Amber deposit in Partynice

An amber deposit from the first century BC was discovered in Paertynice near Wroclaw in the first half of the 20th century. It is considered the world’s largest archeological deposit of amber, which probably weighs about 1240-1760 kg. It is also evidence of the Amber Route.

As mentioned above, three underground pits filled with amber were discovered in Partynice near Wroclaw. The first of them was found during the construction works of the hippodrome (1906), while the next two during the construction of the road connecting the A4 highway with the center of Wroclaw (1936). Some amber pieces found in 1906 and 1936 were stolen after the discovery. The overwhelming majority of the surviving items were transported to the Silesian Museum od Arts and Crafts and Antiquities in Wroclaw.

Almost the whole deposit in this museum was destroyed during the Siege of Wroclaw, which took place in 1945. Only a few kilos of amber survived, which are currently on display at the Wroclaw Archaeological Museum. The occurrence of amber pits in Wroclaw is associated with one of the main parts of the ancient Amber Route that ran through the modern city area. A full description of the surprising discovery together with a detailed discussion of the weight, fraction, and features of amber was published by Seger. However, pits discovered in 1936 were studied and described by German researchers in 1936 and 1937.