The war cemetery for foreign victims (Auslände-Friedhof) is located in the area of the former Senne military training field, not far from the Schloss Neuhaus-Sennelager. It is also known as the French or the Dörenkamp Cemetery. The site is very hard to find as it can only be reached by a 300-metre long forest path, and it is strictly forbidden to walk off the path on account of the military character of the area. The cemetery was established in 1914 for prisoners of war from abroad who died in two local prisoner-of-war camps. After World War I, the graves of 192 Russian, 26 Belgian, and 7 Romanian citizens were left untouched while some other graves were exhumed.
After World War II, the graves of 130-140 unknown war victims and 270 foreign victims buried in the cemeteries in the Detmold administrative district were moved into this cemetery.
Most of the victims came from Poland (218 persons), above all, forced labourers (frequently whole families), their children and prisoners of war. There are also graves of Yugoslavian, Hungarian, Romanian, Czechoslovak, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Belgian, French and even Chinese and Indian war-victims. Buried here are also soldiers from different countries who served in the Wehrmacht army.
It is assumed that, in total, 663 foreign citizens were interred in the cemetery in the years 1914-1961. However, the exact number still remains unknown. Since 3 November 1987, the place has been a historical site.
