A Polish historian's belief that he has discovered the location of the legendary and long lost Amber Room is being put to the test by researchers this week.
Bartlomiej Plebanczyk made headlines back in April after he claimed to have used ground penetrating radar to find a hidden underground chamber beneath a Nazi bunker in northeastern Poland.
The historian posited that the bunker may contain the precious amber and gold leaf paneling that had been stolen from Russia by the Nazis during World War II.
For decades, treasure hunters have searched for the Amber Room, despite the pessimistic assertion from some experts that the pilfered pieces of the Russian palace likely did not survive the war.
But the debate may soon come to an end thanks to a research project which began this week at the site of Plebanczyk's purported underground chamber.
Workers plan on drilling into the floor of the bunker in the hopes of finding a way to enter the hollow area beneath the building.
Providing an update to the Russian news agency TASS, Plebanczyk said, "we are finishing the first stage of drilling. We are at a depth of 3 meters. If this attempt is unsuccessful, we will move five meters farther - to a different place, to which an earth-penetrating radar had pointed."
Should the drilling prove unsuccessful in finding the underground chamber, subsequent analysis of the area using more advanced imaging techniques will be used to get a better view of what may be there.
Fortunately for Plebanczyk, it appears he will not have to wait too long to find out if he has, indeed, found the Amber Room or if his 'discovery' is yet another dose of false hope in the seemingly endless search for the legendary treasure.
Source: TASS