The House of Soviets or “Buried Robot” as it is referred to by locals was built on the former site of Königsberg Castle and some believe it contains buried treasure!
Located in Kaliningrad, an exclave of Russia, Königsberg Castle originated around 1257. Between 1700 – 1900 the castle was vastly enlarged and reconstructed. Encyclopedia Britannica described the Castle as a “magnificent palace” in its 1815 edition. Among other things it contained a Prussian Museum with many works of art and was open to the public every day. During World War II it is believed to have housed part of the famed Amber Room.
Photo by Jeanyfan is used under public domain
The Amber Room
Called the eighth wonder of the world, the Amber Room contained gold leaf, mirrors, and 6 tons of amber! Some still think that the Amber Room exists in a secret location. In “The Amber Room: The Untold Story of the Greatest Hoax of the Twentieth Century” by Catherine Scott-Clark and Adrian Levy, they conclude that it was in fact destroyed during the war. During World War II Königsberg Castle was largely destroyed with only the outer walls remaining which were later demolished.
House of Soviets by Haruka Iwao is used under CC BY-SA 2.0 / Cropped and enhanced from original
Construction began on the Buried Robot in 1970. It was designed by architect Yulian L. Shvartsbreim. Construction was halted at 21 of 28 floors due to several factors such as the heavy weight of the concrete and unstable ground, thought to be caused by marshy soil and the under chambers of the former castle. It remained in this partially finished state for about 20 years until 2005 when windows were installed and it was painted sky blue pending a visit by then president Vladimir Putin.
Restoration
Recently there has been some talk of restoring the original Königsberg Castle although it would be costly since the original stonework has been demolished. German magazine Der Spiegel funded the Kaliningrad Art History Museum to perform excavations of the former cellar of the castle and thousands of items have been found. Plans to keep parts of the excavation site as an open-air museum are in place.
Whether or not the Buried Robot is host to buried treasure is up for debate, however, it was once the site of a local treasure. Hopefully, the Königsberg Castle can one day be restored in all of its former glory.
Königsberg Castle by the Library of Congress is used under public domain
