Old, or New?

The above photo depicts Magdalenenklause which was built on the grounds of Nymphenburg Palace in Munich. Despite its aged appearance, the small chapelesque dwelling was only built around 300 years ago. It was built to intentionally resemble ruins. For me, that's an interesting lesson in historic architecture. If a building such as this resembled the ruins that remained in the 1720s (remember, they likely had based it upon ruins elsewhere), then we can have a good picture of how buildings were constructed long before then. Stepping inside, the outbuilding looks even stranger:

Yes, that's the ceiling; a shelled mosaic masterpiece. I cannot fathom the time that went into such a place. On a more practical note, think of the guys who had to set the shells and rocks into place. I'm sure their backs must have been sore after all that work. Just so someone could have a bizarre place to stay.