All language subtitles for Mysteries.from.Above.S03E03.1080p.WEB.h264-BAWD_track3_[eng]

NARRATOR:
A massive Egyptian-style pyramid...

looms over a Dutch wilderness.

(dramatic music)
- It makes no sense!

NARRATOR: A thick forest conceals
a mystifying, out-of-place sphere.

- It looks like something
from a science fiction movie!

NARRATOR: On the edge of a hillside,

a mysterious white lion
beckons to the skies.

- That's big. And weird.

NARRATOR: And a perplexing,
misplaced surface

invades an idyllic landscape.

- What is this?
There is a road to nowhere.

NARRATOR:
Everywhere we look on our planet...

there's evidence of the past...

..in nature...

..in buildings...

..in relics.

Each holds a mystery
that technology now allows us

to see from above.

What new secrets are revealed?

(mysterious music)

Most human-made objects fit
into the landscape they're in.

But, sometimes,
they appear out of place...

in locales so surprising

they're almost impossible
to explain.

These misplaced mysteries
are perplexing,

but sometimes can be solved
with a unique view from above.

Like here in this remote area
in the Netherlands,

outside the village of Austerlitz,

where something massive
and strangely familiar...

..dominates the landscape.

- Did I hear that correctly?
This in the Netherlands?

- How does a pyramid end up
in the middle of a Dutch forest?

- It's like finding Stonehenge
in downtown Manhattan.

Or strolling around Antarctica
and seeing the Taj Mahal.

It makes no sense.

NARRATOR: This misplaced monument
towers 36 metres high

which includes
a 13-metre-tall obelisk on top.

- That's almost as tall
as the Statue of Liberty.

NARRATOR: It may be
four times smaller

than most pyramids found in Egypt...

but there is
no mistaking its iconic shape.

- It's like it was just teleported
from Ancient Egypt

and plonked
into modern-day Dutch territory.

NARRATOR: This pyramid is
surrounded by a dense pine forest

and is located just
three kilometres from Austerlitz,

a small Dutch village
with a big mystery.

- I lived in this area
for more than 30 years,

and the first time
I encountered it here,

it was a more or less abandoned
heap in the woods.

- Wow.

OK, so what the heck is
a pyramid doing

in the "middle of nowhere"
Netherlands?

NARRATOR: Perhaps the answer lies
over 3,000km away in Egypt,

home to the most famous of all these
mega monoliths:

The Great Pyramids.

- When you think about Egypt,

the first thing
that jumps to mind is

the iconic Great Pyramid of Giza

located just outside of Cairo.

- Honestly, it's hard to think of
Egypt without thinking of a pyramid.

That is just
how large these structures loom

in the world's perception
of ancient Egypt and its culture.

NARRATOR:
Could the ancient pyramids of Egypt

be connected to this out-of-place
structure in the Netherlands?

- It's believed
the pyramids were built

circa 2600 to 2500 BCE.

- So, is there any way

that pyramid-building Egyptians...

could have made it all the way
to Northern Europe?

- In the height of Ancient Egypt,

there was a whole lot
of trading going on.

- Egyptians imported wine
and olive oil from Greece

and traded goods like papyrus
with other civilisations

such as Mesopotamia.

NARRATOR: Egyptian goods may
have spread far along trade routes.

- But Egyptian trade was dominated
by travel along the Nile.

Egyptians directly going
so far north by land or by sea was

virtually unknown
during the time of the Pharaohs.

- In other words,
there was 100 percent

no reason for the ancient Egyptians

to travel to the area we now know
as the Netherlands.

NARRATOR: What reason would
the local people have

to build such a grand monument?

- Is it possible
that we're just not aware

of some ancient culture
in the Netherlands

that built the pyramids?

- What do we know
about the pyramids?

Well, they've been used for rituals

to house the body of fallen rulers

and to celebrate
their rulers' divine power.

- Interestingly, the Netherlands
has a history of royalty

and is a monarchy
that still exists today.

NARRATOR:
Their king is Willem Alexander.

- But Willem Alexander's monarchy
only dates back to 1850.

Before that, we know
the Dutch people were ruled

by other European leaders
and even the Vikings.

- I'm quite certain
that no undiscovered cultures

or dynasties existed
in the Netherlands.

- Clearly, we need to approach
this pyramid from a different angle.

NARRATOR: The Egyptians may have
been the closest pyramid builders

to the one near Austerlitz,

but ancient pyramids can be found

in many other places
around the world...

..in Mexico, Guatemala...

Peru, Sudan and Iraq.

- The thing that
all these pyramids have in common...

..is that they're made of stone.

But when you take a closer look
at the Pyramid in the Netherlands,

one thing is obvious:
this is not stone.

- The construction material
of this pyramid is

completely different
from what we have in Egypt.

In Egypt, its rock, granite.

This?

Sand, earth.

NARRATOR: Could the materials used
to build this pyramid provide

an answer to why
this misplaced monument is here?

And perhaps provide a clue as
to why it was built?

And by whom?

- When you see
a structure like this,

built from these types of materials,
you have to wonder:

is it possible...

that this pyramid began
as some sort of natural formation?

NARRATOR: Almost 1,600km
away in Transylvania,

local legends claim
the pyramids of Sona are

the graves of giants
that once lived there.

- Others claim ancient treasures
are buried underneath.

But scientists absolutely insisted

that they are just
large mounds of dirt.

NARRATOR: And just under
600km to the southwest,

eerily familiar formations dominate
the Bosnian countryside.

- These landforms are called the
"Bosnian Pyramids of the Sun."

And some believe they are remnants
of the oldest pyramids on Earth.

- But experts say that those are
these natural phenomena

called "flatirons"

that take on
these very angular shapes.

- Flatirons, which are typically
found in hilly or mountainous areas,

are sloping landforms created

by the battering forces
of wind and water.

NARRATOR: Millions of years
of this erosion shape

triangular sides
that narrow upwards,

giving them
a distinct pyramidal shape.

Is it possible that the pyramid
in the Netherlands is

somehow related
to this "flatiron" phenomenon?

- But the pyramid near Austerlitz is

nowhere near a mountainous area.
(chuckles)

NARRATOR: And a closer look
at this out-of-place pyramid

reveals another startling clue.

- When we get
a better look from above,

we see clear evidence
of human intervention.

Could that be a clue to solving

the mysteries
of the Austerlitz Pyramid?

- There are a lot
of man-made details here.

Metal stairs, railings.

But what really piques
my interest is

another distinctive
Egyptian structure...

..the obelisk that tops the pyramid.

NARRATOR: Egyptian obelisks
are four-sided pillars

carved from stone.

The top of these pillars was
fashioned into a point

and typically tipped
in gold or silver alloy

in order to catch
the rays of the sun -

an homage
to the Egyptian Sun God Ra.

- But the obelisk In the Netherlands
is constructed very differently.

It appears to be made with bricks,
and it's not solid.

It's hollow in the centre

with what appear
to be windows on the sides.

(dramatic music)
- It's a fake.

NARRATOR: So, what reason would
anyone have

to build an earthen pyramid
with a phoney obelisk

in a remote forest
in the Netherlands?

- Based on the view from above,

it looks like there's
a 360-degree vantage point,

so maybe this pyramid
was built for stargazing?

NARRATOR: The very first
telescopes were invented

in the Netherlands
near Austerlitz in 1608.

And within a year,
Galileo made improvements...

and, in 1609,

introduced
his three-powered telescope.

- OK! So, could that mean
the pyramid near Austerlitz was

a place for astronomers to raise
their telescopes to the skies?

- Looking closer at the obelisk,

and assuming there is
an interior staircase,

a telescope could have been
carried up to the peak.

NARRATOR:
Or could this view from above...

have a darker purpose?
(ominous music)

- Who else would need a 360-degree
vantage point of the area?

- When I think about vantage points,

I think "lookouts."

And when I think lookouts,
I think military.

NARRATOR: So, who, or what,

would need a site with a vast view
of the surrounding area?

RISKIN: For centuries,
Europe has been wracked by war.

- (explosions)

- And crucial to survival
during a battle is knowing when

and where the enemy is advancing,

so could this pyramid
be used for defence?

- Could this be an Egyptian-inspired
military lookout?

- It would certainly make
a great lookout.

The village of Austerlitz is part
of a much larger municipality

called Utrecht.

The whole area is
over 100 square kilometres,

which is larger
than the city of Paris.

NARRATOR: But what military forces
could be behind this site?

Records from the Second World War
reveal a clue.

- The Nazis invaded
the Netherlands in May of 1940,

and that country was
occupied for five years.

NARRATOR: And the invaders made use
of this unique high ground.

- The obelisk was used
in the Second World War

by the Germans as a lookout post...

..to watch out for the allies.

And you can still see some
of the shot holes in the obelisk.

- (gunshots)

- But the Nazis weren't the ones who
built this; they just found it here.

So, we're gonna have
to look even further back.

NARRATOR: The final clue lies
200 years in the past.

At a time when not the Germans,

but the French were
the occupying force.

- The history of the time
of the French...

what we call the French time,
which is the 1795 to 1813.

In 1804,

Napoleon has decided
that there should be

a large army to combat England...

..identified this area...

..as a very good spot
to host and train soldiers.

- French General Auguste de Marmont
established an army camp

called "le Camp d'Utrecht."

- In total,
18,000 soldiers were trained

in the summer of 1804.

NARRATOR:
But after months of training,

the promise of battle was delayed.

- And then, the general of the army,
Auguste de Marmont said,

"I needed to have something
for my soldiers to do."

- Marmont made them build
a monument out of earth

that was inspired
by the Great Pyramid of Giza.

He had seen it
just six years earlier

in 1798 during Napoleon's
Egyptian campaign.

NARRATOR: It took 27 days
of back-breaking labour

for the soldiers
to build the pyramid...

and another five to build
a wooden obelisk at the peak.

So although it wasn't the Egyptians

that built the pyramid
near Austerlitz,

it was made by European hands...

..inspired by the monument of Giza.

- Marmont chose to name the pyramid

"Mont Marmont."

NARRATOR: In 1806,

after Napoleon had defeated
the Russians and Austrians,

the pyramid was renamed
the "Pyramid of Austerlitz."

But the monument
soon faced problems.

NARRATOR:
Weathering over the years began

to eat away
at Marmont's pyramid.

In 1894, the local mayor had
to replace the wooden obelisk

with a more
resilient material - stone.

- The first time
I saw this monument,

I had no clue what it is.

And it was a deteriorated
heap in the woods.

Only years later,

I found out its real meaning,
its real origin and history.

- And before its 200th
anniversary in 2004,

the entire pyramid was restored.

- The anniversary celebration united
people from all over Utrecht

because nothing says "party"

like an appropriated structure built

by the hard labour
of bored soldiers.

NARRATOR:
And the work here continues.

- The maintenance of this pyramid
requires constant attention

in order not
to get it deteriorating.

NARRATOR:
And it's this ongoing dedication

that keeps this unexpected
and misplaced monument

to Dutch history alive.

- It just goes to show you that
things aren't always what they seem.

NARRATOR: Near the remote
Russian city of Dubna,

within a landscape
of only earth and trees,

a shocking
and unexpected shape is discovered.

- Whoa. It looks like something
from a science fiction movie!

- It looks like a very unnerving,
unblinking eye

with a white contact lens,
staring at me.

- It looks so out of place.

It's in the middle of a forest
surrounded by this lush greenery.

- The construction is impressive.
It's quite beautiful.

- The trees that I'm seeing
all around this

tell me that this thing is massive.

NARRATOR: This mysterious object has
a diameter of 18 metres -

about the length
of ten human bodies.

- What is the function
of a structure like this?

- Where did this come from?
Who put it there?

- What's inside this sphere?
Is there some kind of...

evil super villain's lair inside?
- What is this thing?

- My brain wants this
to be a planetarium,

or an observatory,
or some other dome-shaped building.

NARRATOR: Perhaps there's a clue

roughly 2,400km away in Rome

where an ancient dome dominates
a world-famous site.

This is the Pantheon.

- This ancient temple has roots back

to around 25 or 27 BCE.

- And it's truly
a marvel of engineering.

About 43 metres across
and 22 metres high,

it was the largest dome ever
for centuries.

Up until modern times.

- Though the Pantheon dome is
over twice as wide

as the mystery sphere in Russia,

from above,
they look really similar,

right down to the hole in the top.

So could they be connected?

- Is this some kind
of religious site,

built centuries in the past?

NARRATOR: But a closer look
from above reveals

this isn't simply a domed roof.

This is a sphere.

- It looks totally out of place.

What is it, and why is it there?

- Other enormous spheres have been
found around the world.

- Could it be something
from an ancient culture?

Costa Rica has
over 300 giant spheres

that have been attributed
to the now extinct Diquis culture.

Archaeologists believe
that they were placed in lines

near the houses of chiefs.

But their exact significance is
not yet understood.

- If we move closer
to the view from above,

the Dubna ball is not stone.

SOROYE: It's got evenly placed
horizontal and vertical lines.

NARRATOR: It is clearly human-made.

But when... and why?

- The surface looks like metal,
so it's not an ancient construction.

- So what kind of more modern
invention has this kind of shape...

and could turn up
somewhere unexpected?

- Could the Dubna ball be
something left over

from World War One
or World War Two?

It looks a lot like a bomb.

NARRATOR: Lethal remnants of war
are scattered all around the world

where deadly conflicts
were fought at sea.

- (explosions)

- A naval mine looks
a lot like the Dubna ball.

They're large,
self-contained explosive devices

designed to destroy ships
and submarines.

NARRATOR:
Positioned secretly underwater,

naval mines are triggered
by the approach of an enemy vessel.

- (explosions)

NARRATOR: So could this sphere
in Russia be a forgotten naval mine?

- The Russian sphere is
obviously not in the water,

but it's not far.

- The Dubna ball was found
just under a kilometre

from the Volga River.

Is it possible the forest was used
as a testing site for naval mines?

NARRATOR: But naval mines
are usually far smaller

than the vast Russian sphere,

easier to hide in enemy waters.

And there's another problem.

- There's no other signs
of military activity

or unexploded ordnance in the area.

And the nearest military site -

the Russian Defence Ministry's
Research Institute -

is over 80km away
in the city of Tver.

OK, if it's not a bomb
or a naval mine, what is it?

What reason would
anyone have to build

such an unusual structure
in the middle of nowhere?

NARRATOR: There could be a clue
on the other side of the ocean -

in the rust red canyons of Utah -

where a sudden and unexpected site
takes the world by storm.

- A stunning three-metre-tall metal
pillar appeared in the desert

sometime in 2016.

But it went apparently
undiscovered for four years,

until wildlife researchers flying
in a helicopter

spotted it from above.

NARRATOR: And it wasn't long
before the pillar drew

worldwide media attention.

- Journalists suspected it was built

by minimalist sculptor
John McCracken,

but no one knows for sure.

NARRATOR: The original monolith
disappeared in secrecy one night.

But the mystery spurred a movement.

- Copycat artists erected monoliths
in California,

New Mexico, and Romania

before the media circus was over.

NARRATOR: Could this trend for
stealth art have spread to Russia?

- Is it possible the giant sphere is

an enigmatic art installation?

- It could be some kind
of social, political commentary.

The circle often symbolises unity,
but this sphere is made of metal,

which usually symbolises
unyielding power.

- I mean, it's a plausible theory,

but there could be something
else going on here.

NARRATOR:
Could a clue be hiding inside?

- Oh, I can see
there's a way to get in.

- There is a kind of entranceway
that has been very roughly torn out.

- What we see inside is
just an empty shell.

- It looks industrial,
like it had a function.

Could it have been built
for some kind of protection?

- Look at all that space!

Whatever this is - or was -

it sure looks like it was meant
to hold something massive.

But what?

- What about a bunker?

Could this giant sphere be
a shelter from the Cold War?

- That could make sense.

- During the Cold War, bunkers were
built all over the world

because of the threat
of nuclear annihilation.

Russia has constructed thousands
of bunkers in the last century.

Tens of thousands of nuclear
doomsday bunkers were built

in Albania as the response
to the threat

of invasion during the Cold War.

AGRAWAL: Yes, but those bunkers
are made of concrete

and half-buried underground.

NARRATOR: In contrast, the forest
sphere appears to be made of metal

and has a large hole at its top.

- It may make good protection
from bad weather,

but it would do nothing
to prevent nuclear radiation.

- Maybe that's it.
Was the Dubna ball originally built

to protect something
from the elements?

NARRATOR: A final hint lies over
2,400km away in England

where an RAF base is scattered

with similar,
seemingly out-of-place spheres.

- This is Royal Air Force Base
Menwith Hill,

one of the most secretive places
in the UK,

with links to both
the British Intelligence,

and the American
National Security Agency.

- Basically, spying.

And those golf ball shapes
lying around are

actually hiding a key tool -
radar equipment.

NARRATOR: These are called radomes

and are in use all around the world.

- A radome shell is
a structure built

to protect radio and radar equipment
from extreme weather.

- Those radome shelters are
almost exactly

the same shape
and design as the Dubna ball.

- But if this is a radome,

where is the radar
that's supposed to be inside?

And how the heck did it get here?

NARRATOR: Local accounts
uncover the unexpected.

- Rumours from locals say

that the Dubna ball was first
spotted in the forest in the 1970s

and that the Soviets were trying
to transport it with a helicopter.

- The cable suddenly snapped,
sending it hurtling into the trees.

And, ultimately,

it was decided that it was
too expensive to retrieve it.

- And since it was stuck in
completely the wrong place,

the radar equipment never arrived,

leaving the radome an empty shell.

NARRATOR: Today,
the sphere is a fading landmark,

a lonely monument to the misplaced.

- It's funny how a simple accident

during the transport
of this radome shell

has turned
into this long-lasting legacy

and mystery here in the forest.

- Context is king.

Objects stripped out
of their environment lose

so many facets of meaning.

But big objects like this
that are forgotten for so long...

..they can be kind
of an awesome mystery.

NARRATOR:
Deep in the English countryside,

near the village
of Whipsnade,

a mysterious image on a hill
appears totally out of place.

- A bright white depiction
of a lion dominates

this green hillside overlooking
a modern road.

NARRATOR:
And this strange figure is massive.

- That's a gigantic lion.

- It's 147 metres long.

That's big. And it's weird.

I mean, it could be something
that they just put there,

or it could be
some thousand-year-old monument

that's stood the test of time.

- Why would someone spend
a ton of time in England

constructing an image of a lion
the length of a cruise ship?

- (ship horn blares)

- And why is it here?

What is this huge
white lion even for?

- Lions are a truly noble animal,

and they deserve
an iconic image on a hillside,

but it does seem a bit out of place.

- For starters,
lions don't come from England.

- (soft growling)

- Today, there are two types
of wild lions that exist on Earth:

African lions that range
all over sub-Saharan Africa;

and then, a smaller population
of Asiatic lions

that live in India.

NARRATOR: But their ancestors had
a much bigger range.

- What's not well known is

that lions also spread
into other continents.

- When sea levels dropped
thanks to expanding sea ice,

routes opened up for ancient lions
to spread across the world.

- However,
they became extinct everywhere

but Africa and India
thousands of years ago.

NARRATOR: But did these ancient
Ice Age lions ever reach England?

- There is evidence
in the fossil record

of an ancient species of lion

that did roam
around this part of the world.

Panthera spelaea -
European Cave Lions -

lived here
for almost half a million years

before going extinct about
12,000 to 14,000 years ago.

- And stone age humans would have
been roaming around here, too,

so is there any chance that
they decided to make a record

of a huge predator
stalking the land?

NARRATOR: Could this massive
hill drawing be a Stone Age relic

representing a mighty cave lion?

- Cave lions were very impressive -

larger than modern lions -

but here's a key difference:

cave lions didn't have manes.

(dramatic music)
- (lions roaring)

- So, if this isn't
a Stone Age lion...

..what else could be going on?

(soft, curious rock music)

- Is it somehow connected to lions
as a symbol of royalty?

NARRATOR: Perhaps a clue can be
found in Britain's recorded history?

- The most famous British sovereign
associated with the lion was

Richard I in the 12th century.

His reputation as a fierce warrior
earned him the epithet

"Richard the Lionheart."

NARRATOR: But these 12th century
royal motifs had a unique look.

- I mean, I don't want to be rude
about medieval artists

and say they're all rubbish,

but most of those artists had
never actually seen a real lion.

- It would make sense to think
that the people who drew this lion

on the hillside had seen
actual lions

because it's actually
pretty realistic

and has about the right proportions.

NARRATOR: So, whoever made
this mysterious image must

have come face-to-face
with the real thing.

- The fact that it's a lion -

an exotic, non-native animal -
is the tipoff

that this lion...
can't be quite so old.

- When were modern African lions -

the ones with those big,
beautiful manes -

introduced to England?

- The first actual lions
to arrive in England were

actually in the 13th century.

And that's when Roman Emperor
Frederick II gave three lions

to King Henry III when Fredrick
married Henry's sister Isabella.

NARRATOR:
And the symbol grew in popularity.

- In the late 16th century,

an artist depicted
a lion on the royal shield,

and it became the first known
occurrence of a lion

on the Royal Arms of England.

- Since then, many English
sovereigns have used the lion motif

for their coat of arms,
on their armour,

and even in churches.

- So historical evidence
makes it clear

that the cruise ship-sized
white lion

on the hill near Whipsnade village

was created AFTER the 13th century.

NARRATOR: Who - or what -
could be behind this hillside lion,

and why did they build
such a grand monument here?

- To understand its origin,

we need to figure out
when the white lion was built.

NARRATOR: There may be a clue
in the material used

to make this out-of-place lion.

- If you look at it closer
in the view from above,

it does look like the white colour
is created from chalk.

NARRATOR:
Chalk is a natural limestone

that exists throughout
the English landscape.

And there are
some famous locations

where it's been turned
into art known as hill figures.

- That's a type of geoglyph that is
really quite common in England.

They're made
by carving into a hillside

and exposing
the white chalk underneath.

- These figures span
a huge range of time.

The oldest is
the Uffington White Horse,

which is over 3,000 years old.

- And one of the youngest is
the 20th century Bulford Kiwi.

- The Bulford Kiwi was made
by home-sick soldiers

stationed at a camp

as they waited
for transport back home

to New Zealand
after the Second World War.

NARRATOR: And one of these figures
has a link to British Royalty.

- This is the Osmington White Horse,

built in 1808 to commemorate
a royal visit to the area.

- At 98 metres high...

..the Osmington White Horse
was constructed

to honour King George III.

NARRATOR: Could the hillside lion
be another royal monument?

- Maybe OUR white lion was made
to honour another monarch?

Certainly, that image of a lion is

absolutely synonymous
with British Royalty.

NARRATOR: A view from above from
the past reveals a critical clue.

- Based on historic records
of the landscape,

the Whipsnade White Lion didn't
exist on that hill

until the 1930s.

A finished version wasn't there
until 1933.

NARRATOR:
Could the lion be connected

to Britain's monarch of the day?

- Is it possible that the Whipsnade
White Lion was made

to honour King George V?

That's Queen Elizabeth II's
grandfather.

- It's a good theory.

But we need
to know more about this area,

and who built the lion,
to discover who it might be for.

- Could it be somehow
connected to the military,

like the Osmington White Horse?

BELLINGER: Witness accounts recall
the Whipsnade White Lion was

camouflaged by army troops
for the duration of World War Two.

- But was it a military symbol?

Did they own the hill
that it was on?

- The Ministry of Defence owns

over 750,000 acres of land
across the country,

making them one of
the biggest landowners in the UK,

along with the Crown, the Forestry
Commission, and the National Trust.

- If you look at land records
from the First World War,

what they show is that
the military owned parcels of land

around the Whipsnade White Lion

but not the actual land it is on.

NARRATOR:
So, who does own this hill

and the misplaced lion?

- And the same records show that,
up until the mid 1920s at least,

the land of the
Whipsnade White Lion...

..was old farmland
with a dilapidated farm

called the "Hall Farm."

- A rundown farm has no reason
to put a huge lion on their hill.

- In 1927,

the land was purchased
by a new organisation, the ZSL.

That stands for
The Zoological Society of London.

- But why would a zoological society
buy a derelict farm?

- I'd assume they'd bought it
for the most obvious of reasons...

..to build a zoo.
(soft, pulsing string music)

- The construction of Whipsnade
Wild Animal Park began in 1927.

REPORTER:
Here comes Noah's railway Ark.

The zoo on wheels.

WALTERS: Workers received camels,
elephants and llamas

from the local railway station...
- (elephants trumpet)

- ..and literally just kind of
walked them to the zoo.

- The Zoological Society of London
worked to promote

worldwide conservation
of animals and their habitats.

So, by May 1931,

Whipsnade Wild Animal Park
became the first "open zoo"

in Europe to be easily
accessible to the public.

- And in November of that year,

construction began
on the massive hillside lion.

- The Whipsnade White Lion
was crafted from a design

drawn by a Mr RB Brook Greaves.

- The lion figure was dug
into the chalk hill

with picks and shovels and hundreds
of hours of hard labour.

NARRATOR: And a year before
the chalk lion was complete...

the first real lions arrived
at the zoo by 1932.

- I still don't get why they decided
to build an enormous white lion

on the side of the hill?

Doesn't that seem a bit extreme?

NARRATOR: Perhaps the answers lies
in a more modern trend of images

meant to be seen from above?

- Coca Cola created one of the most
famous examples with this logo...

made from 70,000 bottle caps

on a mountain
in Cerro Sombrero, Chile.

- This is known as "geo-branding."
It's advertising for the jet age.

- By inserting themselves
into commercial airliners,

views from above,

these companies found
a captive audience.

They're like billboards
for the skies.

- Maybe the Whipsnade White Lion was
an early attempt at geo-branding?

- (plane engines whooshing)

NARRATOR: Is this hillside figure
another billboard meant

to be seen from the air?

- But that is not exactly
the heyday of air travel.

In the 1930s, advertising was
pretty much limited to paper,

radio, and billboards.

Commercial flights were nowhere
near as common as they are now,

so making an ad that you can only
see from above would

have been a bit of a waste of time.

- But even though
this isn't advertising,

it is meant to be seen from the sky.

NARRATOR: Records from the zoo
reveal the true history

of this seemingly
out-of-place figure.

- The lion was originally
created to indicate the position

of Whipsnade Wild Animal Park,

but it wasn't for advertising.

NARRATOR: The Whipsnade White Lion
was in fact a message,

a giant icon intended
to warn off low flying aircraft

in an effort to keep their noise

from frightening
the zoo's animal population.

And after decades
as a familiar part of the landscape,

the lion has become
a beloved local landmark

and an ongoing project.

- Over the years,

the Whipsnade White Lion had
deteriorated from unruly weeds.

Thankfully,
volunteers used their sweat

and 800 tonnes of chalk...

..to restore the lion
to its original glory in 2017.

NARRATOR: Today,
the animal park continues

to celebrate
its historic hillside sign:

the majestic white lion

which is still
best enjoyed from above.

NARRATOR: Far from any city in the
dense forests of the Czech Republic

the view from above reveals
an unexpected shape

hidden among the hills.

- Here, we've got
this beautiful aerial view,

rolling hills in the background.

But one thing really stands out.

- There's what looks
like a giant concrete rectangle.

It's so strange.

- What is this?
Why is it in the middle of nowhere?

- And why was it abandoned?

WALTERS: It's absolutely humongous.

NARRATOR: The area measures
60 metres wide...

..and 520 metres long -

about the size of the Lincoln
Memorial Reflecting Pool

in Washington DC.

- So,
if it's around the same size,

is it possible that this is a pool

just like the monument
in Washington DC?

- It really does look
like the foundation of a pool.

And this might sound crazy,

but the Czech Republic loves
its enormous pools.

NARRATOR: Roughly 200km away,

the Czech city of Brno is home

to the world's longest
swimming pool at 390 metres.

Another 140km from there,

the city of Ostrava...

houses one of the world's largest
swimming pools

at 41,200 square metres.

- And this isn't just
some modern Czech fad.

Pools have been popular here
for a really long time.

- In the Czech city of Teplice,

some Roman and Celtic coins
were found in baths

from their ancient spring.

And that proves
communal bathing was enjoyed

by travellers and locals there
more than 2,000 years ago.

NARRATOR: These ancient
communal baths became spas,

and today, the Czech spa
industry is incomparable.

- But it doesn't just have spas.

It has spa towns.

Now there are 20 of them!

One of the most beautiful is
Jindrichuv Hradec

with over 21,000 inhabitants.

- I've been to the Czech Republic.

Those are people
who really know how to live.

- Is it possible
that this site is the remains

of an ancient communal bath?

Or something a bit more recent
that was never finished?

NARRATOR: But if this was a spa -
ancient or modern -

it needs access
to something crucial:

a mammoth amount of water.

- Not a problem.
It's very close to freshwater wells.

Svaznice, Drmotova,
and Beranka are

all 1.5km away or less.

- So, could this actually be

the site of an enormous pool
and/or spa?

- I like the idea, but there is
a problem with that theory.

If this is the foundation
of an ancient or contemporary bath,

there would have
to be plumbing built in at the base.

And I don't see any sign of that.

NARRATOR: So,
what else would leave a footprint

this huge in an immense forest?

There may be a clue
just under 70km away

in the mountains of Bohemia

where an ancient castle makes
a familiar outline in the forest.

- This is Kasperk Castle.

It was built in 1356

to control nearby gold mines
and trade routes,

and to defend the border.

NARRATOR: From above,
its oblong shape seems familiar.

- It has a similar long, thin shape,

and like our mysterious
stone surface,

it's surrounded by forest.

NARRATOR: And this isn't
the only ancient fortification

in the Czech Republic.

- There are over 2,000 -

more than any other country
in Europe -

with many
in different states of ruin.

Could the stone surface be

what's left of an ancient castle
besieged by war?

- The location does make sense,

but it's hard to imagine a castle
would get so completely annihilated

that the people would have had
to literally walk away

with bits of the walls and the roof.

NARRATOR:
But a closer look from above...

reveals another potential clue.

AGRAWAL: We can see
circular marks on the stones...

..that look like
they were left by wheels.

NARRATOR: What could have
been driving on this remote surface

in the middle of nowhere?

And why?

- Could there be
a clue in the location itself?

I mean, what kind of vehicles would
you expect to find

in a dense forest?

- Perhaps those marks are
from logging trucks?

Forestry makes up a third of the
Czech Republic's main industries,

and over 30 million cubic metres
of trees were felled in 2019.

- Could this be a central hub

where they cut and stored trees
and parked logging trucks?

- Logging has been
drastically reduced

since the global
bark beetle infestation,

so it could explain
why the site seems abandoned,

but there are no signs
of logging structures,

equipment, or even logs.

So I'm not convinced.

- To me, those circular marks look
like they were made by cars.

- To make lines like that,
it would mean

having a lot of fun in your car.

- But why would drivers be
making donuts in the boonies?

- (engines rev)
- (tyres screech)

NARRATOR: There may be a clue
on the other side of the world...

..where a misplaced shape
rises up from the jungle.

- This is known as
the Viaduct Petrobras,

and its massive.

- It's 300 metres long.

And its got
this massive concrete foundation;

it's got tunnels, retaining walls,

and it rises 40 metres
above the ground.

NARRATOR: But what turned
this concrete behemoth

into a road to nowhere?

- The viaduct stands as a testament
to bad government planning.

- In the 1950s, Brazil began
building a major coastal highway,

but one crucial connection
between Rio de Janeiro

and Sao Paulo had a major obstacle:

the jungle.

- In the 1970s, they decided,

rather than going around or through,

they would try going
over the jungle -

building over
an existing path used

by the oil
and gas company Petrobras.

- But the plans were altered
last minute,

very last minute.

The highway today links up
via a coastal road,

and the viaduct was
just left behind.

- Now, it sits, forever alone,
in the South American jungle.

NARRATOR: So, is the misplaced
surface in the Czech Republic

simply part of a long-abandoned
construction project?

- Could this be
the beginning of a highway,

and the marks were made
by the trucks building it?

- The Czech Republic
started building

highways around 1935,

and they were made
out of poured concrete.

And what we are looking at are
likely concrete slabs...

..not huge sections
of poured concrete.

So I'm pretty sure that this was
NOT meant to be a highway.

- So, if it's not an abandoned road,
what is it?

And what kind of vehicles were
driving around on it?

NARRATOR: A final clue may lie
almost 700km away in Russia,

where the view from above
uncovers a familiar pattern.

- This is the Baltiysk airbase,

and you can clearly see
from the satellite...

..the pattern of concrete blocks.

- This stretch of concrete is
two kilometres long -

almost four times longer
than the site in the Czech Republic.

But, otherwise,
it looks near identical.

NARRATOR: So what is this strange
and seemingly misplaced shape?

- Its history dates back
to the 1930s...

..and the rise of the Nazis.

- (planes thrumming)

- (bombs whistling)
- (explosions)

- Built for the Luftwaffe,

this site rarely saw battle
during World War Two,

but was crucial in the evacuation

of East Prussia in 1945.

- When the Nazis lost power,

the Soviet Red Army
took over the base.

It eventually closed in the 1990s

as the Soviet Union collapsed.

NARRATOR: Could this abandoned
Nazi runway be connected

to the site in the Czech Republic?

- Can we find
any other clues nearby?

NARRATOR: A wider view
from above reveals more evidence.

- There are bunkers all over
the place, military bunkers.

- It's been confirmed

that the nearby bunkers were built
during the Second World War.

- Perhaps the runway was as well?

- The answer to this mystery lies
in the history

of this area during the war
and the occupation by the Nazis.

HOFFMAN: Between 1939 and 1945,

Nazi occupation took
control over the area.

- And, naturally, they needed
a place for the Luftwaffe to land...

..so they built an airstrip
right here in the forest.

- The airstrip was known
as "Hejlak."

It was built for the Nazis in 1942.

- Sources say
that the spot was chosen

because the hills and trees provided
good cover for reconnaissance,

and small planes could courier
supplies, weapons,

and people
while avoiding detection.

- The construction took place
in absolute secrecy,

but what locals say is

that the site was so marshy
and heavily wooded,

hundreds of tree stumps
had to be pulled from the ground,

and then chopped up and
loaded onto tractors for removal.

This was very time-
and labour-intensive.

- An enormous amount of manpower
was needed to build this airstrip,

so Jewish prisoners,
wearing yellow armbands,

were forced to construct the site.

NARRATOR: But why was this remote
Nazi runway abandoned?

- Sometime after the war ended,

the airstrip was considered
unsuitable for aviation

because of the incline,

so it was eventually abandoned.

NARRATOR: The runway remains
a relic of a dark past.

- And is a chilling stone monument

to our not-so-illustrious history.

- I think it's interesting that
an airstrip in the middle of nowhere

is a way to see the history
of the Czech Republic,

to see the history
of Czechoslovakia,

and you would never
expect it to be there.

(soft, epic closing music)

NARRATOR:
From an out of place pyramid...

..to a puzzling sphere...

..an unexpected hill drawing...

..and a hidden forest runway...

these mysteries
of the misplaced are revealed

thanks to the unique
vantage point provided

by the view from above.

Subtitles by Sky Access Services