What Happened To The Amber Room?
The Amber Room was a magnificent chamber decorated with amber panels, gold leaf, and mirrors, that once adorned the Catherine Palace near Saint Petersburg, Russia. It was considered one of the most beautiful and valuable artworks in the world, until it was looted by the Nazis during World War II and vanished without a trace. What was the history and fate of this lost treasure?
The Origin of the Amber Room
The Amber Room was created in the early 18th century as a gift from the King of Prussia, Frederick William I, to his ally, Tsar Peter the Great of Russia. The room was designed by German sculptor Andreas Schlüter and Danish amber craftsman Gottfried Wolfram, and consisted of more than six tons of amber panels, carved with intricate floral and animal motifs, and backed with gold leaf. The panels were mounted on wooden walls and surrounded by mirrors, creating a dazzling effect of light and color.
The Amber Room was originally installed at the Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin, but was later moved to the Berlin City Palace. In 1716, Peter the Great visited Prussia and admired the room, and Frederick William I decided to offer it to him as a symbol of friendship and peace. The Amber Room was shipped to Russia in 18 large boxes and installed at the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg.
In 1755, Empress Elizabeth, Peter’s daughter, ordered the room to be transferred to the Catherine Palace in Pushkin, a summer residence of the Russian royals. There, Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli enlarged and redesigned the room to fit into a bigger space, using additional amber from Berlin. The room covered about 180 square feet and contained over 450 kilograms (990 lb) of amber. The Amber Room was used as a private meditation chamber, a reception room, and a display of wealth and power by various Russian rulers.
The Disappearance of the Amber Room
In June 1941, Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union and launched Operation Barbarossa, a massive military campaign that resulted in the looting and destruction of many cultural and historical sites. One of the targets was the Catherine Palace and its Amber Room. The Soviet authorities tried to protect the room by disassembling it or hiding it behind wallpaper, but the fragile amber panels were damaged and the camouflage was ineffective. The Nazi soldiers dismantled the room in 36 hours, packed it in 27 crates, and transported it to Königsberg, Germany (now Kaliningrad, Russia), where it was displayed at the Königsberg Castle Museum.
The Amber Room remained in Königsberg until 1944, when the city was heavily bombed by the Allies. The fate of the room after that is unknown. Some witnesses claimed that they saw the crates being loaded on a ship or a train, but no records or documents have been found to confirm this. Others suggested that the room was destroyed by the fire or buried under the rubble of the castle. Some even speculated that the room was hidden in a secret location by the Nazis or smuggled to another country.
The Search for the Amber Room
Since the end of World War II, many attempts have been made to find the Amber Room or its fragments, but none have been successful. Several clues and leads have emerged over the years, such as testimonies, photographs, maps, and documents, but none have provided conclusive evidence. Some pieces of amber that may have belonged to the room have been recovered from various places, such as Germany, Poland, and Lithuania, but they are not enough to reconstruct the whole room.
The mystery of the Amber Room has inspired many books, films, and documentaries, as well as numerous theories and legends. Some people believe that the room still exists somewhere, waiting to be discovered, while others think that it is lost forever. The Amber Room has been estimated to be worth between $142 million and $500 million in today’s money, making it one of the most valuable artworks ever made.
The Reconstruction of the Amber Room
In 1979, the Soviet government decided to create a replica of the Amber Room at the Catherine Palace, using old photographs and drawings as references. The project involved hundreds of craftsmen, artists, and historians from Russia and Germany, who worked for more than 20 years to recreate the amber panels and ornaments. The project was funded by donations from Germany as a gesture of reconciliation and goodwill. The reconstructed Amber Room was completed and inaugurated in 2003, on the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg. The room is open to the public and attracts thousands of visitors every year.
The reconstructed Amber Room is a tribute to the original masterpiece and a symbol of the cultural and historical heritage of Russia and Germany. It is also a reminder of the tragedy and loss that occurred during World War II, and the hope and cooperation that followed. The reconstructed Amber Room is not an exact copy of the original, but a new interpretation and expression of its beauty and significance.
