In the forests near the small village of Dzemiany (Polish: Mamerki, German: Mauerwald) in northeastern Poland, not far from Gdańsk, an operation is being prepared that may shed light on one of the most mysterious losses of World War II. Researchers may be on the verge of discovering the Amber Room itself.
A team led by historian Bartłomiej Plebańczyk has received long-awaited official permission from Poland’s Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) to conduct large-scale archaeological work. Their goal is to test the hypothesis that the legendary Amber Room may have been hidden in an underground complex built by Nazi Germany.
Focus on «Mamerki’s Lair»
Dzemiany is a small village in the wooded region of Kashubia that served as an SS training ground during the war. Historians note that the area was strategically important to the Germans due to its proximity to the Baltic Sea and the ease of evacuating cargo. In 1944–1945, as the Red Army approached Königsberg, the Nazis rushed to move trophies, including valuable artworks, westward.
One theory suggests that the Amber Room was dismantled and hidden here to avoid bombing or capture. Preliminary ground-penetrating radar scans revealed anomalies in the soil that may indicate man-made underground structures, but final conclusions will only be drawn after drilling.
The researchers are focusing on a well-known but still largely unexplored underground complex called «Mamerki’s Lair» (German: Mauerwald). During the war, it housed one of the largest headquarters of the Wehrmacht’s ground forces (Oberkommando des Heeres, OKH), comparable in importance to Hitler’s «Wolf’s Lair.» The complex included around 250 structures, including massive reinforced concrete bunkers and a sprawling network of underground tunnels protected from bombing.
Archaeologists are particularly interested in one specific location within the complex—a partially constructed bunker about 9 meters deep, located near the former Lake Mamerki (now Lake Mamry).
Historical documents and eyewitness accounts suggest that in late 1944 and early 1945, as the Red Army advanced, the Nazis conducted intensive and secretive operations here. Construction was carried out by prisoners from the Stutthof concentration camp.
«We have some intriguing data,» Plebańczyk told local media. «First, there are eyewitness accounts from locals who saw increased German activity in the area during the final months of the war, including the transport of large, carefully packed crates. Second, unusually large steel safes were found in the walls of this particular bunker, which we believe may have been intended to store something very valuable and bulky. Third, archival references suggest that the Nazis planned to use deep bunkers like this to hide cultural treasures during their retreat.»
The Amber Room: A Lost Masterpiece
The search for the Amber Room gives this excavation special significance. This 18th-century masterpiece, created by German and Danish craftsmen for Prussian King Frederick I and gifted to Peter the Great, was long the jewel of the Catherine Palace in Tsarskoe Selo, near St. Petersburg, Russia.
As German forces approached Leningrad in 1941, Soviet museum workers tried to evacuate the room, but due to the fragility of the amber, they decided to preserve it in place by covering it with paper and gauze. This did not save the treasure.
Nazi troops under Erich Koch, Gauleiter of East Prussia, dismantled the room and transported it to Königsberg Castle, where it was displayed as a trophy.
In August 1944, after British air raids on Königsberg, the castle was heavily damaged. The Amber Room was dismantled again, packed into crates, and either hidden in the castle’s cellars or taken to an unknown location.
In spring 1945, during the Soviet assault on the city, all traces of the room disappeared. Its fate became one of the greatest mysteries of the 20th century. Searches have been conducted across Europe—in salt mines in Germany and Austria, in Czech castles, on the Baltic Sea floor—but all have failed. The lost treasure is now valued at hundreds of millions of dollars, possibly up to half a billion.
Several theories exist about its fate: some suggest it was destroyed in bombings or a fire at the castle (though no burnt amber was found), others believe it was hidden in secret bunkers, mines, or even aboard sunken ships like the Wilhelm Gustloff. Still others claim it was transported to the Czech Republic, Austria, or even South America by retreating Nazis.
Skepticism and Hope
The history of the Amber Room’s search is full of dead ends and disappointments. Many experts, including Boris Igdalov, director of the Tsarskoye Selo Amber Workshop, believe the most likely scenario is that it burned in the ruins of Königsberg Castle in April 1945.
Russian experts, including staff from the Kaliningrad Amber Museum, have expressed skepticism about the Polish initiative but noted that any discoveries could shed light on the fate of lost artifacts. «Amber is a fragile material, and even if the room survived, it’s unlikely to be in pristine condition,» commented Tatyana Suvorova of the Kaliningrad Regional Amber Museum.
German art historian Manfred Brinkmann is also skeptical: «Every year new ‘sensational’ burial sites are proposed. The Mamerki theory has been around for a while, but there’s no convincing evidence yet.»
However, Plebańczyk’s team remains determined. The IPN permit allows for non-invasive studies (ground radar, lidar), followed by full-scale excavations if anomalies are found. «We’re not claiming we’ll definitely find the Amber Room,» Plebańczyk emphasizes. «But we must investigate this hypothesis, which is based on specific historical and architectural evidence. Even if we don’t find the room, studying this bunker and its contents could provide valuable insights into the final days of Nazi command in East Prussia and the fate of other cultural treasures looted during the war.»
Work Begins
Fieldwork in Dzemiany is expected to begin in the coming weeks, once all logistical preparations are complete. The forest around the former «Mamerki’s Lair» has long been a pilgrimage site for tourists and military history enthusiasts. Now it may become the epicenter of an archaeological sensation that could solve the decades-old mystery of the missing «eighth wonder of the world.»
In short, we wait, we hope, and we believe. Stay tuned to our site—we’ll report immediately if the Polish team digs up anything.
