LEER  , a

town and river port in the Prussian province of Hanover, lying in a fertile plain on the right bank of the Leda near its confluence with the Ems, and at the junction of railways to Bremen, Emden and Munster . Pop . (1905) 12,347: The streets are broad, well paved, and adorned with many elegant buildings, among which are Roman Catholic, Lutheran and Calvinist churches, and a new town hall with a tower 165 ft. high . Among its educational establishments are a classical school and a school of navigation . Linen and woollen fabrics, hosiery, paper, cigars, soap, vinegar and earthenware are manufactured, and there are iron-foundries, distilleries, tanneries and shipbuilding yards . Many markets for horses and cattle are held . The transit trade from the regions traversed by the Westphalian and Oldenburg railways is considerable . The principal exports are cattle, horses, cheese, butter, honey, wax, flour, paper, hardware and Westphalian coal . Leer is one of the principal ports for steamboat communication with the North Sea watering-places of Borkum and Norderney . Leer is a very old place, although it only obtained municipal privileges in 1823 . Near the town is the Plitenberg, formerly a heathen place of sacrifice .