Leer (German pronunciation:[leːɐ̯]ⓘ) is a town in the district ofLeer in the region ofEast Frisia, in the northwestern part ofLower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Leda,[3] a tributary of the riverEms, near the border with theNetherlands. With 34,958 inhabitants (2021), it is the third-largest city in East Frisia afterEmden andAurich.
Leer had been a settlement long before it was first mentioned in written documents. Originally, the city was situated at ameander near the mouth of the riverLeda into the Ems, which is still the center of the town today. Even though Leer is some 30 km (19 mi) away from the coast, it can be reached by large ships via the Ems.Leer lies close to the Dutch border; the district of Leer shares a border with the Dutch province ofGroningen. The island and nature reserve ofBingumer Sand lies within the district.
Remains of theFeste Leerort at the mouth of the Leda into the Ems river, 1453–1760
There are many traces of early settlements in the area, including crude flint tools that are dated back to roughly 3200 BC.
In 791 AD SaintLudger built the first chapel inEast Frisia at the western edge of thesettlement Leer, then still namedHleri afterfeetlot,willow. This chapel is mentioned for the first time in a written document from 850 AD.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, Leer was hometown of theUkena family, which was one most influential East-Frisian chieftain families of that time. The town profited from the trade with theHanse, and a fortress Leerort was built.
In 1854 Leer became connected to the "Hannoversche Westbahn" railway, which at that time connectedEmden andRheine in the Ruhr area. In 1856, the Westbahn was connected to the central German railway network.
Unlike Emden, Leer only suffered little damage by Allied bombing inWorld War II. The city was occupied byCanadian troops on 28 April 1945.
On 1 October 1955, Leer received the status of anindependent city.
Since 1964 the city's government has been led by the Social-Democratic PartySPD. The major opposition parties are the Christian Democratic Union PartyCDU, theGreen Party and theAllgemeine Wählergemeinschaft (AWG), an independent local party. The mayor of Leer is Claus-Peter Horst, elected in 2021.[1]
The town council consists of (elections of 2016):[4]
Leer is a traditional Protestant city and home to both theLutheran andReformed churches. The German Reformed Church has its head office in Leer. Furthermore, Leer offers an unusually large variety of smaller religious communities, especiallyBaptists,Mennonites,Methodists,Adventists andMormons. Even though Eastern Frisia is a mainly a Protestant region, there is a smallRoman Catholic community in Leer.
Twoautobahns (freeways) cross north of Leer, the A 28 (Leer –Bremen) and the A 31 (Emden –Oberhausen,Ruhr Area). The city itself has three junctions to the autobahns. Leer railway station is a relay station betweenGroningen andBremen in the west–east direction and the South and Emden harbour (with a largeVW factory and shipping facilities) in the north. Theairfield Leer-Papenburg north of the city offers limited passenger flights to nearby airfields, most notably the East Frisian Islands. The closest international airport is Bremen International Airport.
Leer is home to many German shipping companies – about 20 per cent of the German merchantfleet are registered in Leer. TheBünting group Home is based in Leer and is one of the city's main employers. Although Bünting owns several German supermarket chains, the company is best known for their tea, which is available all over Germany.
Each year in autumn the Gallimarkt is held. Traditionally a cattle-market, the Gallimarkt is now one of the largest fairs in Northwest Germany.
In Leer there are seven primary schools and numerous secondary schools. The twogymnasiums, Telletta-Gross-Gymnasium andUbbo-Emmius-Gymnasium, educate more than 1,500 pupils each and are two of the largest grammar schools inLower Saxony. The Navigation School is now a faculty of the Hochschule Emden – Leer (University of applied science). The town also offers education at twovocational schools.
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