Buckeburg Palace

About

Starting as a castle in the 14th century, the Counts of Holstein-Schaumburg transformed the Bückeburg fortification into a Renaissance palace in the 16th century. Over the years, as the family grew in prestige, so too did their estate. A fire in the 18th century allowed the family to renovate the palace in the opulent Baroque style. While the family still resides in the palace today, they’ve opened part of it to the public. A tour of the interior reveals decadently decorated rooms like the Great Banqueting Hall, the the lavish Palace Chapel, and the Golden Hall with its masterful wood carvings. The estate’s park stretches for 80 hectares, where visitors will find carefully sculpted gardens, and the family mausoleum. The largest private funerary in the world, the tomb is richly ornamented with mosaics and a glimmering gilded dome. At the palace’s 400-year-old stables, the Princely Riding School showcases mastery of the equine arts.