Bückeburg
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. History. Bückeburg was once the capital of the tiny principality of Schaumburg-Lippe. Houses began to gather around the castle 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 were still based in Bückeburg until the closure of the school in July 2014. Buildings. Bückeburg Palace. 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. 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. In the period around 1950 when the Royal Air Force had a base nearby, the children of the service families attended a school in the Schloss. Helicopter Museum. Bückeburg is also home to a helicopter museum, which features the early drawings of flying objects by Leonardo da Vinci as well as 40 actual helicopters. The German Army's Army Aviators School using Bückeburg Air Base is located here. Bückeburg Church. The Town Church of Bückeburg ("Bückeburger Stadtkirche") was one of the first Lutheran churches built after  the Reformation. It is known for its pulpit and especially for the ornately decorated bronze-cast font, made by the Dutch artist Adriaen de Vries. Composer Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach (1732–1795), a son of J.S. Bach, worked at the Bückeburg court from before 1751 until his death, first as a harpsichordist, then, from 1759, as Konzertmeister (director) of the Hofkapelle (court orchestra) there. Bach is buried in the churchyard of the Stadtkirchengemeinde-Bückeburg. Bach set several texts by Johann Gottfried Herder, who was at the Bückeburg court as its superintendent and chief preacher from 1771–1776. Transport. Bückeburg has a railway  station and is served by line S1 of the Hanover S-Bahn. There are hourly train services between Bückeburg, Minden and Hanover.