The marketplace Br�tte was granted town privileges in 1580s. The name "V�nersborg" means "fortress at V�nern". It comes from the fortlet which was built in 1644 for protection. The coat of arms is also from 1644, depicting a golden ship (a bojort) with two Swedish flags.
Around 1800, V�nersborg had a population of 1,500 inhabitants. V�nersborg was the point at which freight was transshipped from lake ships to below the Trollh�ttan Falls (and vice versa) where ships could continue unhindered to Gothenberg and beyond. In 1778, the King Karl Canal was opened between V�nersborg and Trollh�ttan, shortening the overland portage and in 1800, the new Trollh�tte Canal and its locks allowed shipping to move between Vanern and the sea. The waterway between V�nern and Gothenberg enabled the town's importance to grow further.
In 1834, most of the town's wooden houses burnt down. It was rebuilt in a grid pattern, unique to this day.
The Torpaskolan (secondary school) was opened in 1965 and replaced in 2011 by the Nya Torpaskolan. The Arena V�nersborg was opened in 2009
