Shortly after the beginning of the German invasion of the Soviet Union in World War II, the curators responsible for removing the art treasures in Leningrad tried to disassemble and remove the Amber Room. Theft during World War II Īn angel statue featured on the wall of the Amber Room The room took over ten years to construct. After several other 18th-century renovations, the room covered more than 55 square metres (590 sq ft) and contained over 6 tonnes (13,000 lb) of amber. It was Peter's daughter Empress Elizabeth who decided the amber treasure should be installed at Catherine Palace, where the Russian Imperial family typically spent their summers. The original Berlin design of the Amber Room was reworked in Russia in a joint effort by German and Russian craftsmen. Peter the Great of Russia admired it during a visit, and in 1716, King Frederick I's son Frederick William I presented the room to Peter as a gift, which forged a Russo-Prussian alliance against Sweden. The Amber Room did not, however, remain at Berlin City Palace for long. Īlthough originally intended for installation at Charlottenburg Palace, the complete panels were eventually installed at Berlin City Palace. It was fabricated by Gottfried Wolfram, master craftsman to the Danish court of King Frederick IV of Denmark, with help from the amber masters Ernst Schacht and Gottfried Turau from Danzig, now Gdańsk in Poland. The concept and design of the room was drafted by Andreas Schlüter. The Amber Room was begun in 1701 with the purpose of being installed at Charlottenburg Palace, the residence of Frederick, the first King in Prussia, at the urging of his second wife, Sophia Charlotte. History Creation Ĭorner section of the reconstructed Amber Room Modern estimates of the room's value range from $142 million (2007) to over $500 million (2016). īecause of its unique features and singular beauty, the original Amber Room was sometimes dubbed the " Eighth Wonder of the World". Additional architectural and design features include statues of angels and children. The Amber Room is a priceless piece of art, with extraordinary architectural features such as gilding, carvings, 450 kg (990 lb) of amber panels, gold leaf, gemstones, and mirrors, all highlighted with candle light. After decades of work by Russian craftsmen and donations from Germany, it was completed and inaugurated in 2003. In 1979, the decision was taken to create a reconstructed Amber Room at the Catherine Palace in Pushkin. Its eventual fate and current whereabouts, if it survives, remain a mystery. Königsberg was destroyed by allied bombers in August 1944 and documentation of the room location ends there. Some time in early 1944, with Allied forces closing in on Germany, the room was disassembled and crated for storage in the Castle basement. The Amber Room was looted during World War II by the Army Group North of Nazi Germany, and taken to Königsberg for reconstruction and display. After expansion and several renovations, it covered more than 55 square metres (590 sq ft) and contained over 6 tonnes (13,000 lb) of amber. In Russia, the room was installed in the Catherine Palace. It remained in Berlin until 1716, when it was given by the Prussian King Frederick William I to his ally Tsar Peter the Great of the Russian Empire. Schlüter and Wolfram worked on the room until 1707, when work was continued by amber masters Gottfried Turau and Ernst Schacht from Danzig (Gdańsk). It was designed by German baroque sculptor Andreas Schlüter and Danish amber craftsman Gottfried Wolfram. The Amber Room was intended in 1701 for the Charlottenburg Palace, in Berlin, Prussia, but was eventually installed at the Berlin City Palace. A reconstruction was made, starting in 1979 and completed and installed in the Catherine Palace in 2003. Before its loss, it was considered an " Eighth Wonder of the World". Yantarnaya Komnata, German: Bernsteinzimmer) was a chamber decorated in amber panels backed with gold leaf and mirrors, located in the Catherine Palace of Tsarskoye Selo near Saint Petersburg.Ĭonstructed in the 18th century in Prussia, the room was dismantled and eventually disappeared during World War II.
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