DAY 269

ARTISTIC ODDITIES

The Amber Room

A TREASURE LOST AND FOUND (MAYBE)

“We’ve found it—the Amber Room, the Eighth Wonder of the World, the Tsar’s lost treasure chamber. We thought it was lost forever.” It may sound like the plot of a new adventure movie, but it might just be the truth. Treasure hunters have been searching for “the Amber Room” since it was dismantled by the Nazis during World War II. And hunters just may have found it in 2008.³⁴

Initially created for Frederick I in 1907, the almost 600-square-foot room was covered from floor to ceiling with amber and gold leaf. Estimates suggest that the room could have a value approaching $500 million US.

Although the find has not yet been officially verified, searchers have come across a huge underground cavern, and electromagnetic testing has revealed that it may contain up to two tons of gold. Unfortunately, the chamber may very well be booby trapped (aren’t they always?), so we won’t have a definite answer until it can be safely excavated.

If the room has been found, it will bring to a close one of the greatest mysteries of our time. If the room has not been found and is still out there, well, maybe we’ll get that new movie out of the search. —GRG