Everything used to be different by Thomas Riess

About "Everything used to be different"

by Thomas Riess

About the artwork

Everything used to be different. 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 Germany's largest shipping centres. 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.