In 1709, Prussian King Frederick I, known for his opulence, ordered the renowned architects An der Heyde and Gottfried Demnig to construct the renowned "Amber Room." This masterpiece measured about 55 square meters and featured 12 panels and columns crafted from amber, adorned with silver foil, which could be reconfigured into various forms. At the time, amber was valued at 13 times that of gold, making the Amber Room a treasure of unparalleled richness, once hailed as one of the "Eight Wonders of the World."
Seeking to solidify diplomatic ties with Russia, King Frederick I presented the Amber Room to Peter the Great of Russia in 1716. In 1717, the room was transported to St. Petersburg, Russia, and later installed in the Catherine Palace, located outside St. Petersburg in the town of Pushkin (formerly known as Tsarskoye Selo).
With the outbreak of war, craftsmen at the Catherine Palace attempted to camouflage the Amber Room with canvas and false wallpaper. However, German forces, upon capturing the palace, discovered the deception and dismantled the Amber Room, shipping it to Germany. The whereabouts of this estimated £150 million artistic treasure have been shrouded in mystery since its removal. For six decades, enthusiasts have speculated and searched fruitlessly for the missing Amber Room, which has become one of the most famous lost artworks in history.
There was once optimism that the artwork might be retrieved from an unknown location. Last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder attended the unveiling of a reproduction of the Amber Room at the Catherine Palace. However, recent evidence has dashed these hopes: the Amber Room was destroyed amid the chaos that followed the collapse of Nazi Germany. Researchers have unearthed post-war documents from Anatoly Kuzmov, who was in charge of the Soviet search for the Amber Room, revealing that the room had been kept in a castle in Konigsberg. In 1946, it was destroyed by fire after a Soviet military occupation. Despite its value and cultural significance, the Amber Room is now considered irrevocably lost.
