The Amber Room
The checkered history of the Amber Room is the stuff of great mystery novels, yet the story is true. Begun in 1701, the room first graced the Charlottenburg Palace of Friedrich I, the first King of Prussia. In 1716 it was sent as a gift to Peter the Great of Russia, to seal a pact between Russia and Prussia against Sweden. Over the subsequent years the panels that made up the walls of the room were passed back and fourth between those two great powers as a symbol of their friendship.
Then came the Second World War and the Nazi’s took the intricate panels when they plundered Russia. The Nazi’s installed the panels in Konigsberg Castle, but removed them when the tide of war turned against them and it became clear they were no longer safe there. They were hidden away — and to this day, nobody knows where. Various clues and theories have been followed to search out this lost treasure, but none have ever panned out.
Back in the Catherine Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia, they re-created the panels, using old photographs and records from the original panels. These panels were intricately carved amber, backed with a thin layer of gold leaf, so that they shimmer in the candle-light. Now this room is the first stop on GMA’s Mystery Tour, which has once again brought the amazing story to the attention of new generations.