Original subtitles

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