The landscape is the last intact gypsum karst region in the state and has therefore been designated by the EU as a protected area.

Rüdigsdorf Switzerland lies in the extreme southern foothills of the Harz Mountains of central Germany between Nordhausen to the southwest, Krimderode to the west, Niedersachswerfen to the northwest, Harzungen and Neustadt to the north, Buchholz to the east and Steigerthal to the southeast.

The central villages of the region, which descends gradually towards the west and southwest, are the Rüdigsdorf and Petersdorf.

In early 2005, quarrying was due to restart, but was prevented by protest from the local population.

Rüdigsdorf Switzerland is crossed by the Karst Trail, a thematic long-distance path which links places of natural interest in the landscape.