The World's Greatest Lost Treasure
- Emily
- Jul 4, 2022
- 3 min read
During the Second World War, thousands upon thousands of art pieces and other items were stolen by the Nazis or considered 'banned' from the public eye. In fact, over 600,000 items were looted, some still missing and waiting to be returned to their rightful owners such as the many amber panels from the famous "Amber Room" that the Nazi's had raided.
Many would-be familiar with this, if they have watched The Monuments Men based upon American soldiers who rushed to save and return some of the looted items the Nazi's had hid away.
The Amber Room, known as perhaps as one of the most precious and valuable items stolen by the Nazi's to this date. This room was glorious and heavenly looking. It was decorated with amber panels, gold leafs and mirrors; decked in millions worth. It was a dream, which is perhaps why it was on the top list of things to be looted by the Germans.
While leads were said to have been followed, nothing was ever found. Now nearly 81 years later, the hope to find the missing panels barely exists. History.co says, "The only pieces of the room ever recovered were a cabinet and the fourth Florentine mosaic - a German soldier had stolen the latter during the room's removal in 1941 or 1945."
The room was known as the "Eighth Wonder of the World" and one of Russia's most treasured places. Located in the Catherine Palace of Tsarskoye Selo near Saint Petersburg. Constructed in the 18th century in Prussia, it's one of the biggest mysteries in history. Interestingly enough, many have strong beliefs that it was sadly destroyed.
The Palace above:
"The priceless piece of art dazzled and mesmerised all those who entered, its splendour more grandiose than Schlüter could ever have imagined. Estimates have placed its modern-day worth somewhere between £120-£240 million.
The room remained a Russian treasure throughout the 18th and 19th centuries and even survived the Revolution in 1917. However, its time on Russian soil came to an end in 1941, when Hitler’s forces closed in on St Petersburg (then called Leningrad) as part of Operation Barbarossa. Head art curator Anatoly Kuchumov was tasked with taking the precious Amber Room apart and prepping it for safe removal to the east.
Kuchumov soon discovered that the amber panels had become brittle over time and believed they would be badly damaged if removal were attempted. Instead, he ordered the room be covered by a thin layer of wallpaper in the hope the Nazi’s would pass by it. The ruse failed.
Hitler was well aware of the history of the Amber Room. In his eyes, the artwork was German made and should be returned to its homeland to be enjoyed by his countrymen. The Nazi’s knew exactly what they were looking for and within 36 hours they’d managed to do what Kuchumov had failed to – stripped the panels from the walls and packaged them into crates." says History.co.
A photo of the damaged room above:
"Eyewitnesses claimed to have seen the Amber Room being packaged up and placed on-board the Wilhelm Gustloff, a German transport ship, which was subsequently sunk in January 1945 by a Soviet submarine. Its wreckage, however, has been dived many times and nothing linked to the Amber Room has ever been discovered there." says History.co.
Photo below of suspected cargo that held the treasures:
"In 1944, the RAF heavily bombed Königsberg, including its historic quarters. Artillery fire reigned down on the city as the Soviets advanced towards it in 1945. These two events left the castle museum destroyed. Was the Amber Room evacuated in time or did it succumb to the bombings? As the Red Army marched into the German city, the Amber Room was nowhere to be seen - its final resting place still a mystery to this day.
The most obvious theory and one backed by Professor Alexander Brusov, the man the Soviets sent to recover the stolen artefacts in May 1945, is that they were indeed destroyed by the bombings and subsequent fires. In the cellar of the castle, Brusov purportedly discovered the burnt remains of three out of four Florentine mosaics that had been in the Amber Room,' says History.co.
While the Amber Room has been rebuilt with the modern replica. Its original panels have still not been found. You can visit it today.
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