Welcome to East Frisia by Thomas Riess

Welcome to East Frisia. Leer (East Frisia) (Læær or Läär in East Frisian) is the county town of the district of Leer in Lower Saxony and an independent municipality. With 35,663 inhabitants, it is the third largest town in East Frisia after Emden and Aurich. Thanks to its seaport, the town on the Ems and Leda rivers has been characterised by trade and seafaring for centuries. It is one of the largest shipping centres in Germany. Leer is also considered the most important shopping town in East Frisia and a medium-sized centre. It describes itself as the gateway to East Frisia and is located at the intersection of road, rail and river transport. The old town is considered the "most valuable" in the region due to the good state of preservation of its historic houses. Four castles, numerous town houses and churches dating back several centuries can be found in the town. Leer is the seat of the regional church office of the Protestant Reformed Church, the German Armed Forces Rapid Response Command and the headquarters of the Bünting Group. The Emden/Leer University of Applied Sciences has made Leer a university town since 2000. Other public service providers have their headquarters or branches in the city. In the late 14th and early 15th centuries, Leer was a political centre of East Frisia thanks to the chieftain Focko Ukena. However, Leer was only elevated to the status of a town in 1823. Prior to this, the town was considered a market town, but had already taken on urban characteristics long before it was granted town charter. The name of the town of Leer is probably derived from the Proto-Germanic word "hlér" ("pastureland"). The inhabitants are called Leeraner in standard German and Low German. The corresponding adjective is also called Leeraner.

This artwork is offered by Thomas Riess

Amateur photographer with advanced knowledge, retired for 6 years. Made my first experiences with photography as an employee at CANON and now, after many stations, take photos digitally with the Pentax K1 MK II and various lenses. My main focus is difficult to define. Actually everything that comes in front of my lens and doesn't look like a snapshot. I always try to tell a little story with my pictures or at least to get the viewer's imagination going.

Learn more about Thomas Riess?

• All artworks by Thomas Riess