- 8 hours ago
Josh is on the trail of Russia’s missing Amber Panels, priceless pieces of art stolen by the Nazis during WWII. After starting in St. Petersburg, Russia, and getting exposed to the local culture, Josh makes a brief pit stop in Berlin to marvel at the city’s amazing turnaround since the end of the Cold War.
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00:00An absolute labyrinth down here.
00:09Looks like there's a number of tunnels down here that they haven't fully cleared.
00:15None of this has been reinforced.
00:17Yeah, that's all in there.
00:20Back, back, back, back, back, back, back, back, back.
00:22Something's letting loose down there.
00:24Here we go, here we go.
00:27Let's go.
00:28Let's get out of here, it's letting go.
00:30Here's a question.
00:36What's the most valuable object to ever be stolen?
00:39You might think it's a rare Picasso or a massive diamond.
00:43But in fact, it is something bigger.
00:46Much bigger.
00:48Our story begins with the Nazis.
00:50From 1933 to 1945, the Third Reich systematically plundered art from across Europe.
00:57Amidst the stolen hoard is one object more precious than all the rest.
01:01Actually, it's not an object at all.
01:04It's an entire room.
01:05Crafted entirely of amber, gold, and precious stones.
01:17The amber chamber was once displayed in St. Petersburg's Catherine Palace, where it was dubbed the eighth wonder of the world.
01:24In 1941, war rages across Europe, and Hitler's forces have invaded the Soviet Union.
01:33Curators are forced to abandon the Catherine Palace.
01:37The Nazis disassemble and pack the amber room into crates, loaded onto a train, and send it to Kamigsberg Castle in Germany.
01:45But the castle is then bombed by the Allies.
01:51And the entire amber room vanishes.
01:54Its location a mystery.
01:58But recently, experts in Russia and Germany have discovered new evidence the amber chamber survived the war.
02:05As well as clues that may point to its exact location.
02:08Conspiracy theories abound, but I want to find real answers.
02:13Not to mention, the chance of documenting potential breakthroughs in the hunt for the world's most valuable missing object.
02:20My name is Josh Gates.
02:30With a degree in archaeology and a passion for exploration.
02:35I have a tendency to end up in some very strange situations.
02:39There has got to be a better way to make a living.
02:42My travels have taken me to the ends of the earth as I investigate the greatest legends in history.
02:48We're going to fly. Let's go.
02:49This is Expedition Unknown.
02:57St. Petersburg.
02:58The grand vision of Peter the Great.
03:01It's one of the most colorful cities on the planet, boasting stunning Baroque architecture and fairytale palaces.
03:07In short, it's the beating cultural heart of Mother Russia.
03:13This is it, St. Petersburg.
03:14One of the world's all-time great cities.
03:16Home of Pushkin.
03:17Home of Tchaikovsky.
03:18Home of Gandalf.
03:19Apparently, all the greats.
03:21And it didn't take long before I got exposed to the local culture.
03:25I feel like you're not wearing any clothes under here.
03:27Is that true?
03:28Oh, beautiful.
03:29Oh, beautiful.
03:29Perfect.
03:29It's just...
03:30What is going on?
03:36Sweet hat.
03:37Check.
03:38You like it?
03:39Yeah?
03:40You and me.
03:41Captain, first mate.
03:42There we go.
03:43I'm apparently in the opening of a James Bond film.
03:49With 300 years of history all around me, it's time to begin my quest.
03:56This is where the mystery of the Amber Chamber begins, right here at Catherine's Palace.
04:01Welcome to the Summer Palace.
04:05Originally constructed in 1717 as a modest vacation home for Catherine I, the Amber Room was moved here in 1755, where it became a symbol of peace and unity.
04:16That is, until the Nazis showed up.
04:21Inside, I've arranged to meet with historian Vladimir Chekhanov and a translator to get a first-hand look at the scene of the crime.
04:28Oh, it's stunning, though.
04:29It's just beautiful.
04:30How many rooms in the palace?
04:35About several thousand, including all the rooms for the servants and security.
04:42Several thousand.
04:43Is it possible?
04:44It is possible.
04:45Everything's possible in Russia.
04:48As it turns out, maybe anything is possible in Russia.
04:51The palace boasts a seemingly endless collection of dining rooms, portrait galleries, and slightly over-the-top home decorating.
04:58It also contains something else, a reconstruction of the stolen Amber Room.
05:11So this is it.
05:12This is the Amber Room.
05:13This is incredible.
05:14Look at this place.
05:16And this is just a replica.
05:17The impressive facsimile took 24 years of work by Russian craftsmen.
05:23The price tag?
05:2412 million dollars.
05:26That's a lot of rubles.
05:27But these sparkling panels are merely copies.
05:30Today, the original would be priceless.
05:35What did this room look like when the Nazis arrived?
05:38Before the curators left, they wallpapered the entire room to hide it from the Nazis.
05:48After three days in the castle, the Nazis became suspicious.
05:52So they took their knives and cut through it, exposing the beautiful amber beneath.
05:57Six low-level Nazi soldiers and one commanding officer dismantled the room.
06:02It took 36 hours and filled 22 crates.
06:06The crates were loaded onto trucks and moved to a train, which took them to the castle in Konigsberg.
06:14So we know that the room went there, and then after that, we don't know.
06:18Do you think it was destroyed, or do you think it's still out there somewhere?
06:20Do you think it's still in Kaliningrad?
06:31If you want to find the amber room, follow the rails.
06:34Go straight to Kaliningrad.
06:36Thank you very much.
06:42Vladimir and other experts believe the Nazis buried the room in secret passageways below the castle.
06:47It's an intriguing idea, and I plan to hop the next train to Kaliningrad to investigate.
06:55That is, if I can figure out how to buy a ticket.
06:58Okay, I can probably work a Russian automated ticket machine.
07:03Okay, from, this is St. Petersburg, to the Klingon homeworld, I think.
07:11This makes perfect sense, obviously.
07:13Purchase.
07:14Pretty sure I just opened a checking account.
07:15I don't really even know what's happening.
07:18Bam.
07:20Okay, I have a ticket.
07:21I don't know to where, but I have a ticket.
07:26I'm expecting the worst, but at the platform, I find an artifact nearly as beautiful as the amber chamber.
07:32The Red Arrow.
07:33This is a train.
07:39This is some seriously cool Cold War, badass Russian technology here.
07:44She's been reliably riding these rails since 1931, comes in candy apple red, and blasts the hymn of St. Petersburg when it's time to board.
07:52Eat your heart out, Amtrak.
08:03Compartment four.
08:05Oh, look at this action.
08:08I got box lunches and wrapped buns and, I don't know, Russian lotto scratchers.
08:18What else could you need?
08:19This is a lap of luxury here.
08:20It's 140 degrees in this car, but other than that, it's awesome.
08:25The Red Arrow pulls out of the station along the same rails that shipped Russia's greatest prize into the heart of Nazi Germany, and it might still be out there.
08:35Just six months ago, German authorities discovered 1,500 paintings, stolen by the Nazis, stashed in a German apartment.
08:43Collectively, they're worth more than a billion dollars.
08:46Who's to say the amber chamber can't be next?
08:51The journey from St. Petersburg will take me along the western edge of Russia, skirting through Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania before arriving in Kaliningrad,
09:00which, though it's geographically disconnected, is part of Russia.
09:03All told, the train ride will cover 600 miles.
09:07That's 16 hours.
09:09Not that I'm counting.
09:18It's a new day as I finally arrive in Kaliningrad.
09:23Though sadly, I'm still wearing the same shirt.
09:26But as I make my way through the jumble of Prussian forts, German walls, and Soviet apartment buildings,
09:32I'm reminded what a confusing place Kaliningrad is.
09:35It was once a powerful German city called Konigsberg, but in the aftermath of World War II, it was parceled out to the Soviets.
09:42Think of it as the Russian Alaska, but with less snow and more Lenin statues.
09:46It's also the last known location of the Amber Room.
09:54Whether the chamber is still here remains to be seen, but one thing is clear.
09:58There is plenty of amber around.
09:59From amber saints to amber hedgehogs.
10:02I mean, they've got it all.
10:03I mean, they've got it all.
10:03The amber ship's wheel clock.
10:08I mean, come on.
10:09They say an elephant never forgets, and neither will your wife when you buy her this for your wedding anniversary.
10:15Also, you'll be sleeping in the car.
10:16There it is, the old amber seahorse ashtray.
10:20This is an amber frame, and this is amber.
10:23She's a dancer, but she's got a heart of gold.
10:26I'm not saying this girl's an adult dancer.
10:30I just hope she is.
10:34I'm literally covered in amber.
10:37I mean, it is hot in this city.
10:39Seriously.
10:40Forget the amber.
10:41Do you have any air conditioning around here?
10:43Okay.
10:44A man could get lost in Kaliningrad's treasure trove of amber tchotchkes,
10:49but I'm looking for the real deal.
10:51It's time to explore what remains of the Amber Room's last documented location.
10:56Though you wouldn't know it today,
10:58Konigsberg Castle was once the epicenter of the city.
11:01It was also a Nazi stronghold.
11:03After the amber chamber was stolen and shipped here from Russia,
11:06it was displayed for the elite of the Third Reich.
11:09But in 1945, a British-led Allied attack reduced the castle to ruins.
11:15Today, it's an eerie void that sits silently at the heart of the city.
11:19At one end stands the foreboding House of the Soviets.
11:22Known locally as the Monster,
11:24it has the dubious honor of being considered the ugliest building ever built.
11:29Even worse, construction was abandoned in the 1980s
11:32after it was revealed that it was literally sinking into the ground.
11:35Parts of the original castle sit under this behemoth,
11:41and there has long been a rumor that there may be tunnels that lead to the Amber Chamber.
11:45But is it true?
11:47I'll need to get inside to find out.
11:49All I have to do is get past the local security guard.
11:52I'm in the former German city of Königsberg,
12:08where I'm hot on the trail of the missing Amber Chamber,
12:11an entire room stolen from Russia by the Nazis in World War II.
12:15The Third Reich moved it here,
12:17in a castle that was then bombed to pieces by the Allies.
12:21I'm trying to get inside an abandoned building built over the ruins
12:25to see if there's any evidence the chamber could still be here.
12:33Hi.
12:33Well, that didn't go exactly as I hoped.
12:40What happened there?
12:41It's times like this when I'm grateful to have a Russian translator lurking in the background
12:45and just off camera.
12:46Why don't you talk to him for a minute?
12:47I'll wait over here.
12:49We'll let my translator here talk to that gentleman for a moment and see what happens.
12:56Okay, so it's not looking good.
12:59Here, stop filming.
13:00But after being asked to shut down my cameras,
13:03followed by a lengthy negotiation,
13:05I'm being allowed inside.
13:06Spasiva.
13:10I've gone from being shut out entirely
13:12to having full run of the place.
13:14And what a place it is.
13:16First, I'm going to check the basement to find out
13:18if there really are any secret passages down there.
13:21Going downstairs, it gets very dark very quick.
13:24There's no electricity here.
13:30Really dangerous, just open staircases, no railings left.
13:36It's damn creepy down here.
13:37But if the rumors are true, the Amber Room could be within reach.
13:41I mean, it is just pitch black down here.
13:51This is the basement level.
13:58Looks like a dead end.
14:00So this is at the end of the line down here in the basement of the House of the Soviets.
14:05It's nothing but garbage and razor wire, and there's nothing down here.
14:10It just ends in poured concrete slab and no doors, no passages, just end of the line.
14:17My search didn't reveal any secret passages that I can see.
14:20But before I leave, I'm making a quick climb to the roof
14:23to get a view of the castle's footprint that extends beyond the House of the Soviets.
14:27The building is literally falling apart.
14:30And as you can see, there's just cracks and huge sections of concrete that have tumbled off.
14:38And the roof.
14:42Wow.
14:44Well, bad building, great view.
14:47From the roof, you can see the ghostly outline of Konigsberg Castle.
14:52The Nazis brought the Amber Room here in 1941.
14:55But at the end of the war, the ancient fortress was demolished by the Allies.
14:59This is all that's left of Konigsberg Castle.
15:03Other than that, it's just been utterly destroyed.
15:05Many believe the Amber Room lies hidden somewhere beneath the ruins.
15:09They've just recently started excavating this area over here
15:12to get down to some of the basement levels.
15:13Even now, some 70 years later, the Russians are still looking.
15:20Crazy.
15:22Avenir Azayanov is the chief historian for the castle's excavation
15:26on the other side of the courtyard.
15:28So far, they've turned up rare artifacts from Prussia's past
15:31and even stonework from the Middle Ages.
15:34But what about the Amber Chamber?
15:35Is it still here?
15:37Take me back in time a little bit.
15:39Today, we're standing in what looks like ruins.
15:41But what would this castle have looked like before 1944?
15:48We know that the Amber Room was here in this castle, yes?
15:53143 items from the Amber Room arrived in Konigsberg
16:02along with three boxes filled with pieces of amber.
16:06They set up the room on the first floor
16:08on the southern part of the king's castle.
16:10The amber panels were within 500 feet
16:12of where we are standing now.
16:15Have any substantial pieces of the amber panels ever been found?
16:18What they found in the summer of 1945 was small pieces,
16:30but none of the bronze connectors holding the pieces together
16:33were ever found.
16:35Which means the masterpiece might have been moved to Germany.
16:38There is a German historian who believes the Amber Room
16:41is hidden in the forest near Oswald.
16:43And further south, a treasure hunter
16:45has good evidence that parts of the room
16:47might be buried in a mine.
16:49Thank you very much for your time.
16:51I appreciate it.
16:51Thank you so much.
16:56His team believes that there are two solid leads
16:59for possible locations for the Amber Chamber.
17:02Both are in Germany.
17:03After eight hours aboard the train,
17:08it's clear that we're not in Russia anymore.
17:11Station stop, Berlin.
17:17Few places have had a more dramatic turnaround
17:20than this storied city.
17:21This was once the tightly regimented nerve center
17:24of the Nazi empire.
17:27Today, it's absolutely alive
17:29with a youthful artistic pulse.
17:31Even the Berlin Wall,
17:33once a grey, monolithic symbol of division,
17:36is now a kaleidoscopic canvas for free expression.
17:40I'd love to stay a while,
17:41but my train is rolling on.
17:49A few stops later,
17:50I disembark in the quaint town of Oswald, Germany.
17:53Good day.
17:54Hello.
17:54Hello.
17:55Can I have a breakfast?
17:58Yes.
18:01All right, look at that.
18:04I mean, that is,
18:05that is the largest bun that you have available.
18:08Okay, I'll take it.
18:09Look at that.
18:12Danke.
18:13Mmm.
18:14Bratwurst?
18:15Check.
18:17Let's go treasure hunting.
18:18This is author and historian Matthias Gluba.
18:27He has a compelling new theory
18:29that the Amber Room was transported here
18:31to Oswald by train,
18:32along with some seriously dangerous cargo.
18:35Okay, what have we got here?
18:37This is a classified aerial photograph
18:41taken by the U.S. Air Force in 1945.
18:44It details the transport of two massive cannons
18:47from Königsberg to Abiswader by train.
18:51The cannons he's talking about
18:52are known as Dora and Gustav.
18:54They are the two biggest guns ever built.
18:57They were designed to ride on existing rail lines
19:00and fired 16,000-pound projectiles.
19:03Had Hitler been able to deploy them,
19:05they may have changed the outcome of the war.
19:08Tell me how this links to the Amber Chamber.
19:11Train cars were used to transport
19:13the components of each gun.
19:15But along with the cannons,
19:17there are reports that they also loaded the convoy
19:19with a secret cargo.
19:20It turns out Gluba has uncovered
19:23a previously top-secret document
19:25that just might point right to the treasure.
19:34In 1941, the Nazis stole
19:36a priceless piece of Russian art,
19:38a room crusted with amber and gold.
19:40It may have been moved by train to Germany,
19:42where it vanished.
19:45Historian Matthias Gluba
19:47has uncovered new evidence
19:48that the Amber Chamber could be here,
19:50in the German town of Arswald.
19:53This is a top-secret Air Force intelligence photo
19:55from 1945 that Matthias dug
19:57out of the archives in Berlin.
20:0146 train cars were used
20:02to transport the components of each gun.
20:06But along with the cannons,
20:07there are reports that the convoy
20:09was traveling with a secret cargo.
20:11The photo shows six extra cars on the train
20:13that were unaccounted for on official documents,
20:16but rumored to be carrying wooden crates.
20:18So when the Allied forces made it here,
20:21what did they find when they made it to this depot?
20:25The rail cars carrying the pieces of the gun
20:28were all still full of their cargo.
20:30However, six of the rail cars
20:32were completely empty.
20:34And do you think it's possible
20:34that the chamber could have been taken off
20:37these rail cars and hidden somewhere?
20:38I think it's highly likely.
20:41If the chamber was taken out of those wagons,
20:43where could they possibly have hidden it around here
20:45that the Allies wouldn't have found it?
20:48There was a road that led from the train depot
20:50towards the bunker in the forest.
20:53That would be the perfect place
20:54to hide the boxes carrying the Amber Room.
20:56Are these bunkers still there?
20:58Some were bombed,
20:59but for the most part, yes.
21:01If these documents are accurate,
21:03the Amber Room could be hidden
21:04in these forgotten bunkers.
21:12It doesn't take long
21:14for me to hike up to the forests,
21:15and Gluba has loaned me a German map
21:17of the Nazi compound.
21:20So, I came in off the road here.
21:24There should be a series of these bunkers
21:25on my left on this trail.
21:30This might be one here.
21:31You see how this whole thing
21:35rises up like that?
21:37Yep, it is.
21:37It definitely is.
21:38Check this out.
21:40These are big concrete blocks.
21:49Looks like more bunker pieces here.
21:53Same thing.
21:55There's just nothing left here.
21:58When the Allies came in here,
21:59they just took these things down.
22:00You can see how thick
22:01these walls used to be.
22:02And now it's just
22:03a big open crater.
22:05Just totally bombed to pieces.
22:08Okay, that's one down.
22:10Just keep checking them off.
22:13The Nazis were obsessed
22:15with the Amber Room,
22:16and they would have done
22:16anything to keep it.
22:18Most of these bunkers
22:19were destroyed
22:19near the end of World War II,
22:21but based on Matthias'
22:22promising leads,
22:23I'm excited to see
22:24if one could still be intact.
22:27Okay, according to the map,
22:28there's supposed to be
22:30a really huge underground area
22:33that may not have been bombed
22:34somewhere in these woods.
22:35Oh, look at this.
22:46Check this out.
22:47Another one.
22:49This one's not collapsed.
22:50It's like a chimney.
22:51I mean,
22:52I don't know where that goes,
22:53but it's huge down there.
22:55That's freaky.
22:56This looks like
22:58one of the bunkers,
22:59and it may still be
23:00in one piece.
23:01Unfortunately,
23:02I can't fit inside.
23:04But with a little jury rigging,
23:05my camera can do
23:06the work for me.
23:06All right,
23:16that camera's underwater.
23:18Let's see what it sees.
23:20I mean, it's crazy.
23:22It's like a horror movie.
23:24I am like,
23:25I am halfway convinced
23:26I'm going to see
23:26a skeleton down here.
23:30Okay, coming up.
23:31I want to see
23:36what's on this thing.
23:39A little musty.
23:43Let's see what we got here.
23:45As I play back the footage,
23:46I'm hoping for any signs
23:48of treasure
23:48or for another entrance.
23:50You see debris, branches.
23:52Water looks pretty filthy.
23:54It's like a big domed bunker.
23:57Can't tell how deep
23:58the water is,
23:58but, oh, right there.
24:01Look at that.
24:10It's a huge room.
24:11It looks domed.
24:12It's like a big domed bunker.
24:15Can't tell how deep
24:16the water is.
24:18The Amber Room
24:19could be right under my feet.
24:22Oh, right there.
24:24Look at that.
24:25That looks like
24:26another opening right there.
24:27Might be another one
24:28of these chimney things.
24:29All right, let's go see
24:29if we can figure out
24:30where that light source
24:31is coming from.
24:43Oh, look at this.
24:45This is it.
24:47This is the other light
24:49that I was seeing
24:49from down there.
24:50Huge opening.
24:51This is a much better view
24:55down there.
24:56I can see some sort of,
24:58looks like a metal container even.
25:03And just debris everywhere.
25:05This is definitely
25:06that entrance
25:07that I was seeing
25:07the light from down there.
25:08It's all one chamber.
25:10Much bigger entrance, though.
25:11Fortunately,
25:12or unfortunately,
25:13I think I can fit down this one,
25:15so I should get down there
25:17and check it out.
25:20It's getting dark.
25:22And it's about to get
25:24a whole lot darker.
25:26Let's go check this out.
25:29I break out boots
25:30and what few supplies I have.
25:32Okay.
25:34This is going to be terrible.
25:35Oh, this is terrible.
25:52Spiders all over the wall.
25:54As I descend
25:54into the depths
25:55of a bunker
25:55that was crawling
25:56with Nazis
25:5770 years ago,
25:58I can't help but feel
25:59a little uneasy
26:00at what I might discover.
26:02Okay.
26:03I'm down.
26:05Holy s**t.
26:07Look at this place.
26:11God, it is huge down here.
26:14It goes way back.
26:16It's just filled with debris.
26:18Muck and gunk.
26:19I mean, it's really bad.
26:28Whatever this is.
26:32I mean, it's probably
26:33the grossest water
26:35I've ever been in.
26:37There's gasoline
26:39or oil on the surface.
26:40Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
26:41This whole piece of concrete
26:43that I'm on
26:43is totally unstable.
26:50Whoa.
26:50What is that?
26:54This whole piece of concrete
26:55just wants to flip over.
26:56It's the only thing on here
26:58that's stable at this point.
26:59Oh, that just drops right off there,
27:06doesn't it?
27:07I managed to sort through
27:08as much of the debris
27:09as I can,
27:10but it's mostly twisted metal
27:11and military scraps.
27:13No sign of priceless
27:14artistic treasure.
27:15I think with this bunker
27:17being burned out
27:17the way it is,
27:19I think this might be
27:20another dead end
27:21and I think it's probably
27:22not that safe
27:22to stay down here
27:23because this air
27:24feels really stale
27:25and smells really chemically.
27:27so I think I'm going
27:29to get the hell
27:29on out of here.
27:34While Glooba's theory
27:35is compelling,
27:37this particular bunker
27:38is trashed
27:38and was likely burned
27:39during the war.
27:41Still,
27:41with more time
27:42and resources,
27:43who knows what other relics
27:44could be found
27:45in these decaying structures.
27:50Okay.
27:53That
27:53is not where
27:56the amber chamber is,
27:57but it is pretty amazing.
28:00Wow.
28:02Can I get like
28:0340 gallons
28:04of Purell, please?
28:06It's late
28:07and I'm beat,
28:08but German trains
28:09wait for no man.
28:14Long day
28:15of running around.
28:17Off to bed.
28:17A few hours later,
28:25the sun is up again
28:26and so am I.
28:29I'm disembarking
28:30to meet with an
28:30ex-CIA informant
28:31turned treasure hunter
28:32who has details
28:33about what may be
28:34the most promising search
28:36for the amber chamber
28:37ever mounted.
28:41I can't help
28:42but notice
28:42an unguarded border
28:43to the Czech Republic
28:44or the bar
28:45on the other side.
28:46Bucket list item
28:47number 237,
28:49illegally enjoy a beer
28:50in the Czech Republic.
28:52Czech, please.
28:54Czech, please.
28:55Nobody.
28:55All right.
28:56Okay, where were we?
28:58Ah, yes,
28:59the ex-spy.
29:00Helmut Ganzel's
29:01espionage days
29:01are behind him,
29:02but he's managed
29:03to come into possession
29:04of a previously
29:05unpublished letter
29:06written by a German soldier
29:07who was secretly
29:08transporting boxes
29:09from Königsberg
29:10to the nearby city
29:11of Deutschnedorf
29:12in 1945.
29:13So these documents
29:17are written by a soldier
29:18and he's driving
29:19this truck
29:19and what does he say
29:20in the letter,
29:21specifically?
29:22The letter
29:22described a very
29:23mysterious shipment
29:24that came out
29:25from Königsberg.
29:29Boxes,
29:30it was kept
29:30very secret,
29:31nobody could talk about.
29:33Does he say
29:33how many crates
29:34there were?
29:35No, four trucks.
29:36Four trucks worth.
29:37So a lot.
29:38And did he see
29:39inside the boxes?
29:40He saw only one box
29:42and that they saw
29:43that it's kind
29:43of a mirror.
29:44That's a tantalizing detail
29:45because we know
29:46that a lot of the
29:47amber chamber
29:47had these ornate mirrors
29:49and reflective pieces.
29:50A secret transport
29:52two weeks
29:52and only going
29:53the night.
29:54I think
29:54it was the amber room.
29:57And where does he say
29:58that this secret
30:00shipment ends?
30:01About eight kilometers
30:02from Deutschnedorf.
30:03In Deutschnedorf,
30:04there are tunnels
30:05about three kilometers.
30:06I'm sorry,
30:06there's three kilometers
30:07of tunnels?
30:08I would say even more
30:09if you put all together.
30:10The probability
30:11that they put it
30:13in there
30:13is very high.
30:15So if I'm going
30:16down there
30:17to Deutschnedorf,
30:18who should I meet?
30:19Who should I intersect with?
30:20Heinz Peter Haustein.
30:21He's the mayor
30:22of the town.
30:23And he's involved
30:24with the search?
30:25He is the search, right?
30:26He is.
30:26He is the search.
30:27So if Helmut's right,
30:29the Nazis hid the amber room
30:30in a German mine
30:31in Deutschnedorf.
30:33And since my train
30:35doesn't run that way,
30:36I'm taking a more
30:37local mode
30:37of transportation.
30:38I've already gone
30:40to protect my mother.
30:41Now I ain't got
30:42a bit to my name.
30:44So I'm going
30:45to shoot the next man
30:46who walks on by
30:47and steal all his
30:48bad shit.
30:50Now this is what
30:51I call a bike.
30:53Riding in style
30:54through the German
30:55countryside.
30:56This baby here
30:57is state-of-the-art.
30:58I'm tearing across
31:22the German countryside
31:23on the hunt
31:24for a priceless relic
31:25known as the
31:26amber chamber.
31:28After pulling the bike
31:29off the road,
31:30I hike through the woods
31:31only to find this.
31:34Heavy equipment
31:35and a group
31:36armed with high-tech
31:37scanners.
31:39One of the team members,
31:40Paul,
31:41introduces me
31:41to Peter Hausstein,
31:42the mayor of
31:43Deutschnedorf.
31:44Hello, Peter.
31:45Nice to meet you.
31:45Nice to meet you, too.
31:46What's going on up here?
31:48It seems like you guys
31:48have a full-scale
31:49operation going here.
31:50The first
31:51report was
31:51the Amber Room,
31:52the Bernstein-Zimmer.
31:53It's also going to be
31:54about documents
31:54and the rich gold.
31:57It's not
31:57what we find.
31:58We know
31:58there are
31:58hidden gems.
31:59And the mountain
32:01under us,
32:02120 meters deep,
32:03is the mountain.
32:05Right under our feet,
32:06there's a huge network
32:07of mines.
32:07And we think
32:08it's in one of these
32:09mines underneath the ground.
32:11And so,
32:11have you been able
32:12to get inside the mines
32:13at all,
32:14or you're just trying
32:14to find a way down
32:15into them?
32:16This mountain
32:17is where the shipments
32:23from Konigsberg
32:24were said to have
32:25been brought.
32:26But it wasn't until
32:2615 years ago
32:27that anyone in the town
32:29knew that the factory
32:30had a secret.
32:31It had been built
32:32atop a massive silver mine
32:33that had been carved
32:34beneath the town
32:35nearly 300 years earlier.
32:38Coincidence?
32:38Probably not,
32:40since there was
32:40an entrance to the mine
32:41in the bowels
32:42of the factory.
32:43So what was being
32:44hidden down there?
32:45What Peter then did
32:48with the support
32:48of the people
32:49and the government
32:49is to remove
32:51that factory
32:51and find a way
32:53to the entrance.
32:54Have you been able
32:55to enter any
32:56of the mine
32:57from above,
32:57or only the one
32:58entrance where
32:58the factory was?
33:03This is a pretty
33:04impressive operation.
33:05I mean,
33:05you've got heavy
33:06equipment up here,
33:06you've got very
33:07high-tech gear.
33:09Do you need any help?
33:09I'd be happy
33:10to run that thing.
33:12Can I just
33:13vielleicht mal
33:13in that thing
33:14rein?
33:14I promise you
33:19that you just
33:19made a huge mistake,
33:20sir.
33:21I'm definitely
33:21going to break
33:22this thing.
33:23I'll find that
33:23chamber right now.
33:25This is crazy.
33:26I swear I have
33:27my German excavator
33:28driver's license.
33:29Okay?
33:31If I do find
33:32the Amber Room,
33:32let's hope I don't
33:33crush it with my
33:34new toy.
33:36Okay.
33:37This is, uh,
33:38this doesn't look
33:39very complicated.
33:40I've seen aliens.
33:41This is exactly
33:41like that thing
33:42from Aliens, right?
33:42So, uh,
33:44this is, uh,
33:47uh-huh,
33:47bucket goes down,
33:48bucket goes up,
33:50arm goes up,
33:51arm goes down.
33:51What does this one do?
33:53Turns the machine.
33:54Is this like a
33:55rocket launcher
33:56or a...
33:57horn?
33:58Got it.
33:59Found the horn.
34:00Okay, here we go.
34:01I'm doing good.
34:10Look at this.
34:10Good.
34:12Guys, can I join
34:13your team permanently?
34:14Absolutely, you can.
34:16This is a multinational
34:17effort, Germans and
34:18Americans working
34:19together in harmony.
34:21I'd like to apologize
34:22for that phone tapping
34:23thing.
34:24So, no sign of the
34:26Amber Chamber just yet.
34:27We're down about
34:2815, 20 feet here.
34:29Any chance, uh,
34:31you can show me
34:31what's underneath us
34:32here?
34:32I'm a little eager
34:33to get down there
34:34and see what you got.
34:35Absolutely you can.
34:36Yeah?
34:37All right, come.
34:37All right.
34:38I'll just leave
34:39all this, uh,
34:40running.
34:41Because otherwise
34:42I'm going to drive
34:42into this hole
34:43and kill myself.
34:44Okay, all right.
34:45I love the mare.
34:47The mare says goes.
34:49Let's go, guys.
34:50Just beyond the tree
34:55line, the mare leads
34:56me to a building
34:56where the old factory
34:57once stood.
34:59Beneath our feet are
34:59purportedly miles of
35:01pitch black serpentine
35:02tunnels.
35:05Wow.
35:06The mare is willing
35:07to give me unprecedented
35:08access to the deepest
35:09point of the mine that
35:10they've been able to
35:11reach.
35:13I'm excited, but I'm
35:14not sure this yellow
35:15coat or hard hat is
35:16much of a match for
35:17the thousands of tons
35:18of rock above my
35:19head.
35:20Yeah?
35:22We look good.
35:26This is the line.
35:28Oh, yeah, it is.
35:29Oh, my God.
35:30So, yeah, obviously
35:31this is the entrance
35:32here.
35:33This door was once
35:34hidden behind a factory
35:35wall in Nazi Germany.
35:37Now that it's been
35:38revealed, it's time to
35:39see what secrets are
35:40inside.
35:42That is terrifying
35:44looking.
35:44Lead on.
35:45Here we go.
35:46This is a mine.
35:55Oh, yeah, it is.
35:57Oh, my God.
35:59That is terrifying
36:00looking.
36:01Lead on.
36:02Here we go.
36:03This is crazy.
36:08There's no doubt
36:09about it, this is a
36:10mine.
36:10A creepy, secret, and
36:12very old mine.
36:13This is actually
36:14really old stonework.
36:16It's amazing.
36:17It's like it's cut out
36:18of the rock, but then
36:19you see these sort of
36:20beautiful arches and
36:21tunnels from when they
36:22built this mine out, I
36:23think.
36:24None of this stuff's new.
36:24It was built out this
36:26way originally, it
36:26looks like.
36:31These tools were used
36:32by the very first
36:33people who built this
36:34mine in the 17th
36:35century.
36:36Back then, it was
36:37being explored for
36:37silver and copper
36:38deposits.
36:40I mean, this was
36:40the high-tech tools of
36:42the day, right?
36:42They didn't have more.
36:44And using just this,
36:45how much progress
36:46would they make?
36:46Maybe six meters a
36:48year.
36:48In the year.
36:4918 feet a year.
36:50We're walking through
36:51500 years of work.
36:53It's like a time
36:54machine.
36:54It is like a time
36:55machine.
36:56That's amazing.
36:57And despite their
36:58slow progress in carving
36:59these tunnels, what
37:00they accomplished down
37:01here is nothing short
37:02of breathtaking.
37:04Looks like coming
37:05into a big chamber.
37:06Oh, my God.
37:08Look at this.
37:10Look at this place.
37:12Are you kidding me?
37:14This is unbelievable.
37:18Look at the stonework.
37:20I mean, this is like
37:21Lord of the Rings down
37:22here.
37:22How tall is this room?
37:23It's in 30 meters.
37:26About 30 meters high
37:27from here.
37:28Almost 100 feet tall
37:29and all of this looks like
37:30it's hand-laid brick and
37:32arches.
37:33When were these arches
37:34made?
37:35It was hundreds of years.
37:3617th century?
37:37Yeah, 17th century,
37:39exactly.
37:40Do you guys have a
37:40dragon down here?
37:41No, I don't.
37:42We haven't found one yet.
37:43It's like something out
37:44of a movie.
37:45This place is totally
37:47insane.
37:47Speaking of insane,
37:50I can't help but notice
37:51the pumps that are being
37:52used to drain water
37:53out of the mine.
37:55And so this is keeping
37:56the mine from flooding?
37:57Exactly.
37:58Okay, so let's hope
37:59that keeps working.
38:00Without these systems
38:01in place,
38:02the mine could flood
38:03at any moment.
38:04That looks safe.
38:13You can see they've just
38:14jammed everything from
38:16steel rods to parts of
38:18trees to try to keep
38:19the chamber from collapsing.
38:22How old are these
38:23supports, Paul?
38:24How old are these
38:25supports, Paul?
38:27350 years.
38:31This looks up to
38:31code.
38:34Josh, come on.
38:35Come, come, come, come.
38:37Here, Josh.
38:38Okay, here, Jorah.
38:39The water
38:39will drain us
38:40from this
38:40friend.
38:41So they want to go
38:42in here, in this
38:44shaft, because they
38:45suppose there's another
38:46room.
38:46Are you saying that
38:47there's another level
38:48underneath this?
38:49New floor.
38:50Yeah, exactly what
38:51you're saying.
38:54It's all flooded
38:55down there, but you
38:56can see that it does.
38:57It goes into another
38:58chamber.
38:59Okay, so we can't
39:01get down in this
39:01area yet, but we can
39:02keep pushing forward.
39:04Looks like there's a
39:09number of tunnels down
39:10here that they haven't
39:11fully cleared, so he's
39:13taking us down to areas
39:16that have not been
39:16explored.
39:18Okay, so left.
39:21Linked?
39:21Okay.
39:22Okay.
39:22Okay.
39:23Okay, here we go.
39:26An absolute labyrinth
39:28down here.
39:29The mine is getting
39:31smaller and more
39:32claustrophobic.
39:33I've been walking for
39:34what seems like hours,
39:36and I know there's no
39:37way I could ever find my
39:38way to the surface alone.
39:40Finally, we come to what
39:41looks like an opening,
39:42sealed by rubble.
39:44No one has explored
39:46beyond this point.
39:47Could the Amber Room be
39:48here?
39:49There's only one way to
39:50find out.
39:51It goes up, yeah?
39:52Yes.
39:52Yeah, bring it down.
39:53You got it?
40:02Easy.
40:03It's sliding back.
40:07Yeah?
40:08Oh, it opens up.
40:10It definitely opens up
40:11here.
40:11This looks super sketchy.
40:13All this stuff.
40:15None of this has been
40:15reinforced.
40:16This is all old from the
40:18mine.
40:20It looks like a part of a
40:22ladder, maybe.
40:23Careful, careful, careful.
40:24None of this looks like
40:25it's in good shape.
40:27It's too...
40:27It's collapsed, though?
40:31Yeah, that's all
40:32in there.
40:34Oh, let's go!
40:35Back, back, back, back,
40:36back, back, back, back,
40:36back, back, back, back.
40:37Something's letting loose
40:38down there.
40:38Here.
40:40Definitely not safe.
40:42Here we go.
40:43Here we go!
40:45Let's go!
40:46Let's get out of here!
40:47It's letting go!
40:47Ugh!
40:53Hey.
40:55Nice work.
40:56Let's get out of here.
40:58The mine is too unstable
40:59for us to go any further.
41:01And frankly, we're probably
41:02lucky to have made it back
41:03to here.
41:04The amber chamber's back
41:05there.
41:06And I gotta tell you, I'm
41:07halfway convinced it could be.
41:09It's gonna need a lot of
41:10reinforcing of these walls
41:12to get to.
41:13It's not safe in there at all.
41:15This is as far as my journey
41:17is gonna take me.
41:18If I'm being honest,
41:20I can't help but feel
41:21that the amber room
41:22could really be here.
41:24But if it is,
41:24it's not going to be found
41:26today.
41:26The Nazis may have won
41:27this round, but I'll be back.
41:29Or at least the mayor will.
41:33In the end, what's so
41:34compelling about the amber
41:35chamber is not what's been
41:37lost, but what so many
41:38have labored passionately
41:39to find.
41:40In St. Petersburg,
41:42craftsmen have toiled for
41:43decades to recreate the
41:45pride of a nation.
41:46In Kaliningrad, relics
41:48stolen to a once-mighty
41:49castle are being recovered.
41:51And deep beneath the
41:52surface, a historic mine
41:54is slowly revealing its own
41:56long-buried secrets.
41:59It seems fitting that the
42:01Nazis' divisive aim to
42:02covet and destroy great
42:03cultural treasures has only
42:05served to unite nations in
42:07a cooperative effort to
42:08preserve their heritage.
42:10There's no real, hard
42:11evidence that the amber
42:12chamber was destroyed.
42:13And as more masterpieces
42:15continue to turn up,
42:16nearly three-quarters of a
42:17century after the war,
42:19perhaps the amber chamber
42:20is still out there,
42:22waiting patiently for
42:23someone to bring it back
42:24into the light.
42:25world to endure.
42:29read the film and
42:30wrap it up,
42:30白...
42:31and
42:33liveppe
42:34которого
42:34was
42:34in
42:35a
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