EXCLUSIVE: Hidden railroad tracks discovered in Nazi bunker ‘might lead to Gold Train’s long-lost Amber Room’ looted by Hitler’s men
- The Amber Room was looted by the Nazis during World War II
- Built for the Russian Tsar Peter the Great in the 17th century, it is full of amber
History buffs say they may have stumbled upon the hiding place of the long-lost Amber Room after discovering hidden train tracks and wagon wheels in a former Nazi bunker.
The Jaćwież History and Research Association made the surprising discovery during excavations in the Mamerki bunker complex in northern Poland.
The tracks of the narrow-gauge railway were uncovered five feet below the surface in a flat, open area that had recently been cleared of trees.
The complex was the headquarters of Hitler’s Wehrmacht High Command and was only a few kilometers from Hitler’s Wolfsschanze.
Although it is known that a railway line ran from Mamerki to the Wolfsschanze, there are no reports or documents that a railway line existed within the complex itself.
The hidden railway tracks and wagon wheels were discovered during excavations in the Mamerki bunker complex in northern Poland
A visualization of what the train tracks looked like when they went from Mamerki to the Wolfsschanze
The Amber Room (pictured in the 1917 Catherine Palace) was a gift from the King of Prussia to the Russian Tsar Peter the Great in 1716
The Jaćwież History and Research Association made the surprising discovery during excavations in the Mamerki bunker complex in northern Poland
Bartlomiej Plebańczyk from the Mamerki Museum posted a photo on social media and said: “This is a big surprise as we didn’t know there was a railway inside the complex.”
‘Could it be the gold train with the amber room?’ We’ll find out soon enough…’.
He added, “We don’t know why this track was even made here.”
“What did the Germans transport in the wagons and why did someone bother to cover it with a five-foot layer of earth?”
The room, built for the Russian Tsar Peter the Great in the 17th century and filled with amber, gold and precious jewels, was looted by the Nazis in 1941.
Upon arrival at Catherine the Great’s White Palace near St. Petersburg, they dismantled the room and loaded the precious contents onto a train to Königsberg Castle in what was then East Prussia, now just two hours from the bunker.
In January 1945, it mysteriously disappeared after air raids and a brutal ground attack on the city.
While some claimed it was destroyed by bombs, others thought the Nazis had taken it to safety.
The Mamerki Bunker was the headquarters of Hitler’s German Wehrmacht High Command and was located just a few kilometers from Hitler’s Wolfsschanze
A reconstruction of the Amber Room opened in 2003 at the Catherine Palace in Tsarskoye Selo, outside of St. Petersburg, Russia
Peter the Great of Russia was presented with the Amber Room panels in the 18th century to commemorate a treaty between his country and Prussia
Some alleged witnesses reported seeing 40 wagons moving away from the castle under the guise of secrecy after the town fell to the Red Army.
Since then the search has been going on.
In May last year, the Mamerki Museum renewed hope that the Amber Room could be hidden on its premises after a network of secret tunnels was discovered.
However, excavations revealed that they were empty.
How an amber cabinet became the amber room
The Amber Room was originally intended to be an amber cabinet, a gift from Frederick William I of Prussia to Peter the Great, who admired the work on a visit to his palace in 1716.
However, instead of a cabinet, it was decided to use the panels as wall coverings, surrounding them with gilded carvings, mirrors and other amber panels.
The Amber Room was built for the Russian Tsar Peter the Great in the 18th century
A total of 450 kg of amber was used for the room and it was finally completed in 1770.
The room was so fragile that it had a constant caretaker, and when the Russians tried to hide the crumbling walls behind wallpaper.
But the Nazis knew what was hidden behind the banal shell and set about dismantling the room – a process that took 36 hours.
They believed it was theirs as a Prussian gift.
However, the room, which was returned to the palace where it was originally created for Friedrich-Wilhelm, was never seen again after 1945.
Some claimed it was destroyed in the bombings, others say the plaques were taken away by the Nazis who wanted to keep their loot.
But the Russians didn’t want to do without this crowning glory and began to build the replica in 1982.
It took more than 20 years and cost more than $12 million, but visitors to the Catherine Palace near St. Petersburg can now see the great room with their own eyes.
Sources: Catherine Palace and Smithsonian