Merseburg (dpa/sa) – In the future, visitors to Merseburg Castle will be able to experience the house’s old hall of mirrors virtually. With virtual reality glasses, visitors could “digitally discover the cabinet in the original premises and perform various tasks,” said a spokeswoman for the Saalekreis on Monday. In addition, “the nine treasures still preserved in the Green Vault of the Dresden State Art Collections will be presented”.
The Hall of Mirrors was built in 1715. “With its gilded carvings, mirrors and formerly bright blue painted canvases, it is one of the most valuable baroque wall decorations in Germany,” said the spokeswoman. In 1925, the Prussian state, as the owner, arranged for the wall paneling to be brought to the Deutsches Museum in Berlin. It was later exhibited in the Kunstgewerbemuseum for many years. It has been in the Bode Museum in Berlin since 2012. A return was refused.
The palace complex in Merseburg goes back to the active building activities of Bishop Thilo von Trotha. After the previous building from the 13th century was demolished, he began to rebuild the palace, which was modified and expanded in the years that followed. Around 1605 the building was extensively rebuilt. According to the city administration, today’s design is a testament to the German late Renaissance.