Forchtenberg (German pronunciation: [ˈfɔʁçtn̩bɛʁk] ^ⓘ) is a town in the district of Hohenlohekreis, northern Baden-Württemberg. It lies on the side of a partly fortified hill overlooking the Kocher valley where the Kupfer river flows into the Kocher. The name Forchtenberg is derived from "vor dem Berg" or "before the hill" in English.

Forchtenberg lies on north-facing hill overlooking the Kocher and Kupfer rivers. To the south of Forchtenberg the hills rise higher to woodland and the Hohenlohe plateau beyond. To the north runs the long Kocher valley. Opposite Forchtenberg the hills are a rich tapestry of south-facing vineyards.

Forchtenberg encompasses a number of communities: Forchtenberg itself, Sindringen, Ernsbach, Wohlmuthausen and Muthof. A number of outlying hamlets also fall under the town of Forchtenberg: Büschelhof, Haberhof, Hohensall, Metzdorf, Neuwülfingen, Orbachshof, Rauhbusch, Schießhof, Schleierhof, Schwarzenweiler and Waldfeld.

Forchtenberg was originally established as an offshoot from the hamlet of Wülfingen (which lies on the opposite side of the Kocher river to the hill on which Forchtenberg stands today). According to the wooden plaque found on the cemetery church in Wülfingen, like many settlements in the area near the Limes Romanus, prior to 250 AD the area around Forchtenberg housed a pagan Alemani community. The original Christian church in the old valley site dated back to 536 AD when the settlement fell into the hands of the Franks.

Forchtenberg itself was first mentioned in records in 1298, some 70 years after Count Konrad von Dürn established a fortress on the same hill. The people in Wülfingen, weary of constant flooding from the Kocher river, established the town of Forchtenberg under the fortress on the hill where it stands today. After this, the Valley Church served mainly as a cemetery, as is still the case to this very day. The name Forchtenberg is derived from "vor dem Berg" or "before the hill" in English. On the death of the Count of Dürn the town was reallocated to territory of Hohenlohe. Later, as a result of German Mediatisation, Hohenlohe territories became part of the kingdom of Württemberg. Forchtenberg was allocated to the Oberamt or higher court of Öhringen, which became the District of Öhringen in 1938.

Medieval trade and peddling of wine, hides and related wares were fostered by the presence of the Kocher river which is believed also to have linked into ancient trading routes extending as far as Nuremberg in the east and Neuenstadt and Heidelberg in the west. Regional development was promoted further in 1926 when the first railway was built along the Kocher valley, for the first time connecting Forchtenberg directly to Waldenburg (Württemberg) and beyond. As a result, there was a sharp rise in local business. Kreisreform (county boundary reforms) in 1972 moved Forchtenberg back under the jurisdiction of the new Hohenlohe district.

In 1981 the railway was dismantled. In the years that followed, the track was gravelled over. It is now a popular cycling route used by tourists of all ages in the summer months.

Sindringen was first mentioned in records in 1323 when the rulers of Weinsberg awarded the community the status of a town. Although the Reformation had already taken effect before this time in the area, the town returned to the Catholic line of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Bartenstein. Despite this, the people of Sindringen remained loyal to the Protestant confession, mainly due to outside military support.