An extensive Natura 2000 beech forest on the former inner-German border, where the Eichsfeld meets Hesse.
Stein, Rachelsberg, Gobert
Stein – Rachelsberg – Gobert is a 716 hectare Natura 2000 protected landscape in the western Eichsfeld district of Thuringia, in central Germany. It follows the state border with Hesse across a chain of wooded limestone ridges known as the Auf dem Stein, Rachelsberg, and Gobert hills, which rise from roughly 300 to 520 meters above sea level and form a small-scale scenery of steep slopes, cliffs, rocky outcrops, and deeply incised valleys sometimes called the "Eichsfeld Switzerland."
The protected area is dominated by near-natural beech forest, most notably the Waldmeister beechwood (habitat type 9130) and small stands of orchid-rich and thermophilic beechwoods on the sun-exposed southern slopes. Open dry grasslands, juniper heaths, limestone screes, tufa springs, and forested stream ravines add to its habitat diversity, while yew trees, wild pear, and lady's slipper orchid stand out among its notable species.
The site's biological richness is closely linked to twentieth-century history. Because the wooded upper slopes lay within the 500-meter restricted strip of the inner German border, the forests were effectively off-limits for decades and matured into one of the most undisturbed woodland complexes in Thuringia. Today the area is also part of the Eichsfeld-Hainich-Werratal nature park, the Obereichsfeld landscape protection area, and the national Green Belt heritage corridor.
