Urwald Sababurg, Nature reserve in Reinhardswald, Germany

Urwald Sababurg is a nature reserve in the Reinhardswald forest of Hesse, protecting old oaks and beeches across approximately 92 hectares. The trees grow close together, and thick fallen trunks lie on the forest floor slowly decaying.

The area received official protection as a natural monument in 1907, becoming the oldest protected site in Hesse. This early recognition helped preserve the old tree populations through the following decades.

The reserve is nicknamed "Malerreservat" (painters' reserve) because the Düsseldorf painter Theodor Rocholl, known for battle scenes, initiated its protection in 1907 and painted several landscapes here. His example drew later artists to study the gnarled oaks and beeches, and the name has stuck.

The reserve lies between Beberbeck, 2.4 km to the southwest, and Gottsbüren, about 3.8 km north; the Sababurg animal park borders it on the east. Ground rises from roughly 269 m at the northern entrance to 336 m at the eastern boundary. Paths are unpaved and can be slippery when wet.

Management deliberately leaves large amounts of standing and fallen deadwood throughout the forest. These toppled trunks and dead branches provide habitat for hermit beetles, wildcats, bats and woodpeckers.