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(water splashing)
(airplane whirring)
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(uptempo dramatic music)
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(seagulls squawking)
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(car engine growling)
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(graphic whooshing)
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(tense dramatic music)
(water whooshing)
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I'm Christopher Clark, and I'm traveling Europe
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to discover the UNESCO World Heritage Sites
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that have arisen on this continent over the millennia.
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Mighty cities that have influenced the course
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of world history, landscapes, religious sites,
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groundbreaking inventions,
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all this and much more is what defines Europe.
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(walking stick clanking)
(animals calling)
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(tense dramatic music)
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In Spain, I'll walk the way of St. James
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to Santiago de Compostela, visit Paris in France,
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travel to the Rhine Gorge,
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and visit organ makers in Germany,
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as well as inspecting relics
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of the Industrial Revolution in Volklingen,
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but my journey begins in Venice.
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(waves whooshing)
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We've been given special permission to fly over Venice,
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and seeing it from a bird's eye view
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we're reminded once again why this city is considered
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the embodiment of a unique heritage.
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Grand squares, palaces and churches perched on canals,
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the visual arts and fine handicrafts
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flourished here as well.
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Without the sea, none of this would have been possible.
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Europe is a continent on the move,
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and the waters that surround it
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have always played a vital role.
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{\an8}When Europeans began traveling the seas,
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{\an8}whether as explorers or as brutal conquerors,
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{\an8}they changed the world, for better or for worse.
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But the world changed the Europeans too.
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Ideas and knowledge flowed back across the water,
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and with them came desirable wares of every kind.
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Venice is a fine example.
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This is one of the great entrepots of the eastern trade,
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and it was here that the riches of the Orient
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came to Europe, silk, spices, gold, silver, and jewels,
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German, French, and English merchants did business here
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spreading the wealth across the continent.
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That's how this little city-state of Venice
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grew into the (speaking in a foreign language),
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the most serene Republic of St. Mark,
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and made its mark on the rest of Europe.
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(tense dramatic music)
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High above the city, on top of the Campanile,
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the bell tower of St. Mark's Basilica,
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hovers, the golden Archangel Gabriel.
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Protection, strength, masculinity, and biblical heroism,
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the name, Gabriel, contains all these things,
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and Mark may have been a Saint,
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but his name also means son of Mars, the god of war.
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In Venice, Christian belief, and the aspiration to power
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have always been inseparable bedfellows.
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The Venetians were major participants in the Crusades,
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right from the beginning,
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but at some point they became less interested
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in liberating Jerusalem from its Arab rulers,
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and more focused on expanding their sphere of influence
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culminating in their conquest of Constantinople in 1204.
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The famous Quadrigas on St. Mark's Basilica
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is nothing more than looted art
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from the Byzantine capital on the Bosphorus.
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Venice now felt as powerful as Byzantium had once been,
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and with good reason by the mid-13th century,
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it was the most important naval and commercial power
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in the world, and incidentally,
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this church with its domes and ornate decorations
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was constructed according to Byzantine design
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in an era when the Gothic style was the fashion
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in the rest of Europe.
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(tense dramatic music)
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In the mysterious darkness of the Basilica,
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Western Europe meets the East.
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These mosaics with their Christian themes
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are the work of six centuries,
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and this place was used for more than just masses,
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baptisms, and weddings.
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The captains of the enormous Venetian fleet came here
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under the main dome, which depicts the Ascension of Christ,
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to pray for a safe return before they sailed out to sea.
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And the doge, the leader of the city
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was presented to the people here
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in St. Mark's Basilica after his election.
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Next door, the doge's palace
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with its pink marble facade stands as a testimony
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to the power and the glory of the Serenissima.
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(tense dramatic music)
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This is the exact spot where the Bucentaur,
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the doge's magnificent ship was launched,
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and no one captured the moment more beautifully
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than the Venetian painter, Canaletto.
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All the heads of state rowed out to the sea
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in a maritime procession,
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and the doge called out, (speaking in a foreign language).
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We marry you, sea,
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as a sign of true and perpetual dominion,
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and to seal this marriage,
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the doge threw a gold ring into the waves
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in the hope that it might bring even more riches to Venice.
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(tense dramatic music)
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And come those riches did.
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They were carved into the facades of the buildings,
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even the churches, rather than the usual figures of Saints,
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some of the churches boast carved images of the heads
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of wealthy patron families,
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and the ships that brought these riches into the city.
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(tense dramatic music)
(boat horn sounding)
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Things are no different today.
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Tourism brings in the money,
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monstrous cruise ships dock daily in Venice,
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more than 500 every year.
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They are like enormous harbingers of doom.
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What do they mean for the city?
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(tense dramatic music)
(water whooshing)
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Tourism benefits Venice, doesn't it,
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but it's also a threat.
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{\an8}(speaking in a foreign language)
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{\an8}The famous cruise ships, like these here,
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{\an8}have repeatedly sparked heated debates.
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As activists, we are fighting against these ships.
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The crazy thing is they only account for 2%
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of total tourism.
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But the people from these ships overrun Venice every day
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in their thousands for a few hours,
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then they disappear again.
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They don't contribute anything to the City of Venice,
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if anything, they have a negative impact.
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Mass tourism is destroying our city.
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(speaking in a foreign language)
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cruise ship travel to Venice
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has been a major industry for some time.
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international corporations, and the port authorities
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earn millions from these immense boats every year,
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but the Venetians themselves hardly see a penny of it.
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A great deal hangs in the balance for Venice,
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the city must be protected from the problems
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caused by excessive tourism.
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Many Venetians would like to see the city
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placed on the UNESCO red list
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of at-risk World Heritage Sites.
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Thus far only vague attempts at a solution
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have been forthcoming.
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13 million visitors a year, it's just too many.
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(tense dramatic music)
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What looks like a cohesive city from above
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was once more than 120 separate islands in a swampy lagoon,
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they were connected with each other by more than 400 bridges
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and canals were dug to serve as transport routes,
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and that's how Venice was created in the fifth century
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as Attila the Hun ravaged the surrounding kingdom
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of Venetia, many people were able to escape to safety
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on these islands,
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but how did they manage to build a city in a swamp?
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(tense dramatic music)
(water whooshing)
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A typical Venetian building is supported
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by a brick wall in the mud.
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The facades on the canal side are built on long, thin poles,
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on top of that are bricks and limestone,
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partly to prevent rising damp.
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It was a clever way of preventing the ornate facades
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from sliding down into the water,
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but the system wasn't built to last forever.
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(tense dramatic music)
(water whooshing)
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Now these impressive buildings are sinking
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by about three millimeters every year.
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Bow waves and ship's propellors stir up the water,
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slowly washing away the mortar between the bricks.
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The foundations are crumbling,
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and the city is beginning to sink.
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The morbid charm of Venice takes on a new meaning,
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but the reasons for this impending catastrophe
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are only partly local.
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(speaking in a foreign language)
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Our city's problems are very closely linked
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to climate change, and that's why we have to think globally,
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not just locally.
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It would be wrong to believe that the city administrators,
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or the government could do anything about it on their own,
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they are fighting a losing battle after all.
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Venice is part of humanity's cultural heritage,
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it belongs to the world,
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and the city's fate will be largely determined
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by a problem that also affects all of humanity.
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That's why it can't be left up to the Venetians alone
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to find a solution.
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So Venice, isn't just sinking, it's drowning.
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When the acqua alta, the high water comes,
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the first place it always floods
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is the low-lying St. Mark's Square.
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It's been happening for centuries, but in recent years,
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the floods have grown more frequent, and more dangerous,
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and they're taking their toll on the Venetian lagoon,
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which has also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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Rising sea levels are also exacting a cost here,
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erosion, and new deeper channels for cruise ships
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are turning the lagoon back into part of the open sea.
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(tense dramatic music)
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It was really the Venetian lagoon
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that gave birth to the city.
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This is where it all started,
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the powerful Republic of Venice could only have arisen
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in this shallow body of water
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with its more than 100 islands.
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The lagoon served as a gateway to the world,
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but it also protected the city from invaders,
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because only the Venetians knew how to find the waterways
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that were deep enough to be navigable by large ships.
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And even today, these waterways are marked
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with pali, or wooden poles that are tied together,
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and when a foreign Naval power threatened the city,
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the Venetians simply removed the poles,
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turning the lagoon into a treacherous maze of shallows.
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(tense dramatic music)
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The village of Burano with its crooked Campanile
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is one of the beauties of the lagoon.
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It rests on four tiny islands connected by bridges.
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Today, many Islanders still make their living from fishing.
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Like the Venetians, they live between land and sea,
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and they try to outdo each other by painting their houses
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in the most brilliant colors
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as if in defiance of an uncertain future,
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because of course the environmental changes
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taking place in the lagoon are also leaving their mark
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on the fishers of Burano.
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Many of them have started specializing in catching moeche,
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Venice's soft shell lagoon crabs.
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Sebastiano is one of these fishermen.
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We're sailing out to his fishing grounds.
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(relaxing dramatic music)
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The crabs live on the Sandy floor of the lagoon.
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In Venice, they are considered gioielli,
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jewels, or a delicacy.
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They can only be found in the lagoon,
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and only twice a year for a few weeks in spring and autumn.
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(speaking in a foreign language)
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This tradition is passed on from father
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to son over the generations.
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{\an8}Finding the really good crabs isn't easy at all.
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{\an8}There used to be a lot more fish in the lagoon.
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{\an8}Today, the crabs are our most important business.
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The large number of ships have become a problem,
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and not just the big cruise ships, but the small ones too.
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There are just too many of them,
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and they bring debris with them.
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The lagoon is a closed system, it shouldn't be disrupted.
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(speaking in a foreign language)
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(tense dramatic music)
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The island, Lazzaretto Vecchio, was also a closed system.
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It was a plague hospital, far away from the city.
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Plague sufferers were placed in quarantine here.
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They received medical care, but many died.
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The term quarantine was probably first coined
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in the city state of Venice,
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quaranta giorni, 40 days is how long the sick
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was supposed to remain isolated,
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while all events in the city,
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including church services were banned,
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and people were ordered to remain in their houses,
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experiences that will feel familiar
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to those of us who have been dealing
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with a modern pandemic.
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(tense dramatic music)
(birds chirping)
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The Black Death returned to Venice in the 17th century,
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and this time it was more virulent than ever before.
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November 1630 marks the beginning of an era of mass death.
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The Venational health authorities recorded 14,465 deaths
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for the month of November alone.
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Plague suffers who were still alive
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were quarantined on the Island of the Lazzaretto Vecchio.
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It was hell on earth.
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The sick were piled together, three or four to a bed.
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Medical assistance was virtually non-existent.
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Prospects for recovery were grim.
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Mass graves with up to 1,500 corpses were dug
282
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right here on this island.
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The wounds inflicted on the city by the plague never healed,
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and Venice would never be restored to its former glory.
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"Abandon hope, all ye who enter here,"
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is written above the entrance to hell
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in Dante's "Divine Comedy."
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I can't help, but recall these words
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as I enter the Lazzaretto Vecchio.
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(footsteps thudding)
(slow relaxing music)
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Plague suffers received experimental therapies here,
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and an effort was made to supply them
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with suitable food and drink,
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but when the numbers surged, the conditions were grim.
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Graffiti from the 17th century,
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even in this desperate place,
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plague patients wanted to be remembered.
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(birds chirping)
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It's said that the howling of the sick
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could be heard across the water
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00:15:28,520 --> 00:15:30,713
on the neighboring islands in the Lido.
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(slow relaxing music)
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The institutions and architecture of the Christian churches
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have left deep marks on this continent's identity.
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(tense dramatic music)
(water whooshing)
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I'm on my way to Spain, to Santiago de Compostela,
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the capital city of Galicia.
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Santiago is the destination of every road
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and trail on the Camino de Santiago.
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The way of Saint James,
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a network of pilgrimage routes that crisscrosses Europe.
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The main route leads through Northern Spain
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where I'm traveling today.
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00:16:11,631 --> 00:16:16,631
(birds chirping)
(slow relaxing music)
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00:16:18,460 --> 00:16:20,890
The golden age of this pilgrimage trail
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00:16:20,890 --> 00:16:22,940
was the 11th and 12th centuries
317
00:16:22,940 --> 00:16:25,570
when the Christian sites in the Holy Land
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00:16:25,570 --> 00:16:27,623
were no longer accessible to pilgrims.
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00:16:30,700 --> 00:16:33,860
Today, it's hard to imagine how devout the Christians
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00:16:33,860 --> 00:16:36,760
of this era must have been to make this pilgrimage
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all the way to the outer reaches of Galicia.
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The pilgrims world was shaped by Saints, and relics,
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{\an8}and by the desire to be close to them and thus close to God.
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{\an8}And the journey towards God was in theory at least,
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a journey away from sin.
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Pilgrims sacrificed everything
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00:16:53,170 --> 00:16:55,220
in these dark and dangerous times
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to travel halfway across Europe on foot.
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00:16:58,450 --> 00:17:00,730
And all along the Camino today,
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you can still sense something,
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00:17:02,370 --> 00:17:04,040
The sinews of Christian Europe,
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perhaps sinews that cross the entire continent,
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and extend into Britain and Ireland.
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Even back in the 12th century,
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everything there was to know about this pilgrimage route
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was precisely documented in a book,
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the "Liber Sancti Jacobi", written by a priest,
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and this book doesn't just describe the route itself
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in great detail, it also warns pilgrims
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00:17:24,420 --> 00:17:27,260
of the dangers they might face, diseases,
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00:17:27,260 --> 00:17:29,470
dishonest innkeepers along the route,
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highwaymen, and even prostitution,
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which was a very lively trade here in Porto Marine.
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In other words, the journey to St. James
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had both a sacred and a worldly dimension,
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and this Pilgrim's guide is as practical
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as it is spiritual.
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But the book mainly focuses on the many miracles
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attributed to St. James,
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and it also includes prayers and hymns.
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(singing in a foreign language)
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(somber choral music)
(birds chirping)
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00:18:15,100 --> 00:18:18,070
The churches and cathedrals all along the way
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of St. James were important pilgrimage sites,
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and they are also World Heritage Sites,
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like Chartres in France,
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the archetypal high-gothic cathedral,
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further South, the Romanesque churches of Arre,
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or the Cathedral of Salamanca,
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but smaller churches were part of the route as well.
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The pilgrims journeyed from one house of worship
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00:18:38,870 --> 00:18:39,703
to the next.
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00:18:40,621 --> 00:18:43,788
(slow relaxing music)
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Today, you'll meet pilgrims from all over the world,
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00:18:49,990 --> 00:18:53,430
from every culture on the way of St. James.
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00:18:53,430 --> 00:18:56,140
This scallop shell from the nearby Atlantic Ocean
367
00:18:56,140 --> 00:18:58,970
is the badge and symbol of the pilgrimage to Santiago,
368
00:18:58,970 --> 00:19:02,670
it's even mentioned in the 12th century pilgrims' guides,
369
00:19:02,670 --> 00:19:05,190
but many of today's pilgrims are motivated
370
00:19:05,190 --> 00:19:07,920
by other than purely religious motives.
371
00:19:07,920 --> 00:19:10,640
They want to learn something about themselves,
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00:19:10,640 --> 00:19:12,170
get to know other people,
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commune with nature and draw inspiration
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from the beautiful landscapes,
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00:19:16,700 --> 00:19:19,390
and the life of small wayside villages,
376
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a welcome change for city people.
377
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(slow traditional music)
(cows mooing)
378
00:19:26,070 --> 00:19:28,620
The journey is less about formal religion
379
00:19:28,620 --> 00:19:30,970
than about spirituality.
380
00:19:30,970 --> 00:19:34,600
50 years ago, these trails were practically deserted,
381
00:19:34,600 --> 00:19:37,120
but in the late 1980s, the way of St. James
382
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experienced a renascence,
383
00:19:38,850 --> 00:19:43,850
and in 1993, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
384
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Now there are years when 300,000 pilgrims
385
00:19:47,610 --> 00:19:50,147
travel the way of St. James.
386
00:19:50,147 --> 00:19:55,147
(slow traditional music)
(birds chirping)
387
00:19:58,480 --> 00:20:01,420
The way of St. James, doesn't always end in Santiago,
388
00:20:01,420 --> 00:20:03,460
which we'll explore soon,
389
00:20:03,460 --> 00:20:04,980
since the Middle Ages,
390
00:20:04,980 --> 00:20:06,800
pilgrims have extended their journey
391
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to the western most tip of Spain on the Atlantic Coast,
392
00:20:11,160 --> 00:20:12,643
and for a very good reason.
393
00:20:17,220 --> 00:20:19,020
Santiago de Compostela
394
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the name means St. James on the field of stars.
395
00:20:23,290 --> 00:20:25,510
This apostle of Jesus is said to be buried
396
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at the cathedral in Santiago.
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It's a slightly murky story, here at the end of the world,
398
00:20:30,900 --> 00:20:33,770
finis terrae as the Romans called this region,
399
00:20:33,770 --> 00:20:37,200
is where he preached and attempted to spread Christianity
400
00:20:37,200 --> 00:20:39,780
without much success, as has to be said.
401
00:20:39,780 --> 00:20:43,480
Then when he returned to Palestine in the year 44 AD,
402
00:20:43,480 --> 00:20:45,687
he was killed by King Herod Agrippa I
403
00:20:47,120 --> 00:20:49,510
His disciples laid him to rest in a sarcophagus,
404
00:20:49,510 --> 00:20:52,010
which they placed in a boat that they pushed out
405
00:20:52,010 --> 00:20:54,040
into the Mediterranean Sea.
406
00:20:54,040 --> 00:20:55,320
Through divine providence,
407
00:20:55,320 --> 00:20:58,260
the boat drifted a shore on, you guessed it,
408
00:20:58,260 --> 00:21:01,600
the Galician Coast and the sarcophagus was entombed
409
00:21:01,600 --> 00:21:04,973
where the cathedral stands today, or so legend has it.
410
00:21:06,883 --> 00:21:10,133
(tense dramatic music)
411
00:21:11,550 --> 00:21:14,240
Whether you believe the story or not,
412
00:21:14,240 --> 00:21:16,580
arriving at the cathedral is the highlight
413
00:21:16,580 --> 00:21:20,750
of this pilgrimage, and here there's an appointment to keep
414
00:21:20,750 --> 00:21:22,233
with the Saint himself.
415
00:21:31,330 --> 00:21:34,590
Here behind the statue of St. James
416
00:21:34,590 --> 00:21:37,910
is where the arduous journey comes to an end,
417
00:21:37,910 --> 00:21:41,090
a journey that has a very special and personal meaning
418
00:21:41,090 --> 00:21:42,940
for each and every pilgrim.
419
00:21:42,940 --> 00:21:45,820
Exhausted, you embrace the Saint,
420
00:21:45,820 --> 00:21:47,930
and then return into everyday life,
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00:21:47,930 --> 00:21:50,880
into a life that may perhaps have been changed
422
00:21:50,880 --> 00:21:52,370
by the pilgrim's journey.
423
00:21:53,872 --> 00:21:57,289
(uptempo dramatic music)
424
00:22:00,553 --> 00:22:02,180
(people murmuring)
425
00:22:02,180 --> 00:22:04,930
The historic district of Santiago de Compostela
426
00:22:04,930 --> 00:22:07,420
is also a World Heritage Site.
427
00:22:07,420 --> 00:22:10,950
The constant traffic and visitors transformed the city
428
00:22:10,950 --> 00:22:13,511
into a prosperous cultural hub.
429
00:22:13,511 --> 00:22:16,428
(people murmuring)
430
00:22:18,400 --> 00:22:20,829
Right down to the 15th century,
431
00:22:20,829 --> 00:22:23,180
Santiago de Compostela attracted more pilgrims
432
00:22:23,180 --> 00:22:25,330
than Rome or Jerusalem.
433
00:22:25,330 --> 00:22:28,070
Every European cultural and artistic movement
434
00:22:28,070 --> 00:22:30,670
is represented here from the Middle Ages,
435
00:22:30,670 --> 00:22:32,993
through the Renaissance to the Baroque.
436
00:22:34,093 --> 00:22:37,343
(tense dramatic music)
437
00:22:38,440 --> 00:22:41,450
Santiago's architecture speaks of a Europe
438
00:22:41,450 --> 00:22:42,960
that was deeply connected
439
00:22:42,960 --> 00:22:45,990
across ethnic and geographical boundaries.
440
00:22:45,990 --> 00:22:48,230
Today, these connections are global,
441
00:22:48,230 --> 00:22:49,900
and they're embodied in the encounters
442
00:22:49,900 --> 00:22:52,580
between people who reached the end of their pilgrimage
443
00:22:52,580 --> 00:22:54,540
in Santiago de Compostela.
444
00:22:54,540 --> 00:22:57,130
The journey is a shared experience,
445
00:22:57,130 --> 00:22:59,800
but it has a different and highly personal meaning
446
00:22:59,800 --> 00:23:01,350
for everyone who undertakes it.
447
00:23:02,810 --> 00:23:04,020
Where are you from?
448
00:23:04,020 --> 00:23:05,550
From Perth, Australia.
449
00:23:05,550 --> 00:23:07,169
From Perth, Australia?
450
00:23:07,169 --> 00:23:08,439
Yeah, yeah.
Amazing, I'm from Sydney.
451
00:23:08,439 --> 00:23:10,210
Oh wow.
And where are you from?
452
00:23:10,210 --> 00:23:14,790
I'm from Columbia, specifically in Cucuta.
453
00:23:14,790 --> 00:23:17,993
I wanted to challenge myself, I guess.
454
00:23:18,830 --> 00:23:22,390
I wanted to have some time to think about some things
455
00:23:22,390 --> 00:23:25,410
in my life, and some direction in my life.
456
00:23:25,410 --> 00:23:26,530
Mm-hmm (affirmative).
457
00:23:26,530 --> 00:23:28,680
The people focus on the simple things
458
00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:31,810
in life, which helped them realize that their worries
459
00:23:31,810 --> 00:23:34,710
aren't really as bad as they thought.
460
00:23:34,710 --> 00:23:37,840
There are so many ways to enjoy life,
461
00:23:37,840 --> 00:23:39,543
and that's true for hiking too.
462
00:23:41,477 --> 00:23:44,143
Why did you do it?
Why did I do it?
463
00:23:45,530 --> 00:23:47,803
Well, I guess I was kind of lost,
464
00:23:48,730 --> 00:23:51,943
and I needed time to know myself better,
465
00:23:52,910 --> 00:23:53,960
and That's why, yeah.
466
00:23:54,830 --> 00:23:57,770
The mass for pilgrims held in the cathedral
467
00:23:57,770 --> 00:23:59,990
is an incredible spectacle.
468
00:23:59,990 --> 00:24:01,670
After reading out all the names,
469
00:24:01,670 --> 00:24:03,240
and nationalities of the pilgrims
470
00:24:03,240 --> 00:24:05,030
who've arrived in Santiago,
471
00:24:05,030 --> 00:24:08,010
the tiraboleiros spring into action.
472
00:24:08,010 --> 00:24:10,010
They are the men in red velvet robes
473
00:24:10,010 --> 00:24:11,410
who pull up the Botafumeiro,
474
00:24:12,269 --> 00:24:14,380
an enormous incense burner.
475
00:24:14,380 --> 00:24:17,970
even when empty, it weighs 53 kilograms,
476
00:24:17,970 --> 00:24:20,610
and when it starts to swing through the cathedral,
477
00:24:20,610 --> 00:24:24,930
it can reach speeds of up to 68 kilometers per hour.
478
00:24:24,930 --> 00:24:27,910
As long as you take care to stay out of the way,
479
00:24:27,910 --> 00:24:30,580
it's a fitting celebration for every pilgrim
480
00:24:30,580 --> 00:24:32,769
who makes it to Santiago,
481
00:24:32,769 --> 00:24:35,936
(somber church music)
482
00:24:47,540 --> 00:24:50,470
Devout pilgrims, receive Holy Communion,
483
00:24:50,470 --> 00:24:52,560
accompanied by the singing of hymns
484
00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:53,773
and the baroque organ.
485
00:24:59,730 --> 00:25:02,500
Transported by the sounds of the organ,
486
00:25:02,500 --> 00:25:04,800
we travel to Germany.
487
00:25:04,800 --> 00:25:06,870
The German tradition of organ making
488
00:25:06,870 --> 00:25:11,140
is included on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
489
00:25:11,140 --> 00:25:14,630
My route to the organ makers in Bonne on the Rhine River,
490
00:25:14,630 --> 00:25:17,050
leads me through the Rhine Gorge.
491
00:25:17,050 --> 00:25:19,950
It's unparalleled landscape, it's castles,
492
00:25:19,950 --> 00:25:21,930
and it's rich history have earned it
493
00:25:21,930 --> 00:25:25,240
the status of a World Heritage Site.
494
00:25:25,240 --> 00:25:27,720
For 2000 years, the Rhine has been one
495
00:25:27,720 --> 00:25:30,220
of the most important roots of cultural exchange
496
00:25:30,220 --> 00:25:32,500
between the North and the South of Europe,
497
00:25:32,500 --> 00:25:35,260
it has served alternately as a border,
498
00:25:35,260 --> 00:25:37,820
and as a bridge between cultures,
499
00:25:37,820 --> 00:25:40,040
but it has always played a vital role
500
00:25:40,040 --> 00:25:41,660
in the history of Western Europe.
501
00:25:41,660 --> 00:25:44,230
The traditions of wine growing and shipping
502
00:25:44,230 --> 00:25:46,790
have deep roots in this region.
503
00:25:46,790 --> 00:25:50,480
Nowhere else in the world will you find a denser array
504
00:25:50,480 --> 00:25:52,730
of historic castles and palaces
505
00:25:52,730 --> 00:25:55,170
than here on the banks of the Rhine.
506
00:25:55,170 --> 00:25:56,600
In the high Middle Ages,
507
00:25:56,600 --> 00:26:00,280
they were the heart of political and cultural life.
508
00:26:00,280 --> 00:26:03,960
Each of these castles has its own story to tell,
509
00:26:03,960 --> 00:26:07,540
they were customs offices, strategic strongholds,
510
00:26:07,540 --> 00:26:12,540
or aristocratic estates occupied by robber barons, bishops,
511
00:26:12,560 --> 00:26:13,863
or wealthy merchants.
512
00:26:14,890 --> 00:26:17,793
My journey takes me a fair distance down rhe Rhine.
513
00:26:18,930 --> 00:26:21,930
Organ making is a tradition that has been passed down,
514
00:26:21,930 --> 00:26:25,020
and kept alive from generation to generation.
515
00:26:25,020 --> 00:26:27,543
I'm keen to learn more about it in this workshop.
516
00:26:29,432 --> 00:26:31,340
(relaxing dramatic music)
517
00:26:31,340 --> 00:26:36,020
UNESCO includes German organ making, and German organ music,
518
00:26:36,020 --> 00:26:38,560
on its Intangible Cultural Heritage list,
519
00:26:38,560 --> 00:26:41,790
partly because Germany has the highest concentration
520
00:26:41,790 --> 00:26:43,700
of organs anywhere in the world,
521
00:26:43,700 --> 00:26:46,800
there were around 50,000 of them in this country,
522
00:26:46,800 --> 00:26:49,500
and German composers like Buxtehude,
523
00:26:49,500 --> 00:26:51,830
Pachelbel, Bach, and Handel
524
00:26:51,830 --> 00:26:55,130
shaped the very nature of organ music around the world.
525
00:26:55,130 --> 00:26:58,060
The organ was always a cosmopolitan instrument,
526
00:26:58,060 --> 00:27:00,640
its history is global, but in Germany,
527
00:27:00,640 --> 00:27:03,770
it seems to have become part of the country's identity
528
00:27:04,846 --> 00:27:07,390
(tense dramatic music)
(hammer thudding)
529
00:27:07,390 --> 00:27:09,600
For more than 100 years,
530
00:27:09,600 --> 00:27:12,990
the workshops owned by the Klais family in Bonn
531
00:27:12,990 --> 00:27:16,603
have been producing organs for the entire world.
532
00:27:16,603 --> 00:27:17,903
(speaking in a foreign language)
533
00:27:17,903 --> 00:27:21,200
Mr. Klais, what makes the organ such a special instrument?
534
00:27:21,200 --> 00:27:23,460
{\an8}the most fascinating thing about an organ,
535
00:27:23,460 --> 00:27:27,710
{\an8}and what has made it so completely unique for 2,300 years
536
00:27:27,710 --> 00:27:30,840
{\an8}is an idea that the inventor, Ctesibius, came up with.
537
00:27:30,840 --> 00:27:32,740
Separating the energy supply
538
00:27:32,740 --> 00:27:34,510
from the playing of the instrument.
539
00:27:34,510 --> 00:27:37,090
There's a bellows back here, I just have to lift it,
540
00:27:37,090 --> 00:27:39,990
ad then I need to give it a little bit more air,
541
00:27:39,990 --> 00:27:40,840
and there you go.
542
00:27:41,954 --> 00:27:44,871
(slow organ music)
543
00:27:47,950 --> 00:27:50,950
(tense organ music)
544
00:27:53,380 --> 00:27:55,520
Alongside the beautiful pipes,
545
00:27:55,520 --> 00:27:58,800
the intricate mechanisms that comprise the inner workings
546
00:27:58,800 --> 00:28:01,420
of an organ with their thousands of valves
547
00:28:01,420 --> 00:28:03,620
are the actual work of art here.
548
00:28:03,620 --> 00:28:06,810
This is where the extraordinarily wide range of notes,
549
00:28:06,810 --> 00:28:08,303
and sounds are generated.
550
00:28:10,046 --> 00:28:12,200
(metal clanking)
551
00:28:12,200 --> 00:28:15,180
Here a tin alloy is being made.
552
00:28:15,180 --> 00:28:17,773
And I feel as if I'm in an alchemist's workshop,
553
00:28:19,137 --> 00:28:21,061
the proportion of each metal and the alloy
554
00:28:21,061 --> 00:28:23,473
influences the characteristics of the future pipe,
555
00:28:24,580 --> 00:28:28,140
this early phase of production already determines
556
00:28:28,140 --> 00:28:32,250
how the organ pipes will sound in the finished instrument.
557
00:28:32,250 --> 00:28:35,260
Once the metal has cooled, it's cut into pieces,
558
00:28:35,260 --> 00:28:37,790
which are then rolled into shapes around molds
559
00:28:37,790 --> 00:28:41,009
called mandrels, and soldered together.
560
00:28:41,009 --> 00:28:42,630
(metal thudding)
561
00:28:42,630 --> 00:28:46,190
Each organ needs at least 150 of these,
562
00:28:46,190 --> 00:28:48,150
and some need thousands.
563
00:28:48,150 --> 00:28:51,681
The more pipes, the richer the tapestry of sounds.
564
00:28:51,681 --> 00:28:54,240
(speaking in a foreign language)
565
00:28:54,240 --> 00:28:55,890
I think we are at a huge advantage
566
00:28:55,890 --> 00:28:59,490
in Germany, this is the land of Johann Sebastian Bach,
567
00:28:59,490 --> 00:29:02,600
who played a decisive role in shaping organ music.
568
00:29:02,600 --> 00:29:04,560
We also have a system of church music,
569
00:29:04,560 --> 00:29:07,290
and very highly-trained, highly-qualified organists,
570
00:29:07,290 --> 00:29:09,680
who bring this culture to the world.
571
00:29:09,680 --> 00:29:12,050
I think you always have to consider organ making,
572
00:29:12,050 --> 00:29:14,250
an organ music in parallel with the situation
573
00:29:14,250 --> 00:29:15,870
we have in Germany.
574
00:29:15,870 --> 00:29:17,970
It's not just about organ making,
575
00:29:17,970 --> 00:29:20,028
it's what you make of it.
576
00:29:20,028 --> 00:29:22,183
Of course, we could always hope for much more.
577
00:29:24,029 --> 00:29:26,810
(tense organ music)
578
00:29:26,810 --> 00:29:28,140
Since time immemorial,
579
00:29:28,140 --> 00:29:31,340
churches have shaped the landscapes of Germany,
580
00:29:31,340 --> 00:29:34,530
the pilgrimage church a Wies near Steingaden
581
00:29:34,530 --> 00:29:37,320
in the Alpine Foothills of Bavaria
582
00:29:37,320 --> 00:29:40,830
is one of the world's most famous Rococo churches,
583
00:29:40,830 --> 00:29:43,423
and it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
584
00:29:44,690 --> 00:29:47,180
The cornerstone was laid in 1746
585
00:29:47,180 --> 00:29:49,370
during the golden age of Rococo,
586
00:29:49,370 --> 00:29:51,360
a variant of Baroque.
587
00:29:51,360 --> 00:29:54,353
This organ here is a particular masterpiece.
588
00:29:56,680 --> 00:29:59,770
The church weaves the playfulness and exuberance
589
00:29:59,770 --> 00:30:01,550
of the late Baroque style
590
00:30:01,550 --> 00:30:04,580
into one of Christianity's most important themes,
591
00:30:04,580 --> 00:30:08,610
the salvation of man through the suffering of Jesus Christ,
592
00:30:08,610 --> 00:30:11,620
the ceiling fresco depict Christ's return,
593
00:30:11,620 --> 00:30:14,630
and the salvation of the world through God's mercy.
594
00:30:14,630 --> 00:30:17,643
The gates of Heaven are a promise to the faithful.
595
00:30:19,268 --> 00:30:22,268
(tense organ music)
596
00:30:23,910 --> 00:30:27,500
But let's return to Europe's earthly treasures.
597
00:30:27,500 --> 00:30:30,583
My next destination is the city of Paris.
598
00:30:31,500 --> 00:30:33,340
When God gets bored in heaven,
599
00:30:33,340 --> 00:30:35,320
he opens the window and contemplates
600
00:30:35,320 --> 00:30:36,960
the boulevards of Paris,
601
00:30:36,960 --> 00:30:39,660
the German poet, Henri Heine, once said.
602
00:30:39,660 --> 00:30:42,330
Heine spent half his life in this city.
603
00:30:42,330 --> 00:30:44,090
Paris was already a distinguished,
604
00:30:44,090 --> 00:30:46,350
and important place in the Middle Ages,
605
00:30:46,350 --> 00:30:50,310
but its status as the global yardstick for urban elegance,
606
00:30:50,310 --> 00:30:54,280
and sophistication is a 19th century development.
607
00:30:54,280 --> 00:30:58,450
The City of Lights, the City of Love, cliches without end,
608
00:30:58,450 --> 00:31:02,050
and yet Paris remains a place of singular beauty,
609
00:31:02,050 --> 00:31:04,800
especially this stretch along the banks of the Seine,
610
00:31:04,800 --> 00:31:07,543
lined with graceful buildings and squares.
611
00:31:08,700 --> 00:31:10,780
There's no other place in the world
612
00:31:10,780 --> 00:31:12,710
where the history of an entire country
613
00:31:12,710 --> 00:31:14,780
{\an8}is concentrated in one city,
614
00:31:14,780 --> 00:31:17,660
{\an8}the way it is in Paris on the banks of the Seine.
615
00:31:17,660 --> 00:31:21,210
{\an8}The river is like a golden thread running through every era
616
00:31:21,210 --> 00:31:23,440
from the Celtic Age to the Middle Ages,
617
00:31:23,440 --> 00:31:26,700
from the French Revolution to the Industrial Revolution,
618
00:31:26,700 --> 00:31:29,350
many of the events and ideas that changed the world
619
00:31:29,350 --> 00:31:31,460
were born here in Paris.
620
00:31:31,460 --> 00:31:33,170
French national poet, Victor Hugo,
621
00:31:33,170 --> 00:31:36,030
went so far as to say that the entire world
622
00:31:36,030 --> 00:31:37,830
was reflected in this city.
623
00:31:37,830 --> 00:31:41,550
There's perhaps a tiny bit of French hubris in that opinion,
624
00:31:41,550 --> 00:31:43,160
but it's not entirely wrong.
625
00:31:43,160 --> 00:31:45,680
That Island over there, the Ile de la Cite,
626
00:31:45,680 --> 00:31:47,190
is where it all began.
627
00:31:47,190 --> 00:31:50,560
In the middle of the third century BC, the Celtic tribe,
628
00:31:50,560 --> 00:31:53,810
the Parisii established a settlement there,
629
00:31:53,810 --> 00:31:56,690
and this gold coin that went into circulation
630
00:31:56,690 --> 00:31:58,820
among the Celts shortly afterwards,
631
00:31:58,820 --> 00:32:02,650
seems like a harbinger of the city's great future.
632
00:32:02,650 --> 00:32:05,380
There's a creature spreading its wings,
633
00:32:05,380 --> 00:32:06,583
ready to take flight.
634
00:32:07,588 --> 00:32:09,680
(tense dramatic music)
(water whooshing)
635
00:32:09,680 --> 00:32:12,770
The Celts named their city on the Seine, Lucotocia,
636
00:32:12,770 --> 00:32:14,480
place of marshes.
637
00:32:14,480 --> 00:32:16,780
They first made their living from fishing,
638
00:32:16,780 --> 00:32:18,540
then they began charging tolls
639
00:32:18,540 --> 00:32:20,400
to anyone traversing the river.
640
00:32:20,400 --> 00:32:23,740
Their city had grown into an important trade hub.
641
00:32:23,740 --> 00:32:25,760
Then Caesar conquered Gaul.
642
00:32:25,760 --> 00:32:28,570
The Romans arrived, and they set up a colonial city
643
00:32:28,570 --> 00:32:30,320
on the left bank of the Seine.
644
00:32:30,320 --> 00:32:32,900
They called it Lutetia Parisiorum,
645
00:32:32,900 --> 00:32:35,601
the swamp town of the Parisii.
646
00:32:35,601 --> 00:32:37,450
(tense dramatic music)
647
00:32:37,450 --> 00:32:41,160
In the fifth century, the Merovingians under King Clovis
648
00:32:41,160 --> 00:32:43,040
drove the Romans out of Paris,
649
00:32:43,040 --> 00:32:46,830
and the Ile de la Cite became Clovis' capital.
650
00:32:46,830 --> 00:32:48,960
They began to build on the banks of the Seine.
651
00:32:48,960 --> 00:32:51,963
in the Middle Ages, the city grew relentlessly.
652
00:32:56,260 --> 00:32:59,090
The Ile de la Cite in the middle of the river,
653
00:32:59,090 --> 00:33:00,880
became the heart of the city
654
00:33:00,880 --> 00:33:04,540
where the majestic Notre Dame Cathedral now stands.
655
00:33:04,540 --> 00:33:07,480
Great buildings like great mountains
656
00:33:07,480 --> 00:33:10,730
are the work of centuries said Victor Hugo,
657
00:33:10,730 --> 00:33:14,881
time is the architect, people the Masons.
658
00:33:14,881 --> 00:33:18,131
(tense dramatic music)
659
00:33:20,340 --> 00:33:22,110
Notre Dame has two towers,
660
00:33:22,110 --> 00:33:25,370
and this cathedral also has two important meanings,
661
00:33:25,370 --> 00:33:29,040
it's a sanctuary far removed from the day-to-day world,
662
00:33:29,040 --> 00:33:32,520
and it's also a place of national solidarity for the French.
663
00:33:32,520 --> 00:33:35,700
It's the heart, the epicenter from which every distance
664
00:33:35,700 --> 00:33:40,540
to the capital is measured, and its bells rang out in 1944
665
00:33:40,540 --> 00:33:43,370
when the city of Paris was liberated from the Nazis.
666
00:33:43,370 --> 00:33:46,640
Notre Dame is also a reflection of European history,
667
00:33:46,640 --> 00:33:49,510
because traces of every era of this continent
668
00:33:49,510 --> 00:33:51,120
can be found in the cathedral,
669
00:33:51,120 --> 00:33:53,930
and that's one of the reasons why the blaze
670
00:33:53,930 --> 00:33:58,100
on the 15th of April, 2019 was such a shock
671
00:33:58,100 --> 00:34:00,905
to so many people, me included.
672
00:34:00,905 --> 00:34:01,738
(flame crackling)
673
00:34:01,738 --> 00:34:03,540
The images of the burning cathedral
674
00:34:03,540 --> 00:34:05,373
were broadcast around the world.
675
00:34:07,410 --> 00:34:11,660
Construction started 850 years before the fire.
676
00:34:11,660 --> 00:34:14,110
This mighty cathedral came into existence
677
00:34:14,110 --> 00:34:16,300
just as the age of the Romanesque
678
00:34:16,300 --> 00:34:17,910
was giving way to the Gothic,
679
00:34:17,910 --> 00:34:20,633
and it took nearly 200 years to complete.
680
00:34:24,010 --> 00:34:27,000
It's towers overlooked a city quickly evolving
681
00:34:27,000 --> 00:34:31,180
into a metropolis and haven for philosophy and culture.
682
00:34:31,180 --> 00:34:33,880
A university was founded, the Sorbonne,
683
00:34:33,880 --> 00:34:36,990
theaters were built, and even famine and plague
684
00:34:36,990 --> 00:34:39,583
did nothing to hinder Paris's rapid ascent.
685
00:34:42,550 --> 00:34:44,770
The river remained the city's lifeline
686
00:34:44,770 --> 00:34:46,790
ensuring the flow of trade,
687
00:34:46,790 --> 00:34:49,160
this is when the famous Parisian self-confidence
688
00:34:49,160 --> 00:34:50,870
began to coalesce.
689
00:34:50,870 --> 00:34:53,430
They saw themselves as the center of Europe,
690
00:34:53,430 --> 00:34:56,070
the King commissioned the construction of an elegant,
691
00:34:56,070 --> 00:34:59,500
grandiose palace on the right bank of the Seine,
692
00:34:59,500 --> 00:35:00,333
the Louvre.
693
00:35:09,140 --> 00:35:11,540
The first historical mention of the Louvre
694
00:35:11,540 --> 00:35:13,440
was in the year 1200.
695
00:35:13,440 --> 00:35:16,000
At that time, there was already a royal castle here
696
00:35:16,000 --> 00:35:17,020
on the banks of the Seine.
697
00:35:17,020 --> 00:35:19,810
The French rulers were constantly expanding it
698
00:35:19,810 --> 00:35:21,660
to create their feudal capital.
699
00:35:21,660 --> 00:35:24,010
Francois I, Catherine of Medici
700
00:35:24,010 --> 00:35:27,107
while she was queen of France, Henry IV,
701
00:35:27,107 --> 00:35:28,910
and of course all the Louis.
702
00:35:28,910 --> 00:35:31,730
After the French Revolution in 1793,
703
00:35:31,730 --> 00:35:34,530
the former palace where the French Kings had resided
704
00:35:34,530 --> 00:35:38,280
until 1682 was converted into a museum.
705
00:35:38,280 --> 00:35:39,830
The artistic treasures,
706
00:35:39,830 --> 00:35:42,040
once the property of the ruling families
707
00:35:42,040 --> 00:35:44,130
now belonged to the people
708
00:35:44,130 --> 00:35:47,620
They were put on public display for everyone to admire,
709
00:35:47,620 --> 00:35:48,950
and added to the collection
710
00:35:48,950 --> 00:35:50,740
were confiscated works of art
711
00:35:50,740 --> 00:35:53,610
that had once belonged to the nobility and the clergy,
712
00:35:53,610 --> 00:35:56,140
as well as pieces from all over Europe
713
00:35:56,140 --> 00:35:59,060
that were the spoils of the Napoleonic Wars,
714
00:35:59,060 --> 00:36:01,730
such quantities of art had never been gathered
715
00:36:01,730 --> 00:36:03,210
in one place before.
716
00:36:03,210 --> 00:36:06,260
For the first time, the entire art history
717
00:36:06,260 --> 00:36:10,080
of the European continent was visible in one place.
718
00:36:10,080 --> 00:36:13,310
In 1804, when Napoleon I was crowned emperor,
719
00:36:13,310 --> 00:36:15,430
he also donated a work of art
720
00:36:15,430 --> 00:36:18,530
that had formerly hung in his bedroom,
721
00:36:18,530 --> 00:36:22,252
it was the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci.
722
00:36:22,252 --> 00:36:23,300
(uptempo whimsical music)
723
00:36:23,300 --> 00:36:26,410
The most famous painting of all time
724
00:36:26,410 --> 00:36:29,350
has lost none of its allure over the centuries,
725
00:36:29,350 --> 00:36:32,870
10 million people still come to the Louvre every year
726
00:36:32,870 --> 00:36:35,900
to see the Mona Lisa and no French president
727
00:36:35,900 --> 00:36:39,570
would dream of carrying her off to his private chambers
728
00:36:39,570 --> 00:36:40,653
the way Napoleon did.
729
00:36:41,620 --> 00:36:43,530
(uptempo traditional music)
730
00:36:43,530 --> 00:36:47,040
Napoleon now rests in the Dôme des Invalides,
731
00:36:47,040 --> 00:36:49,910
a monument built to last an eternity,
732
00:36:49,910 --> 00:36:52,380
but Paris' most famous modern landmark
733
00:36:52,380 --> 00:36:55,550
was never intended to remain in the city for that long.
734
00:36:55,550 --> 00:37:00,240
An iron tower was constructed to Mark the 1889 World's Fair,
735
00:37:00,240 --> 00:37:02,720
but it was supposed to be disassembled again
736
00:37:02,720 --> 00:37:03,970
after the event.
737
00:37:03,970 --> 00:37:08,080
At 300 meters, the Eiffel Tower was the tallest structure
738
00:37:08,080 --> 00:37:09,760
in the world at the time,
739
00:37:09,760 --> 00:37:13,073
few other structures in Europe have caused such controversy.
740
00:37:15,117 --> 00:37:18,367
(tense dramatic music)
741
00:37:23,060 --> 00:37:26,600
the 324-meter tall Eiffel Tower
742
00:37:26,600 --> 00:37:30,800
was actually built to mark the 1889 Paris Expo,
743
00:37:30,800 --> 00:37:33,590
in the simultaneous 100th anniversary
744
00:37:33,590 --> 00:37:35,060
of the French Revolution.
745
00:37:35,060 --> 00:37:38,050
After that, it was supposed to be dismantled.
746
00:37:38,050 --> 00:37:40,610
In fact, most Parisians at the time felt that the tower,
747
00:37:40,610 --> 00:37:43,710
which of course is today one of the city's major landmarks,
748
00:37:43,710 --> 00:37:45,770
was a steel eyesore.
749
00:37:45,770 --> 00:37:49,300
The author, Guy de Maupassant, who died in 1893,
750
00:37:49,300 --> 00:37:52,170
often dined in the tower restaurant,
751
00:37:52,170 --> 00:37:55,190
it was the only place in Paris where he wasn't forced
752
00:37:55,190 --> 00:37:57,130
to look at the tower, he said.
753
00:37:57,130 --> 00:37:59,670
Another World Expo was held in Paris in 1900.
754
00:37:59,670 --> 00:38:03,110
It became the major arena for the technological race
755
00:38:03,110 --> 00:38:05,660
that had kicked off with the Industrial Revolution,
756
00:38:06,544 --> 00:38:09,794
(tense dramatic music)
757
00:38:16,570 --> 00:38:20,570
The enormous glass roof of the Grand Palais Exposition Hall
758
00:38:20,570 --> 00:38:22,730
was revolutionary at the time.
759
00:38:22,730 --> 00:38:25,060
Incidentally 1900 was also the year
760
00:38:25,060 --> 00:38:27,223
the Paris Metro opened to the public.
761
00:38:29,290 --> 00:38:32,380
The Eiffel Tower is a powerful symbol of this era
762
00:38:32,380 --> 00:38:34,760
of confident modernity.
763
00:38:34,760 --> 00:38:36,420
The citizens of the French Republic
764
00:38:36,420 --> 00:38:39,270
read the names of their most important researchers,
765
00:38:39,270 --> 00:38:41,670
and inventors stamped in iron,
766
00:38:41,670 --> 00:38:44,160
and they saw themselves as the most progressive nation
767
00:38:44,160 --> 00:38:45,326
in Europe.
768
00:38:45,326 --> 00:38:48,576
(tense dramatic music)
769
00:38:50,460 --> 00:38:53,900
And indeed it was a Frenchmen named Denis Papin,
770
00:38:53,900 --> 00:38:55,960
who did much to explore the principles
771
00:38:55,960 --> 00:38:59,730
behind the steam powered engine back in 1690,
772
00:38:59,730 --> 00:39:02,750
but it wasn't until 74 years later
773
00:39:02,750 --> 00:39:04,750
that Scotsman, James Watt,
774
00:39:04,750 --> 00:39:07,980
found an efficient way of replacing the physical exertion
775
00:39:07,980 --> 00:39:10,660
of humans with steam power,
776
00:39:10,660 --> 00:39:13,190
Watts' invention was fundamental to the changes
777
00:39:13,190 --> 00:39:15,670
wrought by the Industrial Revolution.
778
00:39:15,670 --> 00:39:19,730
It was Watt incidentally who coined the term horsepower.
779
00:39:19,730 --> 00:39:23,453
The world was entering an era of unprecedented acceleration.
780
00:39:24,670 --> 00:39:26,430
Divining the mysteries of nature
781
00:39:26,430 --> 00:39:28,270
have been an integral facet
782
00:39:28,270 --> 00:39:30,720
of European culture since antiquity,
783
00:39:30,720 --> 00:39:35,070
but in great Britain in particular researchers and inventors
784
00:39:35,070 --> 00:39:37,780
found ways to put their new found knowledge
785
00:39:37,780 --> 00:39:40,140
to immediate practical use,
786
00:39:40,140 --> 00:39:44,125
and it all started with a mechanical weaving loom.
787
00:39:44,125 --> 00:39:48,010
(loom whirring)
(tense dramatic music)
788
00:39:48,010 --> 00:39:49,680
Until the 18th century,
789
00:39:49,680 --> 00:39:52,190
the only way to increase production of goods
790
00:39:52,190 --> 00:39:54,480
was to employ more people.
791
00:39:54,480 --> 00:39:57,360
Now the physical labor of a single person
792
00:39:57,360 --> 00:40:01,220
could be multiplied exponentially, almost infinitely.
793
00:40:01,220 --> 00:40:03,270
This was the mechanism at the heart
794
00:40:03,270 --> 00:40:04,720
of the Industrial Revolution.
795
00:40:06,240 --> 00:40:08,850
It all started in England.
796
00:40:08,850 --> 00:40:12,250
Manchester grew into the most important industrial center
797
00:40:12,250 --> 00:40:13,570
in the world.
798
00:40:13,570 --> 00:40:15,870
The textile industry was mainly responsible
799
00:40:15,870 --> 00:40:17,300
for the city's boom.
800
00:40:17,300 --> 00:40:19,720
Manchester's population exploded,
801
00:40:19,720 --> 00:40:22,883
and magnificent buildings sprang up one after another.
802
00:40:24,970 --> 00:40:27,070
Manchester was dramatic enough,
803
00:40:27,070 --> 00:40:28,890
but it was just the beginning.
804
00:40:28,890 --> 00:40:30,810
With the rise of heavy industry,
805
00:40:30,810 --> 00:40:33,370
came the greatest shift in living standards,
806
00:40:33,370 --> 00:40:35,670
since human beings established settlements,
807
00:40:35,670 --> 00:40:36,813
and started farming.
808
00:40:37,651 --> 00:40:40,401
(metal clanking)
809
00:40:42,030 --> 00:40:44,280
Iron and steel foundries sprang up
810
00:40:44,280 --> 00:40:46,520
wherever there was iron ore or coal,
811
00:40:46,520 --> 00:40:49,620
the lower regions, Saarland and Silesia in Germany
812
00:40:49,620 --> 00:40:50,830
are good examples.
813
00:40:50,830 --> 00:40:52,410
And one of these iron works,
814
00:40:52,410 --> 00:40:54,960
the Volklingen Hutte has been named
815
00:40:54,960 --> 00:40:59,190
a UNESCO World Heritage Site, an important step,
816
00:40:59,190 --> 00:41:01,900
for the first time an iron foundry
817
00:41:01,900 --> 00:41:06,420
was placed on the same footing as cathedrals and pyramids,
818
00:41:06,420 --> 00:41:10,270
and in this place, you can still feel the incredible power
819
00:41:10,270 --> 00:41:12,070
of the Industrial Revolution.
820
00:41:12,070 --> 00:41:15,300
It was an historical turning point, not just for Europe,
821
00:41:15,300 --> 00:41:17,423
but for the entire world.
822
00:41:17,423 --> 00:41:19,830
(tense dramatic music)
823
00:41:19,830 --> 00:41:22,810
This is the only place where we can still see
824
00:41:22,810 --> 00:41:25,570
the blast furnaces that once fueled
825
00:41:25,570 --> 00:41:27,240
the Industrial Revolution.
826
00:41:27,240 --> 00:41:29,540
The Volklingen Ironworks in Germany
827
00:41:29,540 --> 00:41:31,740
just across the border from France
828
00:41:31,740 --> 00:41:35,280
is the world's only fully-preserved Ironworks
829
00:41:35,280 --> 00:41:37,920
from the golden age of the iron and steel industry
830
00:41:37,920 --> 00:41:40,660
in the 19th and 20th centuries.
831
00:41:40,660 --> 00:41:42,230
The history of this ironworks
832
00:41:42,230 --> 00:41:45,310
is also a piece of European history.
833
00:41:45,310 --> 00:41:46,950
Volklingen was situated
834
00:41:46,950 --> 00:41:49,660
on the once-troubled political boundary
835
00:41:49,660 --> 00:41:52,560
between Germany and France.
836
00:41:52,560 --> 00:41:56,220
The coal for the iron works came from the German Saarland,
837
00:41:56,220 --> 00:41:59,140
but certain types of iron ore could only be found
838
00:41:59,140 --> 00:42:02,760
just a few kilometers away in French Lorraine.
839
00:42:02,760 --> 00:42:05,180
In the 19th and 20th centuries,
840
00:42:05,180 --> 00:42:10,180
this strategic border land was repeatedly fought over.
841
00:42:10,180 --> 00:42:13,050
It was the need to overcome this bitter competition
842
00:42:13,050 --> 00:42:16,560
over strategic resources that led to the establishment
843
00:42:16,560 --> 00:42:19,160
of the European Coal and Steel Community
844
00:42:19,160 --> 00:42:21,550
shortly after the end of World War II,
845
00:42:21,550 --> 00:42:25,380
the first step towards the European community.
846
00:42:25,380 --> 00:42:29,820
Coal, iron, and steel, the building blocks of Europe,
847
00:42:29,820 --> 00:42:33,080
the colossal machines of Volklingen still bear witness
848
00:42:33,080 --> 00:42:34,463
to this history today.
849
00:42:38,800 --> 00:42:42,270
In the 1830s and '40s with the Industrial Revolution
850
00:42:42,270 --> 00:42:46,090
in full swing, urbanization, pollution, disease,
851
00:42:46,090 --> 00:42:50,090
and political unrest fueled an interest in green spaces.
852
00:42:50,090 --> 00:42:52,460
Reformers argued that urban gardens
853
00:42:52,460 --> 00:42:55,640
would beautify the landscape, sweep away disease,
854
00:42:55,640 --> 00:42:58,450
and refine working class tastes.
855
00:42:58,450 --> 00:43:00,730
In London, the Royal Botanical Gardens
856
00:43:00,730 --> 00:43:03,690
were opened to the public in 1840.
857
00:43:03,690 --> 00:43:07,200
Some years later, the striking Palm House was built,
858
00:43:07,200 --> 00:43:08,970
a result of improved glass
859
00:43:08,970 --> 00:43:11,333
and iron manufacturing techniques.
860
00:43:11,333 --> 00:43:12,580
(water flowing)
861
00:43:12,580 --> 00:43:13,810
Walking around this place,
862
00:43:13,810 --> 00:43:15,330
it's difficult not to be reminded
863
00:43:15,330 --> 00:43:16,830
of the biblical Garden of Eden
864
00:43:16,830 --> 00:43:19,240
where supposedly all the plants in the world
865
00:43:19,240 --> 00:43:20,380
were in one place.
866
00:43:20,380 --> 00:43:22,740
Is that part of the story of how gardens like this
867
00:43:22,740 --> 00:43:23,660
came to be?
868
00:43:23,660 --> 00:43:28,420
{\an8}Well, I think certainly Kew aims to have plants
869
00:43:28,420 --> 00:43:30,160
{\an8}from all around the world.
870
00:43:30,160 --> 00:43:32,950
{\an8}Wild plants, plants collected from wild places.
871
00:43:32,950 --> 00:43:35,480
I perhaps pick up upon a different story from the Bible,
872
00:43:35,480 --> 00:43:36,990
which is the concept of the ark,
873
00:43:36,990 --> 00:43:39,410
where the animals were led into a place of protection
874
00:43:39,410 --> 00:43:41,970
from the deluge, and one way of thinking about Kew,
875
00:43:41,970 --> 00:43:44,670
and the wild plant diversity we have here
876
00:43:44,670 --> 00:43:47,500
is as a precious ark bobbing around in a turbulent world,
877
00:43:47,500 --> 00:43:48,500
protecting these plants.
878
00:43:48,500 --> 00:43:50,520
Some of the plants in this building are extinct
879
00:43:50,520 --> 00:43:53,080
in the wild now, some of the projects that Kew works on
880
00:43:53,080 --> 00:43:56,900
about reintroducing plants back into their natural habitats,
881
00:43:56,900 --> 00:44:00,230
because of habitat degradation, or extinction in the wild.
882
00:44:00,230 --> 00:44:01,870
So perhaps an ark, I would rely upon
883
00:44:01,870 --> 00:44:04,640
as a better metaphor for the work that Kew does.
884
00:44:04,640 --> 00:44:05,473
(slow relaxing music)
885
00:44:05,473 --> 00:44:09,090
Nearly 180,000 living plants,
886
00:44:09,090 --> 00:44:12,100
including 1,300 threatened species
887
00:44:12,100 --> 00:44:15,210
can be found in the botanical collections of Kew Gardens,
888
00:44:15,210 --> 00:44:17,423
a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
889
00:44:18,860 --> 00:44:21,350
How are all these beautiful plants connected
890
00:44:21,350 --> 00:44:24,670
to the dark arts of Imperial expansion?
891
00:44:24,670 --> 00:44:26,750
The world's largest botanical garden
892
00:44:26,750 --> 00:44:30,050
also captures the essence of an entire era
893
00:44:30,050 --> 00:44:31,430
in the history of Europe.
894
00:44:31,430 --> 00:44:35,070
Knowledge was power, and power led to new knowledge.
895
00:44:35,070 --> 00:44:36,710
Already in the 18th century,
896
00:44:36,710 --> 00:44:40,340
Europeans were bringing plants back from their many colonies
897
00:44:40,340 --> 00:44:43,310
to the continent where they'd never been seen before.
898
00:44:43,310 --> 00:44:46,710
The plants were studied in great detail here at Kew Gardens,
899
00:44:46,710 --> 00:44:48,870
and similar locations around Europe,
900
00:44:48,870 --> 00:44:50,760
and the task of researchers
901
00:44:50,760 --> 00:44:53,400
was to discern their practical uses.
902
00:44:53,400 --> 00:44:55,880
One interesting example is the Cinchona,
903
00:44:55,880 --> 00:44:57,910
known colloquially as the fever tree,
904
00:44:57,910 --> 00:44:59,800
which is native to Peru.
905
00:44:59,800 --> 00:45:02,370
A substance can be extracted from its bark,
906
00:45:02,370 --> 00:45:05,260
which can be used to make a medicine to treat malaria,
907
00:45:05,260 --> 00:45:08,710
quinine, this medicine from a South American plant
908
00:45:08,710 --> 00:45:12,590
allowed the Europeans to make further inroads into Asia,
909
00:45:12,590 --> 00:45:14,690
and Africa, where malaria was endemic,
910
00:45:14,690 --> 00:45:17,120
and then knowledge of foreign plants,
911
00:45:17,120 --> 00:45:19,690
some of which were collected here in this greenhouse,
912
00:45:19,690 --> 00:45:22,350
lead to the farming of tea in Ceylon,
913
00:45:22,350 --> 00:45:24,113
and coffee and South America.
914
00:45:25,099 --> 00:45:27,780
(tense dramatic music)
(birds chirping)
915
00:45:27,780 --> 00:45:28,760
Over the centuries.
916
00:45:28,760 --> 00:45:31,290
Kew Gardens has become an important center
917
00:45:31,290 --> 00:45:33,090
for botanical research.
918
00:45:33,090 --> 00:45:34,700
The fungarian, for example,
919
00:45:34,700 --> 00:45:39,640
contains an estimated 1.25 million dried specimens
920
00:45:39,640 --> 00:45:41,190
from every part of the globe,
921
00:45:41,190 --> 00:45:45,230
and reflects the importance of fungi as providers of food,
922
00:45:45,230 --> 00:45:49,120
medicines, enzymes and essential ecosystem services.
923
00:45:49,120 --> 00:45:51,810
The collection is the largest, and one of the oldest,
924
00:45:51,810 --> 00:45:54,663
and most scientifically important in the world.
925
00:45:55,848 --> 00:46:00,123
Because they go on bark.
As they would.
926
00:46:00,123 --> 00:46:04,380
Ester, you are the queen of a world of fungi here at Kew.
927
00:46:04,380 --> 00:46:05,830
What is special about fungi?
928
00:46:05,830 --> 00:46:08,440
What makes them different from other living creatures.
929
00:46:08,440 --> 00:46:12,560
{\an8}Fungi are a very distinct group of organisms
930
00:46:12,560 --> 00:46:15,870
{\an8}completely apart from animals and plants,
931
00:46:15,870 --> 00:46:18,470
they have actually their own kingdom, kingdom fungi,
932
00:46:19,345 --> 00:46:23,173
and some of the main features that define them,
933
00:46:24,020 --> 00:46:27,570
and distinguish them from the animal and plant kingdoms
934
00:46:27,570 --> 00:46:32,070
are weird things, for example,
935
00:46:32,070 --> 00:46:34,240
how they digest foods,
936
00:46:34,240 --> 00:46:38,010
they secrete enzymes into the environment.
937
00:46:38,010 --> 00:46:40,960
They resolve the organic matter,
938
00:46:40,960 --> 00:46:43,223
and they absorb it back into their cells.
939
00:46:44,380 --> 00:46:48,060
Nobody else does something like that, it's quite strange,
940
00:46:48,060 --> 00:46:52,000
you don't have an external stomach digesting,
941
00:46:52,000 --> 00:46:54,663
that's what the fungi do.
942
00:46:54,663 --> 00:46:57,290
(tense dramatic music)
943
00:46:57,290 --> 00:46:59,600
And there is another fascinating place
944
00:46:59,600 --> 00:47:02,310
at Kew, the herbarium,
945
00:47:02,310 --> 00:47:05,130
it contains millions of preserved specimens,
946
00:47:05,130 --> 00:47:07,760
and enormous wealth of information for researchers
947
00:47:07,760 --> 00:47:09,320
all over the world.
948
00:47:09,320 --> 00:47:11,940
Plants that have been collected from all continents
949
00:47:11,940 --> 00:47:13,920
over the last 300 years,
950
00:47:13,920 --> 00:47:17,560
specimens that can be used to provide samples of DNA
951
00:47:17,560 --> 00:47:20,910
to study relationships, and evolutionary processes,
952
00:47:20,910 --> 00:47:24,830
among the oldest, a specimen sent from the Andes in Ecuador,
953
00:47:24,830 --> 00:47:27,473
by German naturalist, Alexander von Humboldt.
954
00:47:28,862 --> 00:47:32,112
(tense dramatic music)
955
00:47:35,900 --> 00:47:37,310
How many samples do you have altogether
956
00:47:37,310 --> 00:47:39,100
at the herbarium at Kew?
957
00:47:39,100 --> 00:47:41,350
{\an8}In the herbarium, we have about 7 million.
958
00:47:41,350 --> 00:47:43,460
{\an8}We don't know exactly how many we have,
959
00:47:43,460 --> 00:47:45,300
{\an8}we've never counted them, so it's a bit of a,
960
00:47:45,300 --> 00:47:47,610
{\an8}you know, estimate, but yeah,
961
00:47:47,610 --> 00:47:51,020
about 7 million and we collect them
962
00:47:51,020 --> 00:47:54,040
to understand plant diversity.
963
00:47:54,040 --> 00:47:57,010
So something that Kew is very good at doing is going out,
964
00:47:57,010 --> 00:48:01,760
finding endemic, or endangered, or very useful species,
965
00:48:01,760 --> 00:48:03,140
and getting their seeds,
966
00:48:03,140 --> 00:48:04,890
and putting the seeds in the seed bank.
967
00:48:04,890 --> 00:48:07,930
So we have an amazing seed bank down at Wakehurst Place,
968
00:48:07,930 --> 00:48:12,320
and that's sort of, you know, a bank too,
969
00:48:12,320 --> 00:48:14,480
that we can draw on to help put species
970
00:48:14,480 --> 00:48:16,021
back in the wild.
971
00:48:16,021 --> 00:48:19,440
(tense dramatic music)
(birds chirping)
972
00:48:19,440 --> 00:48:22,310
But it's not only about the past,
973
00:48:22,310 --> 00:48:25,090
individual plants are preserved at Kew Gardens,
974
00:48:25,090 --> 00:48:28,393
so that future generations can study biodiversity.
975
00:48:31,290 --> 00:48:35,040
Allow me to introduce Encephalartos Woodii,
976
00:48:35,040 --> 00:48:36,730
the loneliest plant in the world.
977
00:48:36,730 --> 00:48:40,500
{\an8}It's been growing here in Kew Gardens since 1899.
978
00:48:40,500 --> 00:48:44,130
{\an8}It's a cycad, and originally comes from South Africa.
979
00:48:44,130 --> 00:48:47,240
{\an8}These plants died out long ago in their homeland,
980
00:48:47,240 --> 00:48:50,350
but this specimen here is one of the last in the world,
981
00:48:50,350 --> 00:48:51,770
a male plant,
982
00:48:51,770 --> 00:48:54,490
and this means a female plant must be found
983
00:48:54,490 --> 00:48:56,720
in order to keep this species alive.
984
00:48:56,720 --> 00:49:00,380
Unfortunately, despite searching far and wide,
985
00:49:00,380 --> 00:49:03,890
researchers have thus far been unable to find one.
986
00:49:03,890 --> 00:49:05,030
Luckily with proper care,
987
00:49:05,030 --> 00:49:07,990
these plants can live for a very long time,
988
00:49:07,990 --> 00:49:11,140
in the meanwhile experts at desperately continuing
989
00:49:11,140 --> 00:49:14,040
their search to find a girlfriend for this tree,
990
00:49:14,040 --> 00:49:17,130
and maybe one day his long years of solitude
991
00:49:17,130 --> 00:49:18,580
will come to an end,
992
00:49:18,580 --> 00:49:21,800
but one thing is clear, in the face of climate change,
993
00:49:21,800 --> 00:49:24,500
and ever deepening human encroachment
994
00:49:24,500 --> 00:49:26,020
into the natural world.
995
00:49:26,020 --> 00:49:29,140
Europe's botanical gardens are increasingly becoming
996
00:49:29,140 --> 00:49:33,220
treasure troves where visitors can admire species of plants
997
00:49:33,220 --> 00:49:35,560
that are extinct elsewhere,
998
00:49:35,560 --> 00:49:39,010
and that of course is more valuable than all the diamonds
999
00:49:39,010 --> 00:49:40,482
in the world.
1000
00:49:40,482 --> 00:49:45,482
(uptempo dramatic music)
(birds chirping)
1001
00:49:46,010 --> 00:49:49,990
Europe is the second smallest continent on the planet.
1002
00:49:49,990 --> 00:49:53,740
It's really only a peninsula on the western end of Asia,
1003
00:49:53,740 --> 00:49:56,570
but Europe's diversity is unparalleled.
1004
00:49:56,570 --> 00:50:00,740
Its rich cultural heritage born out of a turbulent history,
1005
00:50:00,740 --> 00:50:02,950
belongs to the entire world,
1006
00:50:02,950 --> 00:50:05,600
and the Europeans bear the great responsibility
1007
00:50:05,600 --> 00:50:07,240
of tending to it,
1008
00:50:07,240 --> 00:50:10,410
but Europe's treasures are not just in the distant past.
1009
00:50:10,410 --> 00:50:14,040
A politically United Europe is a cultural heritage
1010
00:50:14,040 --> 00:50:15,410
in its own right.
1011
00:50:15,410 --> 00:50:17,210
One that must be protected,
1012
00:50:17,210 --> 00:50:20,234
and preserved for future generations.
1013
00:50:20,234 --> 00:50:23,484
(tense dramatic music)
1014
00:50:34,174 --> 00:50:37,591
(uptempo dramatic music)
80906
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