Until December 31, 1980, the Kirchholz was a municipality-free area in the Berchtesgadener Land district, with an area of 155.60 hectares. On January 1, 1981, the parish-free area was dissolved. 96.13 hectares were incorporated into Bayerisch Gmain, 59.16 hectares in the city of Bad Reichenhall. Atypical for a former community-free area, the corresponding district was dissolved and added to the districts of Bayerisch Gmain and St. Zeno (Bad Reichenhall).
The hilly (Königshöhe 577 meters) and largely forested Kirchholz is a foothill of the Lattengebirge and forms part of the north-western end of the Berchtesgaden Alps.
Geologically it consists of the Hasel Mountains, a mixture of salty clay and gypsum marl. In the past, gypsum was extracted from it in the Leopoldstal valley to the east.
Almost three quarters (73 percent) of the area, namely an area of 114 hectares, has been occupied by the Kirchholz training area since the 1930s (Bad Reichenhall site). This area has been designated as a Natura 2000 area.
The district road BGL 4 runs along the eastern border of the area in the valley of the Weißbach, which here forms the border with Austria (Großgmain with the Randersberg, also a hilly forest area). In the narrow valley strip between the Kirchholz and the Weißbach along the BGL 4 lies the former hamlet of Leopoldstal of the municipality of St. Zeno, which was dissolved in 1905 and which was incorporated into Bayerisch Gmain at the time of the dissolution of St. Zeno.
On the southern edge, but outside the area, is the Bad Reichenhall transmitter.
On July 1, 1979, a small part with an area of 0.31 hectares was incorporated into the city of Bad Reichenhall.
The official municipality key was only introduced in Bavaria on February 1, 1995 for individual municipality-free areas. This meant that the Kirchholz could only be used together with the other non-parish areas of the Berchtesgaden district (until June 30, 1972, 09135444) or the Berchtesgadener Land district (from July 1, 1972, until April 30, 1973 still called Bad Reichenhall district, 09172444 ) are designated.