Where is the Amber Chamber? - the greatest amber creation

The answer to this question has remained unknown for decades, although new clues are being tested time after time. This makes the Amber Chamber - also called the eighth wonder of the world - the most spectacular symbol of the lost treasure remains. 

The Amber Chamber - the largest work made of amber

The original Amber Chamber remains the largest work of art made of amber to date - its dimensions are 10.5 x 11.5 meters (the Amber Altar in St. Brigid's Church in Gdansk is preparing to break this record, which is expected to be three times as tall and half as large when completed). Although we commonly associate it with Russia, it is worth knowing that it was made by the hands of Polish artists hailing from Gdansk, which in the 15th-18th centuries was famous for its amber production and the unsurpassed craftsmanship of the local artists.

Amber cabinet a diplomatic gift

The origins of this work date back to 1701, when King Frederick III of Prussia dreamed of a sumptuous amber cabinet. Within 12 years, the project was 96% completed, with the creation of sculptures and bas-reliefs, among others, a panneau made of precisely selected and worked pieces of amber. In 1716 they became a diplomatic gift to Czar Peter I. Their uniqueness was not appreciated until 50 years later by his daughter Elizabeth I, during whose reign the Amber Chamber was created from them - with the decor supplemented and after transfer to the palace in Tsarskoye Selo. What happened next, everyone probably already knows: in 1941 it was looted by the Germans and taken to Königsberg. In 1944, it was again packed into crates and... trace of it disappeared.

Reconstruction of the Amber Chamber and its many inspirations

One wonders, if it had not disappeared, would it have become so famous? And would it have been one of the most important tourist attractions - like its copy completed in 2003 after more than 20 years of work, with gigantic queues of tourists from all over the world? The reconstruction cost $12 million - so we can forget about our own Amber Chamber, but we can always settle for its contemporary substitute from the Amber Decor company's offerings. More spectacular ones, such as a table with a top decorated with natural Baltic amber or amber paintings, or slightly smaller in size but impressive amber-decorated doorknobs and/or furniture knobs made of amber.

Author: Anna Sado