Leese, Germany

Municipality in Lower Saxony, Germany

52°30′N 09°07′E / 52.500°N 9.117°E / 52.500; 9.117CountryGermanyStateLower SaxonyDistrictNienburg Municipal assoc.MittelweserGovernment • MayorHenning Olthage (SPD)Area • Total29.65 km² (11.45 sq mi)Elevation34 m (112 ft)Population • Total1,676 • Density57/km² (150/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)Postal codesDialling codes05761Vehicle registrationNIWebsitewww.leese.de

Leese is a municipality in the district of Nienburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany.

History

Leese was one of the earliest settlements in the Middle Weser Region. Around 20 tumulus graves are found, the oldest dating to about 1800 BCE. The urnfield graves in the so-called "small field" of Leese were excavated under the auspices of the Landesamt für Denkmalpflege (Lower Saxony Bureau for Cultural Heritage) between 1978 and 1980 turned out to be the largest graveyard of urn burials in the pre-Roman Iron Age of northern Germany, with 1100 burials. An urn is represented in the lower part of the town's coat of arms. At the time of the early Roman empire, the area was occupied by the German tribe of Angrivarii, to the south of the Cherusci.

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