The Amber room

By Chatsam – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41090085

            The amber room is one of the greatest historical places. It was created by German producers on a commission of King Frederic I, who desired to have an amber decor in his palace. Later, the chamber was given to Peter the Great. He was so impressed with the created work that he got it from the legitimate owner as a proof of friendship and as a symbol of formed alliance. Work on amber room’s completion lasted up to 11 years. Its final appearance was approved by the prominent designer Bartolomeo Bastrelii in 1770. Later, the chamber was transported by the German soldiers during the Second World War to the Royal Castle in Królewiec, and its further fate became unknown.

By Branson DeCou – Courtesy Special Collections, UC Santa Cruz, (direct link), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30231454

            Over the next several years since its disappearance or destruction, the amber room was considered as a lost treasure. Over the years, it was sought by both amateurs and officials of Ministries of Culture in Poland, Germany, and the USSR, as well as by special services. Even clairvoyants were employed in the search of the chamber. The list of potential places where the room could be hidden included: Kraków, Neringa, Pasłęk, the Człuchów Castle, the Szymbark Castle, and Giżycko. It was even suspected that the chamber was transported on a plane that had fallen to Resko Przymorskie lake – near Rogów.

            Recently, a manhole to the tunnel near the former German bunkers was opened in the village of Mamerki near Węgorzewo. There’s a very strong possibility that the amber room was hidden there. Earlier, a tree was grown on this hatch, which specialists estimated for about 50 years, which means that the manhole has not been opened until the Second World War.

            There is still an investigation going on about what’s in the closed hatch. However, specialists are cautious in their claims. Employees are waiting for permission to check the content of the mysterious hatch. The opening of the entrance to the tunnel will be filmed by the team of the American History Channel.