Leer Germany Lower Saxony
Frequently Asked Questions
At the historic old port or nearby, on the Leda, close to its confluence with the Ems and to the Dutch border. The setting is established from the quay: brick warehouses, Dutch-style facades, traditional sailing craft moored side by side.
Yes, entirely. The old quarter walks from the quay to the town hall with no transport needed, and the ground is flat throughout: the call suits every level of mobility.
Because East Frisia has one of the highest tea consumptions in the world, well ahead of England. Leer, some 35,000 people in Germany's north-western corner, claims the title, and the claim is anything but folklore.
By precise rules. A lump of kluntje, rock sugar, at the bottom of the cup; strong black tea poured over it with its characteristic crackle; then a cloud of cream added by spoon, which you must not stir, so you drink through three distinct layers.
At Bünting, a merchant house founded in 1806, which runs a shop and museum in the heart of the old quarter: house blends, porcelain, the history of the tea routes and guided tastings. The bronze statue of Teelke, a tea carrier, marks the facade.
The old port and its sailing ships, the neo-Renaissance town hall with its carillon belfry, the Bünting tea museum and the Heimatmuseum. The quays following the Leda toward the Ems round out the walk pleasantly.
Evenburg Castle, a neo-Gothic manor surrounded by water and an English-style park, sits on the outskirts, a few minutes by taxi or bicycle. It is the only real excursion worth considering from this call.
The euro. Shops in the centre generally take cards, but the market, the smoked fish counters and small tea rooms often prefer cash. Keep notes on you.
Tea, by the packet: East Frisian blends are the obvious purchase. The market also showcases regional cheeses, smoked fish and dark breads.
Yes, and it is a pleasure. The routes are flat as far as the eye can see along dykes and polders, through a landscape of close-cropped meadows grazed by sheep and Frisian cattle. In summer the brown sails of the flat-bottomed plattbodens glide along the channels.
