Editing Harz (section)

== Tourism ==
[[Tourism]] is very important to the Harz, although the prevalence of cheap air travel has led to a decline in recent years. There are many [[spa town]]s, and almost every village in the Harz and Harz Foreland caters to tourists. Well-known destinations are the [[Harz National Park]] and the [[Brocken]], as well as the historic towns on the edge of the Harz. Concepts like the Western town, Pullman City Harz, or the rock operas on the Brocken are intended to also be particularly attractive to foreign tourists. The ''Harzer Verkehrsverband'' (HVV) is responsible for the marketing of the Harz to tourists.

=== Winter sports ===
[[File:Wolfswarte.JPG|thumb|View of the Upper Harz]]
Although winter sport in the Harz does not have the significance of other mountain areas, such as the [[Thuringian Forest]], [[Ore Mountains]], [[Black Forest]] or even the [[Alps]], there are plenty of winter sport facilities. Of particular note are the villages and towns of Altenau (including [[Torfhaus]]), [[Benneckenstein]], Braunlage (including [[Hohegeiß]]), Goslar-[[Hahnenklee]], [[Hasselfelde]], Sankt Andreasberg (including [[Sonnenberg (Harz)|Sonnenberg]] and Oderbrück) and Schierke. Due to the high altitude and length of their runs, [[Nordic skiing]] is very popular. International winter sport competitions take place on the [[Wurmberg (Harz)|Wurmberg]] ski jump near Braunlage and the [[biathlon]] facility at Sonnenberg.

Also worth mentioning are the many [[cross-country skiing]] runs (''Loipen'') in the Harz. Their quality and features are ensured by the land owners, particularly in the Harz National Park, where snow is still relatively guaranteed during the winter months, and also by individual communities and societies. The ''Förderverein Loipenverbund Harz'', for example, is well known in this regard. It was founded in 1996 on the initiative of the Harz National Park, Harz winter sport parishes, the cable car and lift operators, hotels and transport companies, and has the aim of promoting ski tourism in the Harz and looking after the interests of nature conservation.

The [[mountain rescue service]] on the cross-country routes, the toboggan slopes, footpaths, alpine ski pistes and rough terrain is provided by the ''[[Bergwacht]] Harz''.

=== Summer sports ===
[[File:Oker im Okertal.jpg|thumb|The Oker with white water. A footpath is on the right bank.]]
<!-- [[File:Altenau_Steile_Wand.jpg|thumb|L&nbsp;504 "Steile Wand" between Altenau and Torfhaus]] not enough room yet for this image without disrupting the text-->
[[File:Im Harz.jpg|thumb|Former climbing areas on the ''Roßtrappe'']]

In summer, the main activity in the Harz, by far, is walking. In recent years [[Nordic walking]] has become increasingly popular.

On several [[reservoirs in the Harz]], a variety of [[water sports]] is permitted and, on a number of rivers originating in the Harz, there are opportunities for [[canoeing]] and other sports on [[white water]] sections. International canoe and [[kayak]] competitions take place on the Oker below the Oker Dam. The white water on this stretch of river is partly a result of the raised levels of discharge from the Oker Reservoir and so is largely independent of the weather.

Several hills provide a base for airborne activities, such as [[gliding]] and [[hang-gliding]], notably the [[Rammelsberg]] near Goslar.

The Harz offers a range of climbing areas like, the Oker valley, with its rock outcrops (''Klippen''); the ''Adlerklippen'' being especially popular.

The Harz has also developed in recent years into a popular [[mountain bike]] region, with 62 signed mountain bike routes and four bike parks with lift facilities in Braunlage, Hahnenklee, Schulenberg and Thale. The bike parks offer [[freeride (mountain biking)|freeride]], [[Downhill mountain biking|downhill]] and [[fourcross]] routes. Both the signed cycle paths and the bike parks are suitable for every level of cyclist.

Roads in the Harz are used by [[racing bike]]s and [[touring bike]]s, despite their sometimes heavy use by lorries, because in the whole of North Germany there is no other region with such long, and in places very steep, descents and ascents. In addition, there are a large number of railway connections on the edge of the Harz which allow bicycles to be taken on trains.

The Harz Mountain Rescue (''Bergwacht Harz'') service also operates in summer, rescuing people involved in accidents on difficult terrain.

=== Walking and climbing ===
The mountains of the Harz were used in former times for long walks (e.&nbsp;g. by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, [[Heinrich Heine]] and [[Hans Christian Andersen]]). An extensive network of footpaths is maintained today, especially by the [[Harz Club]]. In addition, there are several [[long-distance path]]s (the [[Harz Witches' Trail]], [[Kaiser Way]], [[Karst Trail]] and [[Selke Valley Trail]]), as well as a trans-regional project, the ''[[Harzer Wandernadel]]'', with 222 checkpoints and a range of walking badges that may be earned for various levels of achievement.

The Harz is also home to Germany's first [[Naturism|naturist]] hiking trail, the ''Harzer Naturistenstieg''.

In the Oker Valley and at ''Roßtrappe'' near Thale, there are rocks on the ''[[Hohneklippen]]'' (the ''Höllenklippe'' or the Feuerstein near Schierke, among several) that are used by climbers.

=== Running ===
The [[Harz Run]] ({{langx|de|Harzquerung}}) is a [[fun run]] and [[walking]] event in the [[Harz mountains]] of Germany organised by the Wernigerode Skiing Club (''Skiklub Wernigerode 1911'') which takes place on the last Saturday of April. The main run is an [[ultra marathon]] which is {{convert|51|km|mi}} long and crosses the Harz between [[Wernigerode]] and [[Nordhausen, Thuringia|Nordhausen]] in a north–south direction. There is also a 25&nbsp;km route from Wernigerode to [[Benneckenstein]] and a 28&nbsp;km course from Benneckenstein to Nordhausen.