HARDT, THE, a mountainous district of Bavaria, forming the northern end of the Vosges range. It is, in the main, an undulating plateau of sandstone, of a mean elevation of 1,300 ft., and the highest point is the Donnersberg (2,254 f t.). The eastern slope, towards the Rhine, is diversified by deep well-wooded valleys, such as the Lauter and the Queich, and by conical hills surmounted by ruins of feudal castles and monasteries, e.g., the Madenburg near Eschbach, the Trifels (long the dungeon of Richard I. of England), and the Maxburg near Neustadt. Three fifths of the area is occupied by forests, principally oak, beech and fir. The lower eastern slope is highly cultivated and produces excellent wine.