Neptune Grotto
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![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2f/Neptune_Grotto_in_Sanssouci_Park_Germany_06-08-2009.jpg/220px-Neptune_Grotto_in_Sanssouci_Park_Germany_06-08-2009.jpg)
The Neptune Grotto (German: Neptungrotte) close to the Obelisk entrance in Sanssouci Park, Potsdam, was created by Frederick the Great between 1751 and 1757[1] to beautify the park.
Built following plans by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff it arose as a representation of the revived interest in garden architecture. The grotto ought to have been a component of the numerous fountains of the park, which did not function at that time, owing to a lack of technical knowledge.
The trident wielding god of the sea, Neptune, establishes a relationship to water. The conches on the sides, arranged into the shape of waterfalls and the great shell inside, made from many real shells, are a characteristic theme of Rococo.
References
[edit]- The information in this article is based on that in its German equivalent
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52°24′12″N 13°02′32″E / 52.4033333333°N 13.0422222222°E