Prior to 1989 the border between Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt used to be the border between East and West Germany. The Brocken was a military outpost used to spy on any possibly military-relevant activity in Western Europe. From the East German side access to many villages was heavily restricted. Roads and train tracks were closed and demolished, thus later enabling the establishment of the Harz National Park. The small part of the Harz that was located in Western Germany was considered to be at "the arse of the world". The division of the Harz by the Iron Curtain can still be felt in the marketing of the Harz as a tourist destination. Tourism is the main source of income for the region. Unemployment is high, especially after the collapse of the industrial complexes in former Eastern Germany. The number of tourists visiting a town is politically important. Goslar and sourounding villages compete against the cluster of Wernigerode
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wernigerode, Quedlinburg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quedlinburg and Blankenburg and the Southern Harz regions in attracting tourists. The competition is not always friendly. It is important to note that recommendation on where to go in the region are coloured by a person's (East German or West German) origin. Each of the regions tries to pass itself of as the "ultimate Harz experience". http://wikitravel.org/en/Harz