THE

HARDT  , a mountainous district of Germany, in the Bavarian palatinate, forming the northern end of the Vosges range . It is, in the main, an undulating high plateau of sandstone formation, of a mean elevation of 1300 ft., and reaching its highest point in the Donnersberg (22$4 ft.) . The eastern slope, which descends gently towards the Rhine, is diversified by deep and well-wooded valleys, such as those of the Lauter and the Queich, and by conical hills surmounted by the ruins of frequent feudal castles and monasteries . Noticeable among these are the Madenburg near Eschbach, the Trifels (long the dungeon of Richard I. of England), and the Maxburg near Neustadt . Three-fifths of the whole area is occupied by forests, principally oak, beech and fir . The lower eastern slope is highly cultivated and produces excellent wine .