The hall was altered many times in the years 1859–1934, and remained remarkably unscathed by war until 9 February 1941 when, during Operation Grog, a shell fired by a British warship hit the roof, leaving a large hole open to the sky and destroying the ceiling of the auditorium which had been a unique example of 19th-century rococo extravagance, its main feature being a wide circle of angels, cherubs and other winged creatures in brightly painted high relief.
