The first room after entering through the Vestibule is the Grotto Hall (Grottensaal), which came as a surprise to guests as grottos are traditionally outdoor garden features. Frederick II’s Grotto Room reflects the Rococo style literally. The word Rococo is derived from the French word rocaille, which denoted the shell-covered rock work that was used to decorate artificial grottoes, much like the shell and rock work in this room. Frederick the Great used a grotto motif in the interior of a palace for the first time in Prussian architecture. The king used minerals from Silesia in order to demonstrate his newly acquired riches after the Seven Years’ War. All Prussian rulers after Frederick the Great left their mark in the Grotto Hall. Originally, the room was not as magnificent but later emperors William I and William II brought more than 20,000 minerals, precious stones, fossils, shells, and ammonites.
Full view of the Grotto Hall
The horizontal layers of the room were made of marble, glass, and minerals in quiet colors, giving a particular prominence to the marble floor. The floor is adorned with motifs of plants and animals from the marine world as well as shell pieces and ornaments. Carl von Gontard was responsible for the design while the work was carried out by Johann Melchior Kambly and Matthias Müller.
Close up of a column displaying shell fragments
The king and his architects pulled from numerous traditional outdoor grotto motifs, including sculptures of water nymphs.
Sculpture resembling an traditional grotto fountain
After being closed for renovation, the Grotto Hall reopened to visitors on July 22, 2015. The nearly 250-year-old room’s 600-ton marble structure was endangered by decaying beams. Further restoration of the Palace is also being planned.