The discovery of a network of secret tunnels from World War II has reignited hopes of finding the Amber Room—a treasure that Nazi Germany once stole from the Soviet Union.
Recently, five passageways were uncovered in a 200-hectare forest in Mamerki (Poland), near the Russian territory of Kaliningrad. Mamerki was once the headquarters of the German High Command for land forces.
“Based on the passageways, it seems that there are tunnels approximately 50 meters long, but they could be longer. Some tunnels are blocked, seemingly to keep them hidden. We will remove a lot of debris outside to observe what is inside,” said Bartlomiej Plebanczyk, an employee at the Marmeki bunker complex museum.
The whereabouts of the Amber Room remain a mystery.
“The tunnels are part of an unknown underground corridor system that requires careful exploration. It could be an ideal place to hide treasures. It may lead to the Amber Room,” Mr. Plebanczyk added.
The Amber Room is a lavishly decorated chamber adorned with gold leaf, glass, and pieces of amber, totaling over 6 tons in weight, and is estimated to be worth 500 million USD.
In 1716, King Frederick William I of Prussia gifted this room to Peter the Great of Russia to strengthen the Russian-Prussian alliance. In 1755, the Amber Room was moved to the Catherine Palace in Russia.
However, this room was dismantled by the Nazi army from the Catherine Palace during the time the Soviet Union was attacked by Germany. The last sighting of the Amber Room was in Kaliningrad, after which it has remained lost to this day.
This discovery is not the first time hopes of finding the Amber Room have been raised.
In 2020, the discovery of a sunken warship belonging to Nazi Germany led to speculations that the sealed containers found on the ship might hold remnants of the Amber Room.
