Although its name suggests that it is a forest within a town, it is actually a small, heavily forested and fairly high ridge that lies about halfway between the city of Göttingen to the northeast and the town of Hann. Münden to the southwest, east of the Bramwald and immediately south of Dransfeld.
It consisted at this time of the former County of Northeim, the cities of Göttingen, Uslar, Dransfeld, Munden and Gieselwerder and one half of Moringen.
At this time, the territory consisted of the regions formerly owned by the Counts of Northeim, the towns of Göttingen, Uslar, Dransfeld, Münden, Gieselwerder at the border with Hesse and half of Moringen.