A protected Keuper forest and valley landscape in the Rems-Murr-Kreis.
Murrhardter Wald Landscape Protection Area
The Murrhardter Wald Landscape Protection Area is a designated protected landscape in the Rems-Murr-Kreis district of Baden-Württemberg, in southwestern Germany. Spanning roughly 2,340 hectares, it covers large portions of the broader Murrhardter Wald forest and, to a lesser extent, parts of the nearby Berglen landscape. The area is situated between the town of Murrhardt to the north, Auenwald to the west, and Althütte to the south, and lies within the territories of Murrhardt, Althütte, Auenwald, Kaisersbach, and Rudersberg.
Its principal purpose is the preservation of an intact Keuper forest and valley landscape, with the area also intended to function as a recreation zone for the surrounding communities. The natural setting combines forested hills, narrow valley formations, and transitions between the Swabian-Franconian Forest Hills and the adjacent natural regions of the Neckar basin.
Although smaller in scale than national parks, the protected landscape holds regional significance as one of a dense cluster of similarly designated areas across Baden-Württemberg, contributing to the wider network of countryside protection in the state.