Rheiderland

The Rheiderland (German: [ˈʁaɪdɐˌlant]; Reiderland [ˈrɛidərˌlɑnt] ⓘ) is a region of Germany and the Netherlands between the River Ems and the Bay of Dollart.

The Rheiderland consists largely of marshland (polder) and is as flat as the rest of East Frisia, but there are fewer trees.

Numerous birds breed on the damp and wet meadows including the peewit, black-tailed godwit and redshank.

The grasslands of the Rheiderland are also a stopover of exceptional international significance for the golden plover, Eurasian whimbrel, curlew and peewit.

The farmers used to be well-to-do (and known as "polder princes" or Polderfürsten), which is reflected today by their impressive Gulf farmhouses.

There are minorities of Old Reformed and Free Church communities, and a single Roman Catholic parish at Weener.

On the grounds of its close cultural and linguistic connection with Dutch, the Netherlands claimed the area after World War II, albeit unsuccessfully.

Administratively, the German part of the Rheiderland is divided into the communities of Weener, Bunde and Jemgum and the sub-community of Bingum in the town of Leer.

The fleur de lis is a pre-Reformation symbol of purity and of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the patron saint of the Frisians.

After the foreign rulers were expelled from Friesland, Rheiderland, like the other Frisian areas, developed a territory directly subsidiary to the Holy Roman Empire, whose constitution included a governing council.

After Napoleon fell from power, Rheiderland was reunited with East Frisia within the kingdom of Hanover, later of Prussia.