The Amber Room is a beautiful structure with partitions made of amber and pure gold leaf. The mirrors are always shiny and elaborately decorated. The people who created the magical beauty and eternal reputation of the room are a team of experienced artisans with top skills from Germany, Russia, Denmark...
In 1701, the first king of Prussia, Friedrich I, ordered the construction of the Amber Room to decorate the magnificent Charlottenburg Palace. The room was considered a lavish declaration of love for his beloved wife, Queen Sophie Charlotte. At that time, amber was extremely rare, 12 times more expensive than gold. The room was built in 10 years and completed in 1711. The author of this idea was the master sculptor of Germany at that time - Andreas Schlter. The construction of the room was carried out by the talented Danish craftsman Gottfried Wolfram. On the opening day, more than 500 large candles were lit, making the room shimmer in golden light and starting a legend: the 8th wonder of the world.
In 1716, the Russian Tsar Peter I visited Prussia and was completely captivated by the “unprecedented” beauty of the room. To show friendship and to strengthen the Russo-Prussian alliance against the Swedish state, King Friedrich Wilhelm I - son of King Friedrich I - agreed to give Peter I this priceless gift. In 1717, the room was disassembled and transported to Russia. The famous room is located in Yekaterina - a palace built in the Rococo style - in Tsarskoye Selo, near St. Petersburg.
In Russia, the room was expanded and decorated with many other treasures in an area of more than 55m2with 12 walls, 12 pillars. All are crafted from 6 tons of amber, gold, and precious stones. The room is estimated to be worth up to 142,000,000 USD. The Amber Room was completed in 1755 and restored in 1830.
Shortly after the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II, the people responsible for the Amber Room attempted to remove the panels and hide them away, to avoid prying eyes. Over the years, the amber became dry, brittle, and easily broken. When removed, many of the panels broke. So the Soviets ordered the entire room to be “disappeared” by covering it with wallpaper. However, all attempts at concealment failed as German soldiers easily discovered the legendary Amber Room.
On October 14, 1941, under the command of Rittmeister Graf Solms-Laubach, the 27 crates containing the Amber Room were moved to Königsberg Castle. The dismantling lasted 36 hours and was supervised by two experts. During the night of August 26-27, 1944, Königsberg Castle was bombed. When the Soviet army occupied the city of Königsberg in April 1945, the Amber Room was completely lost.
To date, there are hundreds of different theories about the fate of the Amber Room. One of them is that the leader of the Nazi party in Königsberg province - Erich Koch - took the Amber Room and many treasures out of the city. At the end of World War II, Erich Koch was arrested in Poland and sentenced to death. However, this sentence was never carried out. Many people believe that it was the secrets about the Amber Room that Erich kept that saved his life. That is also the reason why many people believe that Erich changed his testimony many times about the hiding place of the Amber Room.
Many others believe that the Amber Room was destroyed in the war. The room has become one of the world's most sought-after treasures.
Yekaterina Palace
In 1979, the Amber Room was rebuilt. A group of talented artists, sculptors, and craftsmen were assembled to recreate the Prussian king's ancient masterpiece based on a few old black and white photographs. The room was inaugurated in 2003, in the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of the founding of St. Petersburg.
Nowadays, when entering the Amber Room in the Yekaterina Palace, many visitors say they feel like they are entering the cave containing the treasure of the robbers in the Alibaba myth. Many architects and art and history researchers have expressed their satisfaction with this reconstructed Amber Room.
More information
Open: 10am - 6pm daily
Closed: last Monday of every month and every Tuesday
Admission: Adults - 9 USD, pupils - 3 USD, students - 4.4 USD
