The Jewish Cemetery in Bückeburg is a quiet, impressive site on the edge of the Harrl and an important witness to Jewish history in Schaumburg. It is located above the Bergbad (mountain swimming pool) on Birkenallee and is accessible via a small forest path. The burial site was first mentioned in 1793, but is likely older. In 1825, it was expanded with the purchase of an adjacent garden plot. With an area of 3,440 square meters and 168 preserved gravestones, it was the largest Jewish burial site in the former Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe.
The gravestones, some with Hebrew and German inscriptions, reflect the life of a once prosperous and self-confident Jewish community. The last burial before World War II was that of Leo Rautenberg in 1940. His son Erwin was the only family member to survive the Shoah and had a memorial plaque placed on his father's grave in 2015.
After the war, the cemetery was restored in 1950 and has been owned by the State Association of Jewish Communities of Lower Saxony since 1960. Unfortunately, it was desecrated several times in 1955, 1975, and 1992.
Today, the cemetery is open to the public, but certain rules apply: Men should wear head coverings, access to the graves is to be avoided, and visits are prohibited on Jewish holidays and Shabbat (Friday afternoon to Saturday evening). An information panel at the entrance explains the history of the cemetery and offers insights into the Jewish faith.