A protected landscape on the Swabian Alb preserving the varied countryside around Gruibingen.
Oberes Filstal-Gemeinde Gruibingen
Oberes Filstal-Gemeinde Gruibingen is a designated protected landscape (Landschaftsschutzgebiet) in the district of Göppingen in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It covers the municipal territory of Gruibingen on the Swabian Alb, with the village, built-up zones, the sports centre, the campsite in the Winkelbach valley, a planned allotment garden area, and the industrial zone at the municipal boundary excluded from protection.
The area belongs to the Mittlere Kuppenalb natural region within the broader Schwäbische Alb, and includes parts of the EU-protected Filsalb habitat area and the Mittlere Schwäbische Alb bird protection area. It is surrounded by neighbouring landscape protection areas and encloses several nature reserves, including Heide am Hillenwang, Rufsteinhänge und Umgebung, and Kornberg.
The protection order, issued on 8 February 1984 by the Göppingen district office, aims to preserve the diversity, character, and beauty of the richly structured Alpine landscape around Gruibingen, a mosaic of forest, field hedgerows, brook-side woodlands, heath areas, and traditional agricultural land with notable floristic diversity and recreational value.