centuries it was fortified and maintained its independence from France. In 1583, Bergues was besieged and conquered by Alexander Farnese, but king Philip II of Spain allowed it to be rebuilt, establishing the present appearance of the town. Bergues became a major port city and eventually was attached to France by the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1668. Louis XIV later developed Dunkirk, and Bergues was eclipsed as a major port. After the French Revolution, its decline continued.

Bergues was devastated by bombardment in World War I, and again in 1940 during the Battle of Dunkirk. The city was entered on June 2 of that year, and 80% of it was ruined during World War II.

Near industrialized Dunkirk, its many monuments are reminders of a rich past, and tourism has been developed in recent years.

Bergues was the setting for the 2008 French film Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis. The film, which broke French box office records, is credited with triggering a tourism boom in Bergues.

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