All language subtitles for Mysteries.of.the.Abandoned.S07E02.American.Ghost.Park.1080p.DISC.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-DoGSO_track3_[eng]

Narrator: an eerie relic festers
In the backwoods of arkansas.

Janulis: there's colorful
Cartoons that are slowly fading.

It's almost like you can hear
The children laughing

From like 20 years ago.

Narrator:
In the middle east,

An ancient bastion
Shrouded in myth.

Ha: it's only very recently
That we've been able to unveil

Some of the mystery
Behind this place.

The closer you look into
Those inscriptions,

The closer you look into
Those inscriptions,

The more detailed knowledge
We gain.

Narrator:
And in the heart of england,

A subterranean labyrinth
Hides a dark purpose.

Auerbach:
Part of it's been painted white,

Part of it's been left
Bare brown rock.

There has to be
Some significance to this.

There's even an area
That it was designed for people

To sleep like a dormitory.

It's like they were preparing
For the end of the world.

*

*

Narrator: decaying relics...

Ruins of lost worlds...

Sites haunted by the past...

Their secrets waiting
To be revealed.

-- captions by vitac --
Www.Vitac.Com

Captions paid for by
Discovery communications

*

*

The densely forested hills
Of northwest arkansas

Hide an unexpected rural haven.

Meigs: the ozarks are america's
Forgotten mountain range.

It's a beautiful, idyllic area
That most people

Are barely aware exists.

In the middle of that,
We come across

In the middle of that,
We come across

This strange little outpost.

This place is gorgeous,
You've got creeks and streams,

Forests, woodlands.

So, it's hard to get a handle
On what this place really was.

Narrator: it could be
Some kind of ghost town,

But amid the tranquil beauty,

More ramshackle ruins hint
At this site's true nature.

Bell: you got broken scaffolds,
Metal frames,

Bell: you got broken scaffolds,
Metal frames,

Offices with paper strewn
All about the place,

Buildings overgrown with weeds.

Janulis: you can just tell how
Busy this place would have been.

This place is vast.

There is space for
A lot of people here.

There's even
A little train line,

Narrator: the railroad track
Wends a course

Around this 400-acre complex.

Bell: there's definitely
A certain amount

Of make-believe
To this whole site.

Of make-believe
To this whole site.

Janulis:
Why is this place abandoned?

Because outside of it,
It looks like paradise.

*

Narrator: a parched slide
And forlorn watermill

Are some of the reminders
Of the site's lively past,

But it seems any success
Was short lived.

This is dogpatch usa,

Once one of the nation's
Most unusual theme parks.

Once one of the nation's
Most unusual theme parks.

Bell:
You know that back in its day,

It would have been
A noisy place to be --

Kids full of excitement, queuing
Up, desperate to get inside.

But now that's all gone.

Narrator: eddy sisson helps to
Look after what's left of this

Once-bustling amusement park.

Ever since he first
Came to dogpatch,

He's been fascinated
By its history.

This part of the site is where
You would buy tickets

This part of the site is where
You would buy tickets

And purchase memorabilia.

It would be your first place
You would go to.

Narrator: for the people who
Came to dogpatch at its peak,

The next stage in their journey
Was a magical descent

Into an imaginary world.

So, after you buy your ticket,
You would hop on this tram,

And you could see everything
That awaited you.

Narrator:
But what was so entertaining
About this far-away funfair?

Narrator:
But what was so entertaining
About this far-away funfair?

Bell: this site has a theme,
And that's the key

To understanding what this place
Was about and why it was here.

Narrator: dogpatch usa is
An amusement park

Like no other in america
Before or since.

Bell: it's a theme park,
So in one sense,

It's like disneyland,

But there were
A few major differences.

But there were
A few major differences.

Instead of mice,
Fantasy castles, and big rides,

You had hillbillies,
A few arcades,

And a lake full of trout.

Narrator: it's doors first open
To the public on may 18th, 1968.

Sisson:
In the heyday of the park,

There would be just tons
Of people,

Kids going back and forth
And people eating,

Kids going back and forth
And people eating,

People buying tickets,

People browsing
At the dogpatch memorabilia.

There were just, you know,

Maybe 800 people
In this building at one time.

Narrator: but why were people
So keen to come visit

These log cabins in the woods?

The story of how it came
To be dates back

Three decades
Before the first visitors came.

Janulis:
It's sort of a landmark

To a massive cultural shift
In america.

To a massive cultural shift
In america.

This park was culturally related
To one specific time period.

It reflected in america
In which people were moving

From the agricultural
And countryside into the cities.

Narrator:
The park took inspiration

From an unexpected source --

A cartoon strip
Known as "Li'l abner,"

Which made fun
Of that change.

Today, it's hard to remember
Or to even imagine

How influential
Newspaper comic strips were

How influential
Newspaper comic strips were

In the mid 20th century.

"Li'l abner" was one of
The most popular comic strips,

And its creator, al capp,
Was a huge celebrity.

He used to go on
"The tonight show."

He was friends with presidents.

Narrator:
"Li'l abner" was set

In the fictional
Appalachian village of dogpatch.

It was an over-the-top portrayal
Of rural folk

Living in appalachia.

Of course, al capp's vision
Of life in the appalachians

Was a very demeaning
Hillbilly stereotype,

Was a very demeaning
Hillbilly stereotype,

But it was also one that people
Kind of loved and embraced.

So, when they heard
That there was a theme park

Based on dogpatch,

That was very appealing
To a lot of people.

Narrator: at its height,

The cultural phenomenon
Attracted a readership

Of over 60 million people,
Yet the fact the park existed

At all was
A remarkable achievement.

Meigs: now, al capp was
A very difficult,

Meigs: now, al capp was
A very difficult,

Cantankerous character.

He had turned down many offers
To commercialize

Different aspects of his comic
And to build theme parks,

But he liked this idea partly

Because it didn't seem
That commercial.

Bell: it wasn't so much
About the rights.

It was more about the setting
And the atmosphere it provided.

This is a slightly different
Take on your average theme park.

Narrator: for many visitors,
This was a chance

Narrator: for many visitors,
This was a chance

To be a part of a world
They had grown up consuming,

From catching a fish
In the trout pond

And having it cooked
In the park's restaurant

To watching artisans
Producing traditional crafts

In the cabins.

Guests were transported
Into al capp's imagination.

Meigs: it looked just like
The dogpatch in the comic.

There was a waterfall,
Some scruffy hills,

There are even a few caves
Where you could imagine

Maybe if someone was off
Brewing up some moonshine.

Maybe if someone was off
Brewing up some moonshine.

There was a waterfall,
A trout farm,

There was campgrounds,

Bell: one of the largest
Structures that remains here

Is the old tower standing tall
With a long slide flowing down.

We've all got the fairgrounds
As a kid.

You know, this is exactly
What you want -- fun and games.

Narrator:
In its first year,

300,000 people came to enjoy
The hillbilly comic creation.

300,000 people came to enjoy
The hillbilly comic creation.

Janulis: the local city council
And the county all help fund

And create this park.

And when it opened,
It opened to great success.

It made a lot of money.

It was a very popular
Theme park.

Bell: "Li'l abner," the brand,
Was going really well.

There were plans to open a chain
Of themed restaurants,

And there was a tv show
In the pipeline, too.

Narrator:
What may seem a strange premise

Narrator:
What may seem a strange premise

For an amusement park today

Somehow worked, and in time,
Some of the biggest names

In show business
Came to perform here.

Why then did its popularity
Not last?

*

Narrator: in the 1960s,
A bizarre amusement park

Hidden in the backwoods
Of the ozark mountains

Celebrated rural american life.

Hundreds of thousands
Of visitors

Came to enjoy the log cabins,

Waterfalls,
And rides every year.

But dogpatch usa was about to go

On an economic roller coaster
All of its own.

On an economic roller coaster
All of its own.

Meigs: by the '70s,
Things were changing.

There was the energy crisis,
The price of gas went sky high,

The economy
Was really struggling,

Unemployment was high,
Inflation was high.

People weren't as inclined
To take long road trips.

Narrator: as profits plummeted,
The park was put up for sale.

The new proprietors believed

They could
Turn its fortunes around,

But the odds
Were stacked against them.

In the '80s, the park was sold
And purchased by a company

That specializes in building
And branding theme parks.

That specializes in building
And branding theme parks.

Meigs: the new owners
Really thought big.

They put in bigger rides.
They put in a music venue.

Narrator: at first, it seemed

That dogpatch's prospects
Had been revived.

Sisson: so, it's pretty insane
That three dog night,

Tina turner, dolly parton
All performed on the stage,

The "Dukes of hazzard" people,

They got them
To come and sign autographs.

And, you know, that wasn't
A normal thing in arkansas

And, you know, that wasn't
A normal thing in arkansas

To have people come,
You know, huge hollywood stars.

Narrator: the park's owners
Even attempted

To install a ski resort

To make this
A year-round destination,

But as the 1980s wore on,

No matter how hard they tried
To attract new visitors,

There was one
Overriding problem.

Al capp retired from making
The comic character,

"Li'l abner," in 1977.

"Li'l abner," in 1977.

Meigs: so, within a few years,
You don't have children

Growing up
On "Li'l abner" anymore.

They're not clamoring to their
Parents to go to dogpatch

Because they've
Never heard of dogpatch.

A brand like disney spends
Millions of dollars a year

Reminding everybody
About those iconic characters.

Sisson: you know, originally,
Dogpatch was over 800 acres,

Which was larger than
Disney world when it started.

Disneyland has become huge,
Trumping everything.

Disneyland has become huge,
Trumping everything.

Narrator: unable to adapt

And keep pace
With the changing times,

The park fell into bankruptcy,
And in 1993,

Its gates finally slammed shut.

Meigs: it's sort of sad
To walk this ground today

Because the basic idea
Wasn't a bad one.

A lot of people love the idea
Of being

In the heartland of america,
Being in a rustic setting,

Celebrating some of
The traditions of rural life

Or country life.

Narrator:
Dogpatch may be gone forever,

But the area's natural beauty

Could one day
Bring back the crowds.

Recently, the derelict site
Has been bought by new owners

With the hope of making use
Of its fish-filled lakes.

Bell: this feature is the key
To all of it

If you can attract
People here to fish.

And that's the starting point.

The idea can grow from there.

The idea can grow from there.

Maybe there is life left
In this place yet.

*

Narrator: in central england,
Near the city of birmingham

Is a quiet wilderness away
From prying eyes.

*

Janulis: this place is rural.
It's remote,

It seems as if there's not
A lot happening here.

That's exactly
What you're supposed to think.

Ha: there's this mysterious door
In the middle of the woods.

Ha: there's this mysterious door
In the middle of the woods.

You start to wonder if there's
Another world behind that door.

Narrator:
And in a way, there is.

Auerbach: this complex has
Endless tunnels --

Some of them interconnect,
Some of them dead end.

They also vary
Considerably in size.

Ha: it's like a massive
Underground labyrinth.

Dropping a trail of breadcrumbs
Is not going to help you

Find your way out of this place.

Narrator:
But distinctive features
Soon emerge from the darkness.

Narrator:
But distinctive features
Soon emerge from the darkness.

Auerbach: there seems to be two
Halves to this tunnel network.

Part of it's been painted white,

Part of
It's been left bare brown rock.

There has to be
Some significance to this.

Janulis: in the lighter tunnels,
It gets a little more civilized.

There are office cubicles
That have machinery

Stashed away in them.

Auerbach:
There's a kitchen area.

There's even an area
That it was designed for people

To sleep like a dormitory.

It's like they were preparing
For the end of the world.

It's like they were preparing
For the end of the world.

Narrator: with enough space
To house hundreds

If not thousands of people,
What was this place built for

And why plan
To live down here in the dark?

For any lone visitor,
The cold, empty halls

Make for an unwelcoming scene,

Even sid robinson, the man now
In charge of the site,

Still finds
The experience disconcerting.

Still finds
The experience disconcerting.

Robinson: I find the place is
Very eerie --

Such a vast space of darkness,

Especially if you're
Just there with the torch.

And it has this presence.

I can't put my finger on it,
But, yeah, it's not comfortable.

Narrator: but the sense
Of unease is nothing new.

Robinson:
Working down here,

Especially during
The excavation stages,

I know from
Having interviewed people,

Spoke to many worked here.

They said it was horrific,
And it was the scariest time,

They said it was horrific,
And it was the scariest time,

That it would take a week or two

To get used to the pitch black
And the noises.

Narrator: originally built
And paid for

By the british government,

The site was then turned over to
A private company called rover

For use as factory space.

Auerbach:
In the early 20th century,

Rover employed thousands
Of people, and they built

Some pretty famous vehicles
Like the rover 10,

The meteor,
And the light six.

Janulis: rover made most of the
Cars they manufactured in-house.

Janulis: rover made most of the
Cars they manufactured in-house.

They made the chassis,
The engine, even the wheels.

And in doing so,
They established themselves

As a trusted british
Automobile manufacturer.

But why would they put
A factory underground?

Rover may have been
A car manufacturer,

But they weren't making
Automobiles down here.

This was a shadow factory.

Narrator:
Known as drakelow tunnels,

This was once a secret facility
Designed to keep britain

This was once a secret facility
Designed to keep britain

In the fight against the nazis.

Now, germany didn't really have
The capacity,

At least at the beginning
Of world war two,

To mount a seaborne invasion
Of britain.

But a necessary precursor
Was control of the skies.

Narrator:
After the first world war,

The government had seized
The initiative

And began preparing
For this looming threat.

Ha: outsourcing is a big part
Of their answer.

Ha: outsourcing is a big part
Of their answer.

The air ministry decided

To start co-opting
Car manufacturers

In what they called
A shadow factory scheme.

The government approached car
Companies, companies like rover,

And they made a deal.

They would build them
New factories,

And they could build
Cars in them,

But if war ever came,

Those factories would get
Converted to aircraft making.

Narrator: the plan was good in
Theory, but sites like this were

Only built after a major flaw
In the plan was realized.

Only built after a major flaw
In the plan was realized.

The first shadow factories
Were built right

In the shadow
Of existing car factories,

And this made them vulnerable
To bombing attacks.

Germany just bombed
The hell out of them.

Narrator:
The fate of the country

Was hanging in the balance.

To find a solution,
They had to start digging.

Auerbach: so, in 1942,
About halfway through the war,

Rover and its employees
Were moved

To a new locale, drakelow.

To a new locale, drakelow.

Robinson: there's no caves here
To start with.

This is all totally manmade.

They had at the time
2,000 people working down here

Doing the excavation for them

And creating this fabulous
Underground factory.

We don't actually
Go down any steps.

It's built straight into
The side of the hill.

So, it's all on one level --
Made it a lot easier

For the trucks carrying
The materials in and out.

Narrator: designed in
A repetitive grid system,

Four quarter-of-a-mile-long
Tunnels form the core

Four quarter-of-a-mile-long
Tunnels form the core

Of the underground network

With rows of
Perpendicular routes

Cutting through them.
In total,

It offered up the equivalent
Of around five football fields

Worth of bomb-proof
Factory space.

Robinson:
Rover was producing parts for
The rolls-royce merlin engines,

Which was the engines they used
In all of the aircraft

During the war period.

So, it was a very, very critical
And crucial part

Of the operations
Of the war effort at the time.

Narrator: but to operate
The machines during the war

With men being sent out
To fight on the front,

This provided a new opportunity
For others.

Ha: but where was all
The manpower going to come from

To build these engines?

Where else but the kitchen?

Women literally
Went from cutting cloth

To make dresses to cutting steel
To make bombers.

Narrator: across britain,
Numerous shadow factories,

Many of which
Were built underground,

Many of which
Were built underground,

Made the difference.

Janulis: the battle
Of great britain was won

Because they had the airplanes
To fight off the germans.

Auerbach: without the products
Of drakelow,

The outcome of world war two
For britain

Might have been very,
Very different.

Narrator: but there are corners
Of drakelow's underground maze

That seem to tell
A different story.

Auerbach: there are these
Dormitories and what looks like

Broadcasting equipment,
Which makes no sense

For a factory
Producing aircraft engines.

Clearly, something else
Happened here, as well.

Clearly, something else
Happened here, as well.

Narrator:
In the heart of england,

A vast underground factory

Once played a vital role

In keeping britain's hopes alive
During the second world war.

But further clues at
This top-secret site point

To another chilling use.

When you go to drakelow,

It's not just old
Factory equipment.

There's a lot more
Going on there.

Narrator:
The use of atomic bombs on japan

Narrator:
The use of atomic bombs on japan

Did more than just end
The second world war.

It set in motion
The reality of a new threat

To britain's security.

Just four years later, in 1949,

The soviets detonated
Their first atomic bomb.

The cold war was underway.

Ha: by the 1950s,

Britain is not only testing out
Its own h-bomb,

It's making extensive plans
For how to carry on

With government
In the event of an attack.

With government
In the event of an attack.

Narrator:
As the nuclear age developed

Through the 1960s and '70s,

Drakelow low was called
Back into action.

The bomb proof nature of the
Site was critical once again.

Auerbach: britain created
A new initiative

Initially called
Regional seats of government,

And the idea was you

Would divide the country
Into 12 districts.

The rsgs were designed as a way
For the british government

To continue to operate in
The event of a nuclear attack.

To continue to operate in
The event of a nuclear attack.

Auerbach: parliamentary members
Would take shelter

At the headquarters
Of these different regions

And would be able
To govern there,

Assuming anyone actually
Survived the attack.

Drakelow was going to house the
Headquarters for district nine.

Robinson: we have the bbc
Broadcasting suite

So that regional
Government headquarters

Like this could communicate
With all the other

Regional government headquarters
Around the country.

Narrator: but computers and
Communication equipment

Were just the final step.

Were just the final step.

More importantly,
The site itself

Would need a major overhaul.

Robinson:
When they updated the site,

They sealed off parts
Of the tunnel system

And then they installed
A new ventilation,

Air conditioning,
Heating system,

They updated the wiring, alarms,

Put blast proof doors on it for
The entrances.

Narrator: focusing on
A smaller section of the site,

The plan was to make this area
Safe from nuclear fallout.

The plan was to make this area
Safe from nuclear fallout.

The sandstone rock might have
Protected those inside

From a nearby detonation,

But questions remain
Over the likelihood

Of survival beyond that.

Robinson: you know, you think,
"Oh, it'll be sealed

In every little nook
And cranny."

Well, although they bricked off
The old factory area,

At the end of the main corridor
Was the original factory doors,

Which were wooden.

And then they had
Two little wooden doors

And then they had
Two little wooden doors

Separating this bunker
From the factory.

So, should the fallout

Be sort of making his way
'round through the countryside,

It was quite easy
To come through

'round the edge
Of the door frame

Or through the ventilation
System some way.

Even though they got
These special filters

To recirculate the air,

By no means was
This place airtight.

Narrator: while drakelow was
A vital part

Of britain's defense
In the second world war,

The rush to put something
In place quickly

Ahead of the next threat
May not have paid off.

Ahead of the next threat
May not have paid off.

Auerbach: with drakelow, you're
Trying to do it on the cheap,

It's just obviously
Not going to work.

But, you know, at least
The tunnels got a new paint job.

Narrator: fortunately, the site
Never faced the ultimate test

And was finally shut down
And sold off in 1994.

Today, parts
Of drakelow tunnels

Have been opened up
To the public,

Offering a glimpse into
Britain's underground efforts

Offering a glimpse into
Britain's underground efforts

To protect the country
Throughout the 20th century.

*

Among the craggy peaks of the
Israeli-occupied golan heights,

An ancient structure keeps watch
Over the disputed plateau.

*

Ha: it's formidable.

It sits high above
One of the most fiercely

It sits high above
One of the most fiercely

Contested areas
On the face of the earth.

Selwood: it's an exceptionally
Dramatic setting.

And wherever you look,
There seem to be more tunnels,

More corridor, and walls
That are extraordinarily thick.

Narrator: the imposing ruins
Ramble along a precipitous ridge

For almost a third of a mile.

Wawro:
Walls have crumbled,

But it's just
Marvelously intact.

But it's just
Marvelously intact.

Narrator: belowground,
The curious maze continues.

There's a tunnel that leads
In and out

Through a hidden entrance,

And then there's this
Subterranean area

That looks like
It's been flooded.

Narrator: guarding
This geopolitical flash point,

The deserted structure
Is clearly defensive.

But who built
This fortress and why?

Selwood: stories are told
About this place,

Of links to the bible
Of the tower of babel.

Of links to the bible
Of the tower of babel.

This is even today
A place of myth and mystery.

Narrator: the riddle of this
Commanding site dates back

To the end of the 11th century.

Local guide lior shelef

Has long been exploring this
Mythical cliff top bastion.

Narrator: could the name itself
Be the first clue?

This is a nimrod fortress.

Selwood: it's named after
The biblical character nimrod,

Who was believed
To have been the king

Who ordered the construction
Of the tower of babel,

Who ordered the construction
Of the tower of babel,

That extraordinary structure
That stretched from earth

Right up into the heavens.

There was a legend circulating
That nimrod

Had been bothered
By a mosquito in his ear.

So, an act of regal arrogance,
He'd cut off his own head

And replaced it
With one of gold.

And that as a sort
Of divine punishment

For this act of arrogance,

He'd been buried in the valley
Beneath this fortress.

Narrator:
Excavations at the site reveal

That whoever built it did
A sterling job.

Selwood: this castle was built
For military effectiveness,

Many of the details
Of the military architecture

Are incredibly well preserved.
There are the multiple layers

Within the castle
Of fortifications,

Within fortifications
To withstand

Repeated waves of attacks.

Narrator: the fort's design
Betrays its specific purpose.

Narrator: the fort's design
Betrays its specific purpose.

Narrator: but who or what
Was this army protecting?

It's only very recently
That we've been able to unveil

Some of the mystery
And get to the real story

Behind this place.

*

Narrator: so, who came up

Narrator: so, who came up

With this extraordinarily
Effective design?

*

Narrator: above the israeli
Occupied territory

Of the golan heights,
One of the largest

Medieval forts
In the middle east

Lay in ruins
For hundreds of years.

Exactly who built
It would remain a mystery

Until the late 20th century.

Its location helped provide
The answer.

The strategic significance
Of this nimrod castle

Is that it lies on
This high ground blocking access

Is that it lies on
This high ground blocking access

From the mediterranean coast
Inland to damascus.

Narrator: any invading force
Would land at tire

And make their way
Through the golan heights

Before taking damascus.

Selwood: damascus was a key seat
Of power at the time,

And the main road to damascus

Was a fundamentally important
Military highway.

Narrator:
Late in the 11th century,

Crusading christian armies
Came from the west intent

On recovering the so-called
Holy land from islamic rule.

Selwood: the crusades were
A defining part

Selwood: the crusades were
A defining part

Of the medieval world
And of the medieval mind.

Western christian knights
Rode east,

Partly to contain islamic forces

Which were expanding
In the region,

But also to retake
And conquer as christian

All those holy sites
From the bible.

Wawro: this whole area
Was a battlefield.

And you see crusader castles
Speckling this region

Where the crusaders would create
These strongholds to defend

And to advance their cause.

Narrator: so, at the turn
Of the 20th century,

When western archeologists
First arrived,

They were quick to assume
That the beautiful fortress

Had been built
By their own crusaders.

Narrator: nearby castles around
The golan heights

Seem to confirm
Their assumption.

Narrator: but if the nimrod
Fortress was not the work

Of the christian crusaders,
Which religious force built it?

This was built
By the islamic forces.

Narrator: in 1187, saladin,
A warlord from modern day iraq,

Narrator: in 1187, saladin,
A warlord from modern day iraq,

Swept across the region,

Conquering many
Crusader strongholds.

Saladin and his heirs
Begin building fortifications

To hold back
This christian tide.

And nimrod is a islamic
Designed castle.

Selwood: this castle was built
By one of saladin's nephews

In anticipation
Of yet another battle.

Narrator:
They knew what it took

To succeed
In this hostile terrain,

To succeed
In this hostile terrain,

As hidden features
At this site confirm.

An elaborate water cistern
Kept the fortress well stocked,

Even under siege,

And that wasn't
The only contingency

If the castle was surrounded.

Narrator:
Nimrod fortress was built
To stand up to the waves

Of warring crusaders
Coming from the west.

But saladin and his dynasty

Were looking
In the wrong direction.

*

Narrator:
Known as nimrod fortress,

This mighty bastion was built
By islamic forces

To protect the holy land
From christian crusaders.

Ultimately, the fate of this
Hilltop citadel

Would be determined
By an act of god.

But back in medieval times,

The next new and powerful
Religious force

The next new and powerful
Religious force

To attack this site
Came from the east.

Wawro:
In the mid 13th century,

Their defenses essentially
Reversed to deal

With the influx of
Mongol invaders from the east.

Ha: but after years of conflict
With the crusaders,

Nimrod was eventually taken

Without a single stone
Being thrown.

The mongols were so feared
That the occupants surrendered

And were happy to simply
Be spared their lives.

And were happy to simply
Be spared their lives.

Narrator:
But carvings at this site

Reveal that
Mongol rule didn't last long.

This lion is the sign
Of more islamic invaders,

Led by a commander known
As baibars.

Narrator: baibars' heirs
Ruled the fortress

For more than 250 years.

For more than 250 years.

When ottoman forces
Finally took over in 1517,

Nimrod was no longer
In a strategic location.

Selwood:
During the ottoman period.

One of the towers,
A four-story structure

That was quite luxurious enough

For anybody to have
Lived in normally,

Was converted
And used as a prison.

*

Narrator:
But the shattered remains

That littered this rocky outcrop

Were not the work
Of any marauding army.

Were not the work
Of any marauding army.

Ha: as if prophetic,
Nimrod's fortress

Was shaken by an earthquake
Just as nimrod's tower

Was toppled
By the forces of god.

Narrator:
Following the earthquake,

Nimrod fortress was finally
Abandoned to the elements.

Nimrod fortress has stood
For nearly a thousand years,

And today the bitter holy wars

That compelled its construction
Are still relevant.

Selwood: for centuries,
The crusades were seen

As a dusty old subject,
But now you can open a newspaper

And read that very same
Language, "Crusade,

Holy war, jihad, martyrdom."

Those ideas that were current
At the time this castle

Those ideas that were current
At the time this castle

Was built are still as relevant
Today in our modern world.

*

Narrator: on a mountain
In northern albania,

A complex of buildings balances
Precariously close to the peak.

*

Janulis: this place is
Definitely out of the way.

It's miles and miles
From the nearest town.

It's miles and miles
From the nearest town.

Scott: the buildings here
Are established,

But the road is anything but.

It's basically a dirt road
Cut through the mountains.

Narrator:
There's little to suggest
What this location was used for,

But at its center,
An austere building

Appears to offer up some clues.

Bell: it's a very unusual place
To find a building

Quite like this.

It looks like your stereotypical
Baddy's headquarters.

It looks like your stereotypical
Baddy's headquarters.

Narrator: there's a definite
Structure to this place.

Selwood: this setup
Isn't incidental.

It had a purpose.
There was an investment here,

And many people several thousand
Feet above sea level.

Narrator: so, what was this
Sinister collection of buildings

Teetering on an albanian
Mountainside?

Zanel drangu was 24
When he first arrived

At this macabre site.

At this macabre site.

Translator:
I came here, and I saw people
Gathered in the terrace.

And I sincerely thought,
"This looks like a zoo."

Narrator: that was back in 1972

When this place had been
In operation for four years.

But what was it built for?

*

Selwood:
When you look a little closer,

It's clear that it was actually
A mining operation.

It's clear that it was actually
A mining operation.

If you've got a massive
Mining operation here,

It makes sense
That your workforce live here.

Selwood:
We often think of mines as pits
Sunk deep into the ground.

But here, thousands of feet up
In the air,

There were resources so rich

That it was worth climbing up
The mountain to get to them.

Bell: they were digging
For iron, copper, zinc,

And if they were lucky,
A bit of gold, too.

And if they were lucky,
A bit of gold, too.

Zanel worked here as a miner.

He remembers the mine's
Vast scale.

Translator:
About 900 of us worked here.

So, three shifts,
All divided in groups

That would take the ore out.

This was a huge operation.
It would have needed

This was a huge operation.
It would have needed

A lot of manpower
To run this place.

Narrator: but there are signs
Around this site

That this was no ordinary mine.

Bell: something isn't quite
Right here.

It's almost like
They didn't care for the welfare

Of the people who lived here.

There's lots of barbed wire
And iron bars.

Narrator: it soon becomes clear
That workers like zanel

Narrator: it soon becomes clear
That workers like zanel

Were not here by choice.

This is spac prison,

One of the most notorious
Labor camps in albania.

Translator: here at the camp,

Inside its core
Where we are now,

We had five rows of fences,
And every 10 meters,

There were the sentry boxes
And guard posts of the soldiers.

Narrator: so, why did zanel
And almost a thousand

Narrator: so, why did zanel
And almost a thousand

Other prisoners end up
In this unforgiving place?

*

Narrator: in the harsh mountains
Of northern albania,

A horrifying gulag dates
Back to 1968

And the notorious reign
Of communist leader enver hoxha.

Selwood: albania had been
A communist country

Since the 1940s,
But after the death of stalin,

Albania's leader decided
That the soviet union

Was straying too far from
The core values of communism,

Was straying too far from
The core values of communism,

So severed all ties with
The soviet union and with china

And decided to go it alone.

The aim seemed to be for albania

To become a shining
Example of communism,

Whether its citizens
Liked it or not.

Selwood: all criticism
Of the state was forbidden

And perhaps the very worst
Example of criticism

Was trying to leave,
Which was strictly illegal.

Narrator: in 1972, zanel drangu
Fell foul of the brutal regime.

Narrator: in 1972, zanel drangu
Fell foul of the brutal regime.

He fled from albania
To neighboring yugoslavia,

But was soon extradited back
To his homeland to face justice.

Translator: I was sentenced
To 20 years at the age of 24,

A sentence that I served here.

Selwood: totalitarian states

Notoriously do not treat
Their prisoners well,

At spac, the political
Prisoners were mixed together

At spac, the political
Prisoners were mixed together

With the violent prisoners,
Meaning that the atmosphere

Was constantly one of brutalism
And intimidation

Translator: they would do this
Because they had

This big hatred
For the type of people

That we were, we who stood
Against that regime.

Scott:
The regime relied on it

Not being questioned
Or criticized,

And if you did,
You ended up being put away

In places like spac
For "Reeducation,"

In places like spac
For "Reeducation,"

Where you were shut away
From public view.

Narrator: in spac prison, zanel
Suffered alongside the rest.

Translator:
The situation was difficult,

Conditions were inhumane.

It's that hard
In the minds gallery

Because you have all sorts
Of gases, smoke, and smells,

Almost like
That of rotting bodies.

It smelled acidic.

Selwood: the facility was
Effectively a slave labor camp.

The inmates were forced
To work inhumanly long hours

With unrealistically high
Productivity quotas

For the mining.

Narrator: and the prisoners
Spartan living quarters

Offered no respite,

With up to 54 men
Sleeping in each room.

The rooms are very small,
Almost like cages.

I mean, there's basic living,
But this is something else.

I mean, there's basic living,
But this is something else.

Selwood: another
Terrifying aspect of life there

Was that the authorities
Offered time off sentences

For those who agreed to spy
On their fellow prisoners.

So, you didn't only have to
Watch out for the guards

And the warders.

Translator:
I said nothing to my coworkers

Because you never know what kind
Of people you'd run into.

Somebody could be a good person,
Or somebody else

Could easily be someone who
Would report you to the command.

Narrator:
But these draconian measures

Could not
Break the prisoners' spirit.

May 21st, 1973, the inmates
Of spac prison staged a revolt.

Selwood: the prisoners had
Just had enough.

They'd had enough of being
Incarcerated in dreadful

Conditions for trivial offenses,
And they fought back.

They seized the wardens' guns,

They fortified the prison,
And they took control.

Bell: the rebellion
Was bold and brave,

Bell: the rebellion
Was bold and brave,

But it had a fatal flaw.

They were stuck up the mountain
With only one road down.

Waiting at the bottom
Was the state police.

But they didn't need
To storm the prison

And risk their own lives.

All they needed to do was cut
Off the prison's water supply.

Narrator: the police could
Cut off the water supply

From the bottom of the valley,
And it was only a matter of time

From the bottom of the valley,
And it was only a matter of time

Before the rebellion
Was quashed.

Zanel had just arrived
At the prison

And did not play an active role,
But he witnessed the surrender.

Translator: so, after three
Days, they cut the water supply

And the food, and
They had nowhere to go,

And the prisoners surrendered.

They handcuffed
All the prisoners.

In fact, 80 of them were given
Additional 25-year prison terms.

Four of them were then executed
By firing squad,

Four of them were then executed
By firing squad,

And they showed us
Their pictures

To stoke more terror.

Narrator:
Zanel had to make a decision

About how to survive
In this place.

Translator:
I thought about my family.

I would not want to bring
Any harm to them

Because if I had tried to escape
The way many others had escaped,

They would exile my family.

In fact, they would take revenge
On my family.

In fact, they would take revenge
On my family.

Narrator: zanel was incarcerated
In this prison for 14 years,

Spac continued to operate
As a labor camp

Until the fall of
The albanian communist party

In the early 1990s.

Almost 20 years later,

A private company
Started to mine here once more.

*

Rather than forget his time
Imprisoned at this site,

Rather than forget his time
Imprisoned at this site,

Zanel drangu wants to turn it
Into a national monument.

Translator: let's hope we will
One day fix it

So that visitors who might come,
Especially young ones,

Would know what this nation
Went through.

*