Märzenbecherwald near Ettenstatt

	Märzenbecherwald near Ettenstatt IUCN Category IV - Habitat / Species Management Area
	The Märzenbecherwald at the end of March 2010
location	Ettenstatt , Middle Franconia , Bavaria , Germany
surface	11.82 hectares
Identifier	NSG-00337.01
WDPA ID	164577
Geographical location	49 ° 4 ' N , 11 ° 4' E Coordinates: 49 ° 4 '16 " N , 11 ° 3' 34" E
Setup date	1988

The Märzenbecherwald (also called fairy tale forest or moor wood ) is a small forest near Hundsdorf , a district of Ettenstatt , in the central Franconian district of Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen . It is located on an Albrand slope in the Franconian Alb and is a designated nature reserve . The place owes its name to the frequent occurrence of the spring flower Märzenbecher .

It is the largest occurrence of the spring knot flower in the Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen district. The entire 12.4 hectare area was declared a nature reserve in 1988. It encompasses an approximately 500 meter long and 200 meter wide sub-area of a high deciduous forest at a height of 480 meters above sea level. The Märzenbecher grows particularly well on the boggy soil and covers the brown forest floor with a white carpet in spring. The boggy soil comes from the many spring outlets over the Opalinus Clay . The water of the Alb plateau collects in the porous iron sandstone and emerges in numerous springs. Every year, depending on the weather, the flower blooms in the Märzenbecherwald between late February and early April. In Ettenstatt, the Märzenbecher was even included in the municipal coat of arms.

In addition to the Märzenbecher, wood anemones , lark spurs and celandine herbs are also native to the area. The Steinerne Rinne von Rohrbach is located near the forest .

Another such occurrence is located near Algersdorf in the district of Nürnberger Land , see Märzenbecherwald von Algersdorf .