Göhrde, forest, Lower Saxony Land (state), northern Germany. The forest lies on the eastern edge of the Lüneburger Heath, southeast of Lüneburg. Set on a moraine near the Elbe River, it is famous for its oaks, beeches, and game preserves. About 23 square miles (60 square km) of the woodland is under protection as a state forest. The Hohenzollerns formerly had a royal hunting lodge within the forest. In an encounter there in 1813, Napoleon’s forces were defeated by the Allies. The forest’s central populated place is the small village of Göhrde.