In the 17th century, the Planetary Room functioned as the entrance hall to the State Apartments, to which only select guests had access by strict order of rank. The apartments were laid out in circular form and consisted of 24 State Rooms, originally comprising two large suites of rooms – 12 rooms to the south side for the Prince and 12 to the north side for the Princess. In total, the magnificent décor that survives to this day encompasses over 500 ceiling paintings in opulent stucco surrounds. Mythological scenes and the history of the ancient, Biblical and modern worlds are interwoven with allegories, emblems and vedute to create a Baroque cultural cosmos.