15 km east of Poza Zgiełkiem, deep in the Masurian forest, lies Mamerki – a monumental bunker complex built by the Germans during World War II. According to many historians, this is where crates containing the Amber Room – one of the world's greatest lost treasures – may rest.
Mauerwald – Army Group Centre Headquarters
Mamerki (German: Mauerwald) was the headquarters of the German Army High Command (OKH) of the Third Reich. In this dense forest, between 1941 and 1945, over 200 concrete structures were built – bunkers, shelters and operational buildings. The complex covered several square kilometres and employed thousands of soldiers and civilian workers. Today it is one of the largest and best-preserved WWII bunker complexes in Poland, second only to the Wolf's Lair.
The Mystery of the Amber Room
The Amber Room – called the eighth wonder of the world – disappeared in 1945. Created in the 18th century as a gift from Prussian King Frederick I to Tsar Peter the Great, it was plundered by the Germans in 1941 and taken to Königsberg (today's Kaliningrad). From there its fate remains a mystery. German historians and archaeologists point to Mamerki as one of the most likely hiding places for this priceless collection. Ground-penetrating radar surveys have revealed underground anomalies that may indicate buried crates. The search continues to this day.
Museum and Visiting the Complex
The complex houses the Mamerki Museum with an exhibition devoted to the history of the bunkers and the mystery of the Amber Room. Guided tours lead through the interiors of the bunkers, including underground corridors. The site is well signposted and accessible for families with children. Film crews and journalists interested in the Amber Room mystery regularly appear among visitors.
Why Mamerki survived intact
This is what sets Mamerki apart from the Wolf's Lair. The Gierłoż compound was blown up in January 1945, so what you see there today are cracked, tilted ruins. Mamerki was abandoned in a hurry and nobody destroyed it – all thirty bunkers stand as they were built, with roofs, corridors, embrasures and remnants of the fittings intact. For a visitor the difference is enormous: instead of inferring the layout from a field of broken concrete, you can walk inside and see what such a structure actually looked like. The complex was begun in 1940 and extended until 1944; the heaviest shelters have walls over five metres thick and were proof against the aerial bombs of the day. They were hidden under netting and artificial foliage so effectively that Allied air reconnaissance never identified them.
The museum and the Amber Room replica
The site houses a Second World War museum with displays on the history of Mauerwald, daily life at the staff headquarters, and militaria recovered from the area over decades. For many visitors the main draw is the replica of a section of the Amber Room – a reconstructed panelled wall that conveys the scale and colour of the original. It is a reconstruction, not a relic, and the museum presents it honestly as such; its value is that you finally see what the whole legend is actually about. The displays are rounded out with aerial photographs, plans of the complex and material on the post-war searches, including the ground-penetrating radar surveys carried out among the bunkers.
The viewing tower over Masuria
The complex includes a wooden viewing tower more than 38 metres high – one of the tallest structures of its kind in the region and, for many visitors, the best thing about the whole trip. Climbing it is included in the ticket. From the top platform you look out over Lake Mamry, the Masurian Canal, the broad forests of northern Masuria and, in clear weather, the outline of the Borecka Forest. It is the best vantage point in the area for grasping the geography of the place: why the staff headquarters were sited here in the first place, in a tangle of lakes, woods and narrows that made a ground attack difficult and hid everything effectively from the air. The light is at its best in late afternoon.
Tickets, hours and how long to plan for
The complex is open daily from 9:00 to 19:00. A standard ticket costs around 35 PLN, with children and young people at about 30 PLN; group rates are lower, roughly 22 PLN and 17 PLN. Parking is free, which after the charges at Gierłoż comes as a pleasant surprise. Allow at least two to three hours to see the replica, walk the grounds and climb the tower; if you want to go through the museum properly and explore inside the bunkers, half a day is better. Prices and hours are as of July 2026 – worth confirming shortly before your visit. The ground is wooded and uneven, so a pushchair will only get you part of the way.
Three kilometres from our house
Mamerki is the major sight closest to us – just 3 km away. That is a few minutes by car, but it is far nicer to cycle or walk: the route follows the Masurian Canal through woods and fields and is a good hour's walk in its own right. For guests who come to Masuria mainly for the history, Mamerki is usually the first thing on the list, because you can drop in for half a day without planning a whole excursion around it. It pairs well with the Wolf's Lair in a single day – Gierłoż first, right at opening while it is empty, then back in our direction for Mamerki in the afternoon, finishing on the tower when the light is best.
Mamerki or the Wolf's Lair – which to choose?
Most guests interested in the history ask us this. If you only have time for one, it depends what you are after. The Wolf's Lair carries a historical weight nothing replaces – the decisions were taken there and the plot happened there; but what you look at is mostly ruins, and you have to assemble them in your head. Mamerki gives a far more legible picture: the bunkers stand intact, you can walk in and read the layout of the rooms, and the viewing tower and the Amber Room replica are attractions in their own right. Families with children usually enjoy Mamerki more. Anyone serious about the Second World War will not forgive themselves for skipping Gierłoż. The sensible answer, though, is to see both – they are 20 km apart and fit comfortably into one day.
Visitor Tip
The museum is open from May to September. Bring a torch – the bunker interiors are dark. Even in summer it is cool inside (around 10°C), so bring a jacket. History fans should read our [[Traces of East Prussia|spuren-ostpreussens-wegorzewo]] guide. The [[Jägerhöhe Cemetery|cmentarz-jagerhoche]] is a moving WWI memorial just 10 km away.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Gorofil / CC0
