A new exhibition pavilion has opened at the Mamerki Museum, where visitors can see a replica of the famous Amber Chamber. The project was created using 3D printing technology and generated a lot of interest in the first days of operation. Visitors stressed that the recreated chamber was very impressive, and included searchers who had previously taken part in attempts to find the original. The Amber Chamber in Mamerki is another copy of the masterpiece.
The exhibition is open to the public. The replica was placed in a room measuring 10 by 10 m and 8 m high. During the work, not only the walls but also the ceiling and floor were reconstructed, and archival photographs were used in the reconstruction. This allows visitors to feel the atmosphere of the original interior, which was lost during the Second World War.
The Amber Chamber in Mamerki – reconstruction technology
The replica of the Amber Chamber in Mamerki was created through the use of 3D printing technology. Special plastics were used to make it, which allowed it to faithfully reproduce the appearance of natural amber. The material was appropriately coloured and developed to imitate the characteristic transparency and variety of shades of amber. As a result, it was possible to recreate the rich ornamentation of the walls, ceilings and floor, without having to resort to an expensive and difficult-to-process raw material. The use of modern technology greatly accelerated the restoration process and made it possible to create an exhibition accessible to the general public.
Mamerki and the legend of the lost treasure
Since the end of the Second World War, the bunkers in Mamerki have been repeatedly pointed out as one of the possible hiding places of the Amber Chamber. However, searches conducted in the area have not confirmed that this is where the treasure is located. The legend persists to this day, and the presence of the replica further emphasises the links between this place and one of the greatest historical mysteries of the 20th century.
History of the bunkers at Mamerki
The Mamerki bunker complex was constructed in 1940-1944 on the shores of Mamry Lake as the headquarters of the Third Reich’s High Command of the Land Forces. It is made up of around 250 buildings, including massive reinforced concrete shelters, residential barracks and technical buildings. During the war, key operations on the Eastern Front were planned in the facilities. Hitler visited the site several times, but never established it as his headquarters. After the war, the complex was not destroyed, so it has remained in exceptionally good condition to this day and is one of the best-maintained German command quarters in Europe. Since the 1990s Mamerki has been open to tourists.
History of the Amber Room
The Amber Chamber was created at the beginning of the 18th century on the initiative of King Frederick I of Hohenzollern of Prussia. Its design was drawn up by the Danzig architect Andreas Schlüter, and other master amber craftsmen from Danzig, including Gottfried Wolfram, Gottfried Turau and Ernest Schacht, also worked on the initiative. The interior was 11 years in the making and impressed with a wealth of ornamentation, reliefs and precisely worked amber elements. In 1716, Friedrich Wilhelm I presented the Amber Room to Tsar Peter I the Great as a token of friendship and confirmation of the Prussian-Russian alliance. It was initially placed in the Summer Palace in St Petersburg, later in the Winter Palace, and in the mid-18th century Tsarina Elizabeth Romanova moved it to the palace in Tsarskoye Selo, where the interior was expanded with additional furnishings.
Looted and lost
In 1941, the Amber Chamber was looted by the Germans and taken to the Königsberg Castle. There it was exhibited and then packed in crates and hidden in the castle’s vaults. This is the last confirmed information about the fate of the jantar masterpiece. After the capture of the city by the Red Army in April 1945, the chamber was never found again, and the fate of the treasure remains unknown to this day. Many hypotheses have arisen about its disappearance. According to some, the chamber may have been destroyed during the bombing and fire of the castle. Others believe that it was hidden in an unknown location and is still waiting to be discovered. Over the years, the search has involved the secret services, ministries of culture, as well as amateurs who have attributed its presence to sunken ships or aircraft.
The Amber Chamber at Mamerki and contemporary reconstructions
The first full reconstruction of the Amber Chamber was completed in 2003 at the Catherine Palace in Tsarskoye Selo. The work had been in progress since 1979 and faced numerous difficulties in processing the amber and recreating the old craft techniques. The artistic director of the ensemble was Aleksandr Zhuravlov. The cost of the project was more than $11 million. The Amber Chamber in Mamerki is another attempt to bring visitors closer to the appearance of the legendary interior. It gives Polish tourists at least a partial glimpse of what one of the most famous and magnificent chambers in European history might have looked like.
Source: Mamerki Museum
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