Bückeburg

Bückeburg
Coat of arms
Bückeburg
Location of Bückeburg within Schaumburg district
Coordinates: 52°15′39″N 09°02′57″E / 52.26083°N 9.04917°E / 52.26083; 9.04917Coordinates: 52°15′39″N 09°02′57″E / 52.26083°N 9.04917°E / 52.26083; 9.04917
Country	Germany
State	Lower Saxony
District	Schaumburg
Government
• Mayor	Reiner Brombach (SPD)
Area
• Total	68.84 km2 (26.58 sq mi)
Population (2015-12-31)
• Total	19,182
• Density	280/km2 (720/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	31675
Dialling codes	05722
Vehicle registration	SHG
Website	www.bueckeburg.de

Bückeburg is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, on the border with North Rhine Westphalia. It is located in the district of Schaumburg close to the northern slopes of the Weserbergland ridge. Population: 21,030.

Bückeburg was once the capital of the tiny principality of Schaumburg-Lippe. Houses began to gather around the castle c. 1365 and were protected by a city wall in the 17th century. In the 19th century, it was connected to the Minden and Hanover Railway and housed a synagogue. The poet J. G. von Herder was court preacher here from 1771 to 1776.

Bückeburg is a former British garrison town and had a number of British residents until recently. Most of the British residents worked at the British Military Hospital (BMH) in Rinteln, or in the local English Prince Rupert School, also in Rinteln. The number of British military residents in Bückeburg decreased significantly in the late 1990s, when BMH Rinteln closed down, however the staff of Prince Rupert School are still based in Bückeburg until the closure of the school in July 2014.

Bückeburg Palace (Schloss Bückeburg) was the residence of the Princes of Schaumburg-Lippe. Although the Princely family surrendered political power in 1918, they still live there today. The palace, part of which is open to the public, is an important major tourist sight and houses important works of art and an important library. The history of the building spans 700 years, with the most important contributions stemming from the 16th, 17th, and 19th centuries.

Drawing of Bückeburg along the Weser in 1520 during the Hildesheim Diocesan Feud, Drawing by Johannes Krabbe

Bückeburg, gate: Schloss Bückeburg

The Princely Mausoleum in the palace grounds is open to the public as well. Built in 1915 in Neo-Romanic style and resembling the Roman Pantheon, it is the world's largest private sepulchre still in use. The cupola is adorned by an impressive gold mosaic, the second largest of its kind after the one in the Hagia Sophia.