Overseen by the gilted statue of Mercury, the marvellous shell grotto inside the Residenz is made out of individual freshwater Bavarian shells, with red wine pouring from the mermaid's chest and out through Medusa's head in the courtyard. The structure, originally built in the 1550s, was completely destroyed during the war, but was painfully reconstructed piece by piece by the Germans, who had meticulously photographed each and every artifact in anticipation of their destruction.
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| The opulent, rococo style Ancestral Gallery | The oldest hall is the Antiquarium, so named because of its collection of antique sculptures. It was thereafter transformed into a banqueting hall | The richly decorated Porcelain cabinet |
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| Detail - Ancestral Gallery. | The Ornate Chapel |
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to return to Munich