Swabian-Franconian Forest

Swabian-Franconian Forest
Finsterroter lake in Naturpark Schwäbisch-Fränkischer Wald
Highest point
Peak	Hohe Brach
Elevation	586.4 m above NHN
Dimensions
Area	1,187 km2 (458 sq mi)
Geography
The natural region major unit of the Swabian-Franconian Forest
State(s)	Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Range coordinates	49°02′13″N 9°33′01″E / 49.0369278°N 9.5503778°E / 49.0369278; 9.5503778
Parent range	Swabian Keuper-Lias Land

The Swabian-Franconian Forest (German: Schwäbisch-Fränkischen Waldberge, also Schwäbisch-Fränkischer Wald) is a mainly forested, deeply incised upland region, 1,187 km² in area and up to 586.4 m above sea level (NHN),^[1] in the northeast of Baden-Württemberg. It forms natural region major unit number 108 within the Swabian Keuper-Lias Land (major unit group 10 or D58). Its name is derived from the fact that, in medieval times, the border between the duchies of Franconia and Swabia ran through this forested region. In addition, the Swabian dialect in the south transitions to the East Franconian dialect in the north here.

The Swabian-Franconian Forest is divided clockwise (beginning roughly in the north) into the Waldenburg Hills, Mainhardt Forest, Limpurg and Ellwangen Hills, Virngrund, Murrhardt Forest, Löwenstein Hills, Heilbronn Hills and Sulm Plateau; in addition the valley of Weinsberger Tal, which lies between the last two uplands, is part of the region

The highest point of the Swabian-Franconian Forest is the Hohe Brach (586.4 m). Other high hills include the Hagberg (585.2 m), Hornberg (580.0 m), Hohenstein (572 m), Hohenberg (568.9 m), Hohentannen (565.4 m), Altenberg (564.7 m), Stocksberg (538.9 m), Flinsberg (534.8 m), Juxkopf (533.1 m) and Steinknickle (524.9 m).

Naturpark Schwäbisch-Fränkischer Wald, or Swabian-Franconian Forest Nature Park in English, is a nature park and protected area within the Swabian-Franconian Forest. The nature park covers an area of 1,270 km², including most of the Swabian-Franconian Forest, but also large areas of adjacent cultural landscapes and historical monuments.^[2]

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  Rural cultural landscape
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  Meinhardt Forest
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  Towns and agriculture (Löwenstein)
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  Large parts of the original forest has been swapped for agriculture

Naturpark Schwäbisch-Fränkischer Wald

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  Altenbergturm, a lookout tower
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  Forest stream
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  Autumn scene
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  Autumn in the nature park

• Paul Strähle (2006), Naturpark Schwäbisch-Fränkischer Wald : revised by Theo Müller (in German) (4th, revised and expanded ed.), Stuttgart: Theiss, ISBN 3-8062-2033-6
• LUBW Landesanstalt für Umwelt, Messungen und Naturschutz Baden-Württemberg (publ.): Naturführer Schwäbischer Wald. (Reihe Naturschutz-Spectrum. Gebiete, Vol. 29). verlag regionalkultur, Ubstadt-Weiher, 2007, ISBN 978-3-89735-507-1.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Swabian-Franconian Forest.

• Natural region fact file Schwäbisch-Fränkische Waldberge (108) (N.B. the small Baden-Württemberg element of the Central Franconian Basin (113) and the Frankenhöhe (114) is integrated here.) – LUBW (pdf, 12.5 MB)
• Landscape fact file for the Swabian-Franconian Forest by the Bundesamt für Naturschutz, at bfn.de
• Detailed LUBW natural regional map at Basis by google.maps (Open "Natur und Landschaft")
• Swabian-Franconian Forest Nature Park (official homepage)