Heimatmuseum Leer

About the museum

The museum's roots go back to 1889, when an association for collecting antiquities was formed in Leer. Its holdings were first stored in a room of the town hall. In 1912 it merged with the Heimatverein founded three years earlier, and in the same year the first local history museum opened in the Haneburg.

During the Nazi era, the association had to return the Haneburg to the town. With the proceeds, it acquired the two warehouse and merchant houses at Neue Straße 12 and 14 at the old harbor – the residential warehouse No. 14 bears the year 1791, and the neighboring house once traded in Chinese tea. The museum has been housed here since the mid-1930s. At the end of the war, parts of the collection were looted; after reconstruction, the museum reopened shortly after the war.

Today the museum, run by the Heimatverein Leer and managed by a full-time director since 2011, shows the town's history on roughly 1,000 square meters and five levels: prehistoric finds in the vaulted cellar, East Frisian domestic culture on the first floor, shipping and trade on the second floor, and town history and silversmithing on the upper floors. The museum holds the museum quality seal of the Museumsverband Niedersachsen und Bremen; the neighboring Klottje-Huus has served as the association's event venue since 1984.

Highlights

• Life-size bow and stern of the inland tjalk "Gretje von Großefehn"
• Tile room and living rooms from three centuries
• Loom from 1753 in the weaver's room
• Goldsmith's workshop and masterpieces by Leer silversmiths
• Merchant's shop for "Colonialwaren & Schiffs-Victualien" (colonial goods and ship's provisions)
• Finds of the Funnel Beaker culture in the vaulted cellar

Permanent exhibitions

• Vor- und Frühgeschichte im Gewölbekeller – Finds from the Neolithic, Bronze, and early Iron Ages as well as models of burial mounds tell of the first settlers on the Geest around Leer.
• Ostfriesische Wohnkultur – Living rooms of a weaver's house and a merchant's house, the tile room, as well as traditional costumes, bonnets, and silverwork show everyday life and social differences of earlier centuries.
• Schifffahrt und Stadtgeschichte – The tjalk "Gretje von Großefehn," a historic merchant's shop, and town models lead through the history of the port and trading town of Leer up to the 19th century.

Founded

1912

Operated by

Heimatverein Leer e.V.

Director

Oliver Freise

Admission & discounts

Card payment possible. Group tours cost €50 (60 min.) or €65 (90 min.) in addition to admission, for school classes €40 or €55.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: not available
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Except for a few areas, the exhibition rooms in the historic houses are not accessible to people with limited mobility. Assistance dogs and guide dogs for the blind are allowed.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Baby changing facilities
• Kids’ birthday parties

Children's tours from preschool age with hands-on stations to touch and try out, an adventure tour with treasure hunt, museum scavenger hunt, and workshops; during school holidays there are separate children's programs. Children's birthday parties (120 minutes) can be booked. Breastfeeding is allowed everywhere, and there are separate rooms for changing.

Getting there & parking

By car, follow the signs toward the town hall/old town. Boat moorings are available at the museum harbor right by the museum; cyclists reach Leer via the Deutsche Fehnroute and the Dollard-Route.

Amenities & dining

• Coat check

Larger bags, backpacks, coats, and umbrellas must be left at the ticket desk or coat check.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

The neighboring Klottje-Huus (Neue Straße 16) as well as the museum courtyard and museum garden can be rented for celebrations, conferences, and meetings; inquiries to klottje-huus@heimatmuseum-leer.de.

Plan your visit