Friedewald is a municipality in Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in eastern Hesse, Germany, directly east of Bad Hersfeld.

Friedewald lies on the watershed between the Fulda and the Werra, and at the foot of the Dreienberg, which is among the northernmost outliers of the Rhön.

The castle is believed to have been built to watch over the trade road called Kurze Hessen, which ran from Frankfurt to Leipzig.

On 5 October 1551, the treaty between France and the Princes of Schmalkalden that provided for Landgrave Philipp I's freedom from his Imperial imprisonment was signed here.

The municipal election held on 26 March 2006 yielded the following results: The community's executive (Gemeindevorstand) is made up of five members, with one seat allotted to the SPD, two to the CDU and 1 each to the Bürgerliste-pro-Friedewald and the independent mayor.