The Mausoleum at Bückeburg Palace

In the gardens of the Bückeburg Palace of the Fürsten zu Schaumburg-Lippe visitors will find an impressive building. The biggest private mausoleum in the world is the burial place of the family. The mausoleum was erected by the last reigning Fürst Adolf and built between 1911 and 1916. The architect of he building was Paul Baumgarten who created a variation of a Roman Pantheon, a 27 metres wide building with a 43 metres high dome. The mausoleum was built of brilliant white limestone (Travertin). The room inside the mausoleum is 25 metres high . The mausoleum is decorated with paintings, reliefs and mosaics. Under the dome one will find a huge gold mosaic covering about 500 square metres. The mosaic was created of millions of gilt enamel pieces in about 1400 different shades. It is one of the biggest of these kind in Europe. A gallery encircles the room, offering a fascinating view of the area below. The choir singers stand here during funeral services. The slab in front of the altar can be lowered to let the coffin of the deceased down.

Eighteen members of the Princely House of Schaumburg-Lippe are buried in the vault below the mausoleum. Several other members, including the parents and the brother of the present Prince Alexander zu Schaumburg-Lippe are buried in the cemetery surrounding the mausoleum. Although you can visit the mausoleum, you need permission of the Prince beforehand to be able to enter the cemetery or the vault in the mausoleum itself.

The mausoleum itself can be visited between 1 April and 31 October during the weekends and on feast days. On other days a visit is only possible during an organized tour. For information contact [email protected].

Buried at the mausoleum itself are:

1. Georg II Fürst zu Schaumburg-Lippe (1846-1911).
2. Maria Anna Fürstin zu Schaumburg-Lippe née Princess von Sachsen-Altenburg (1864-1918), wife of Fürst Georg II.
3. Prince Wilhelm zu Schaumburg-Lippe (1886-1886), son of Fürst Georg II. Previously buried at Stadthagen.
4. Princess Margarethe zu Schaumburg-Lippe (1896-1897), daughter of Fürst Georg.
5. Prince Adolf zu Schaumburg-Lippe (1859-1916), son of Fürst Adolf I.
6. Prince Moritz zu Schaumburg-Lippe (1884-1920), son of Fürst Georg.
7. Adolf II Fürst zu Schaumburg-Lippe (1883-1936), son of Fürst Georg.
8. Ellen Fürstin zu Schaumburg-Lippe née Bischoff-Korthaus (1894-1936), wife of Fürst Adolf II.
9. Prince Heinrich zu Schaumburg-Lippe (1894-1952), son of Fürst Georg.
10. Princess Erika zu Schaumburg-Lippe née Countess von Hardenberg (1903-1964), wife of Prince Heinrich.
11. Prince Franz Josef zu Schaumburg-Lippe (1899-1963), son of Prince Albrecht.
12. Princess Alexandra zu Schaumburg-Lippe (1879-1949), daughter of Prince Wilhelm.
13. Prince Friedrich Christian zu Schaumburg-Lippe (1906-1983), son of Fürst Georg.
14. Princess Alexandra zu Schaumburg-Lippe née Countess zu Castell-Rüdenhausen (1904-1961), first wife of Prince Friedrich Christian.
15. Princess Marie Louise zu Schaumburg-Lippe née Princess zu Schleswig-Holstein (1908-1969), second wife of Prince Friedrich Christian.
16. Princesss Elisabeth zu Schaumburg-Lippe (1928-1945), daughter of Prince Friedrich Christian.
17. Wolrad Fürst zu Schaumburg-Lippe (1887-1962), son of Fürst Georg.
18. Bathildis Fürstin zu Schaumburg-Lippe née Princess zu Schaumburg-Lippe (1903-1983), wife of Fürst Wolrad.

A cross to commemorate Hereditary Prince Georg Wilhelm (1926-1945), son of Fürst Wolrad, can be found inside the mausoleum.

In the cemetery partly surrounding the mausoleum the graves or urns of the following family members can be found:

1. Prince Stephan zu Schaumburg-Lippe (1891-1965), son of Fürst Georg.
2. Princess Ingeborg Alix zu Schaumburg-Lippe née Duchess von Oldenburg (1901-1996), wife of Prince Stephan.
3. Unnamed Prince zu Schaumburg-Lippe (1924-1924), son of Prince Stephan.
4. Prince Georg Moritz zu Schaumburg-Lippe (1924-1970), son of Prince Stephan.
5. Duchess Adelheid von Sachsen-Altenburg née Princess zu Schaumburg-Lippe (1875-1971), daughter of Prince Wilhelm.
6. Prince Christian zu Schaumburg-Lippe (1898-1974), son of Prince Friedrich.
7. Princess Feodora zu Schaumburg-Lippe née Princess of Denmark (1910-1975), wife of Prince Christian.
8. Prince Konstantin zu Schaumburg-Lippe (1930-2008), son of Fürst Wolrad.
9. Princess Sigrid zu Schaumburg-Lippe (1929-1997), first wife of Prince Konstantin.
10. Philipp Ernst Fürst zu Schaumburg-Lippe (1928-2003), son of Fürst Wolrad.
11. Eva-Benita Fürstin zu Schaumburg-Lippe née Baroness von Tiele-Winckler (1927-2013), wife of Fürst Philipp Ernst.
12. Hereditary Prince Georg Wilhelm zu Schaumburg-Lippe (1956-1983), son of Fürst Philipp Ernst.