Editing Harz (section)

== Tourist attractions ==
=== Mines and caves ===
[[File:Rammelsberg.jpg|thumb|Rammelsberg Mining Museum]]
[[Geomorphological]] processes have led to the formation of [[caves]] in the [[gypsum]], [[Dolomite (rock)|dolomite]] and [[limestone]] layers of the Harz. These [[:wikt:dripstone|dripstone]] caves include [[Baumann's Cave]], the [[Unicorn Cave]], [[Hermann's Cave (Harz)|Hermann's Cave]], the [[Iberg Dripstone Cave]] and, on the southern edge of the Harz, the [[Heimkehle]].
Because the older formations contained many [[mineral deposit]]s, they were explored very early on by the mining industry. The mines have often been turned into [[show mine]]s. For example, the [[Samson Pit]] was for a long time the deepest mine in the world. Other show mines are the ''Büchenberg'', ''[[Drei Kronen & Ehrt]]'', the ''[[Röhrigschacht]]'' show mine, the ''Lange Wand'' show mine in Ilfeld and the ''Rabensteiner Stollen'' show mine in Netzkater.
Others have been turned into mining museums, like the [[Upper Harz Mining Museum]] in Clausthal-Zellerfeld, the [[Lautenthal]] Mining Museum with its pit railway or the [[Rammelsberg]] Mining Museum near Goslar, which is a [[UNESCO]] world heritage site. The [[Roter Bär Pit]] in St. Andreasberg also served as a training mine until the 20th century and is today, preserved true to the original, as a [[visitor mine]].

=== Towns and villages ===
[[File:Wernigerode (2013-06-05), by Klugschnacker in Wikipedia (26).JPG|thumb|Old town of Wernigerode]]
[[File:Stolberg Harz Postamt.JPG|thumb|Stolberg]]
[[File:Quedlinburg asv2018-10 img03 Castle.jpg|thumb|[[Quedlinburg Abbey|Castle and abbey of Quedlinburg]]]]
The following towns and villages are found in or around the Harz region:
{|
| width="280" valign="top" |
* [[Allrode]]
* [[Altenau]]
* [[Bad Grund (Harz)|Bad Grund]]
* [[Bad Harzburg]]
* [[Bad Lauterberg im Harz]]
* [[Bad Sachsa]]
* [[Bad Suderode]]
* [[Ballenstedt]]
* [[Blankenburg (Harz)|Blankenburg]]
* [[Braunlage]]
* [[Breitenstein (Harz)|Breitenstein]]
* [[Breitungen (Südharz)|Breitungen]]
* [[Clausthal-Zellerfeld]]
* [[Dietersdorf (Südharz)|Dietersdorf]]
* [[Ellrich]]
* [[Falkenstein/Harz]]
* [[Gernrode]]
* [[Gittelde]]
| width="280" valign="top" |
* [[Goslar]]
* [[Hainrode (Südharz)|Hainrode]]
* [[Harzgerode]]
* [[Hattorf am Harz]]
* [[Hayn (Harz)|Hayn]]
* [[Herrmannsacker]]
* [[Herzberg am Harz]]
* [[Ilfeld]]
* [[Ilsenburg (Harz)|Ilsenburg]]
* [[Kleinleinungen]]
* [[Langelsheim]]
* [[Mansfeld]]
* [[Neustadt/Harz]]
* [[Niedersachswerfen]]
* [[Nordharz]]
* [[Nordhausen, Thuringia|Nordhausen]]
* [[Oberharz am Brocken]]
* [[Osterode am Harz]]
| width="280" valign="top" |
* [[Questenberg]]
* [[Rieder]]
* [[Roßla]]
* [[Sangerhausen]]
* [[Sankt Andreasberg]]
* [[Schwenda]]
* [[Seesen]]
* [[Stolberg (Harz)|Stolberg]]
* [[Thale]]
* [[Uftrungen]]
* [[Wieda]]
* [[Wildemann]]
* [[Walkenried]]
* [[Wernigerode]]
* [[Westerhausen]]
* [[Wienrode]]
* [[Wippra]]
* [[Zorge, Walkenried|Zorge]]
|}

=== Towns in the Harz Foreland ===
[[File:Karlshaus.jpg|thumb|upright|Carlshaus Tower on the [[Carlshaushöhe]] ({{Höhe|626|DE-NN}})]]
*'''Lower Saxony''': [[Alfeld]], [[Bad Gandersheim]], [[Bad Salzdetfurth]], [[Bockenem]], [[Duderstadt]], [[Einbeck]], [[Göttingen]], [[Hildesheim]], [[Northeim]], [[Salzgitter]], [[Vienenburg]] and [[Wolfenbüttel]].
*'''Saxony-Anhalt''': [[Aschersleben]], [[Derenburg]], [[Eisleben]], [[Halberstadt]], [[Hettstedt]], [[Oschersleben (Bode)|Oschersleben]], [[Osterwieck]], [[Quedlinburg]], [[Sangerhausen]] and [[Staßfurt]].
*'''Thuringia''': [[Bleicherode]], [[Heringen/Helme]], [[Nordhausen, Thuringia|Nordhausen]] and [[Sondershausen]].

=== Abbeys and churches ===
The [[medieval]] abbeys of [[Drübeck Abbey|Drübeck]], [[Ilsenburg Abbey|Ilsenburg]], [[Michaelstein Abbey|Michaelstein]], [[Quedlinburg Abbey|Quedlinburg]] and [[Walkenried Abbey|Walkenried]] are found mainly on the edge of the Harz. In Hahnenklee there is a wooden [[stave church]], the [[Gustav Adolf Stave Church]] which was consecrated in 1908.

=== Towers, palaces and castles ===
The high elevation of many places in the Harz has been used to advantage to erect [[transmission tower|transmission]] or [[observation tower]]s. These include the [[Carlshaushöhe]] near [[Trautenstein]], the observation tower on the [[Großer Knollen]] or the [[Josephskreuz]].
In historical times, high ridges and spurs were used as sites for fortified castles (''Burgen''). In the Harz these include [[Falkenstein Castle (Harz)|Falkenstein Castle]], where Eike von Repkow probably drew up the ''[[Sachsenspiegel]]'', the most important [[legal code]] of the [[History of Germany#Middle Ages|German Middle Ages]], [[Hohnstein Castle (Harz)|Hohnstein Castle]] near Neustadt/Harz, [[Lauenburg Castle]] near Stecklenberg, [[Plessenburg]] and [[Stecklenburg]], as well as the ruined castles of [[Harzburg]], [[Anhalt Castle|Anhalt]], [[Königsburg]], [[Scharzfels Castle|Scharzfels]]. 
In addition to these defensive structures, palatial castles (''[[Schloss|Schlösser]]'') were also built, such as [[Herzberg Castle]], [[Blankenburg Castle (Harz)|Blankenburg Castle]], [[Stolberg Castle]] and [[Wernigerode Castle]].