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Venus Grotto

 

The Venus Grotto is an artificial stalactite cave which was built into the hillside starting in 1875: the "Venus Grotto" stage set is from Act I of Richard Wagner's opera "Tannhäuser" and was constructed exactly in accordance with his stage directions.

The huge painting shows the "Venusberg" scene from the opera. The electric lighting, which at the time was ultra-modern, was installed between 1878 and 1881. Exchangeable glass discs were used to produce a variety of coloured illumination. The Linderhof Grotto, with illusory effects that were highly innovative in their day, is one of the most fascinating examples of the 19th-century quest for the perfect synthesis of the arts.