With the reconstruction of the Amber Room just finished, the official grand opening took place on May 31, 2003. This grand event marked the last day of Saint-Petersburg’s 300th anniversary celebration. On that day Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and all other participants of the European Summit that had just been held in St. Petersburg arrived at the Catherine Palace. After this formal dedication, the Catherine Palace and the Amber Room were re-opened to all other visitors on June 3, 2003.
It can be said without doubt, that the reconstruction of the Amber Room has become a symbol of the cultural and spiritual re-integration between Russia and Germany. The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, personally thanked the German energy corporation E.ON. Ruhrgas AG which, in 1999, donated 3.5 million dollars to help with the restoration work of the Amber Room. Additionally, in Babelsberge, a southwest suburb of Berlin, Ruhrgas sponsored a virtual duplicate of the Amber Room for German citizens and other visitors to enjoy. Practically identical to the original, it was reproduced by means of holography, so that a visitor would have the feeling that he actually is in the well-known hall of the Catherine palace.
Dr. H. C. Achim Middelschulte, Executive Board member of Ruhrgas stressed that the grand opening of the Amber Room in 2003 became "a symbol of Russo-German understanding and friendship."