Original subtitles

[narrator] A devastated Liberian landmark

with American origins.

They thought they could only fulfil their potential in Africa.

[narrator] A Belgian town i the shadow of its destroyer

[woman] It had to expand or die.

But one group of people decided to do something about it.

[narrator] And a mountainto retreat in Bolivia

drained of its lifeblood.

This building looks like it's teetering

on the edge of the world.

[narrator] Decaying relics.

Ruins of lost worlds.

Sites haunted by the past.

Their secrets waiting to be revealed.

In the heart of Liberia's capital,

a disintegrating tower dominates the skyline.

In the middle of a busy street

in downtown Monrovia is a run-down skyscraper.

[Dr. Mabry] What has survive

are these decorative concrete slabs.

Who are the people depicted here?

The inside is every bit as decrepit as the outside.

Crumbling walls,

rotting stairwells,

it's just a mess.

[narrator] There are still a few lingering traces

of its former grandeur.

The standout feature is this massive abstract stained glass window.

One large room looks like an auditorium.

Could this have been a cinem

You would never believe that this was once

one of Liberia's most important buildings.

[narrator] Built by a centuries-old organizatio

with foundations in an American exodus,

this hollow skyscraper

would witness their spectacular downfall.

Looking after this decaying building

is an impossible task for its janitor, Losonny Gra

[translation] This building used to be very beautiful.

Very modern.

These were all offices.

You can see how this place was looted.

Destroyed by human hands.

[narrator] Before its untimely demise,

this was Monrovia's cultural hub.

The building was a combination of offices

and an entertainment center,

housing the largest auditori in the entire country.

[translation] This was a theater.

They used to have movies and shows here.

All these things used to happen.

It even had the best restaurants in Monrovia.

[narrator] But its original function

was primarily political.

[translation] This building was constructed

under the reign of the True Whig Party.

[narrator] Built as the headquarters

of the political party

that would dominate a centur of Liberian politics,

it was named after the organization's first president,

EJ Roye, an American.

[Sascha Auerbach] Edward James Roye was born in Newark, Ohio,

and when he was 31 he decide to move himself to Liberia.

He became a very wealthy and successful merchant,

to the point at which he could even travel

to the United States in his own ship.

[narrator] Roye's rise to the head

of one of the world's oldest political parties

and the Liberian presidency

began in the turmoil of 19th-century America.

In 1816, a group of influential white Americans

got together to discuss what they saw as

the problem of growing numbers of emancipated African slaves.

They believed that with their newfound freedom,

the former slaves would find it difficult

to integrate into white America,

and they thought they could only fulfil their potential

in Africa.

So they established an organization

called the American Colonization Society, or ACS,

to fund and organize the transportation

of former American slaves to West Africa,

and to set them up when they arrived.

The federal government also assisted the ACS

in buying an area of land.

[narrator] This land would eventually become

part of modern Liberia.

Tempted by a new life away from the nation

that had seen them enslaved for generations,

thousands set sail for Liberia's shores.

Altogether, some 15,000 African Americans settled,

and they became known as Americo-Liberians.

They built American-looking homes

that resembled plantation homes,

they built American-looking churches.

They tried to create an American society,

essentially, in Africa.

Even its flag reflects this relationship

to the United States,

because the two flags are strikingly similar.

[narrator] In 1869, a group of these Americo-Liberians

established the True Whig Party.

Only American settlers and their descendants

were allowed to vote,

so this eliminated any possibility

of competition from competing parties.

[narrator] When Roye took office in 1870,

he was immediately faced with financial crisis.

His goal was to modernize Liberia,

particularly its schools and infrastructure.

But the way that he went about raising money

for these projects would be his downfall.

[narrator] He took punishin loans from British banks,

which Liberia soon defaulted on,

spiraling into recession.

Deep resentment grew towards Roye.

He was accused of embezzlement

and even brought to trial,

but managed to escape before the sentencing.

Less than two years after coming into office,

he was overthrown, and died in 1872.

[narrator] The exact circumstances

of Roye's death are unknown

One theory suggests he drown

while swimming to the safet of a British ship

waiting in Monrovia's harbor

Although one might think that Roye's presidency

ended in disgrace,

he is actually regarded as a hero in Liberia,

which is why the party's building

was built in his honor.

Some believe that this headquarters building

was actually constructed on the spot where he was killed.

[narrator] Completed in 1965

nearly a century after his death,

the EJ Roye Building stood testament

to a century of Americo-Liberian control

But it wouldn't end up being in use for very long,

because Liberia was about to be shaken

to its very foundations.

[narrator] In 1965, Liberia' oldest political party,

the True Whigs, moved into their new headquarters,

the EJ Roye Building.

Originally formed by African Americans

who emigrated after the abolition of slavery,

this building became the newest center

of their near 100-year reign

But it wouldn't be the party's headquarters for long.

In 1980, a coup detat would bring an end

to the party's long rule.

[narrator] Aggrieved by centuries of dominance

by the Americo-Liberian ruling class,

Master Sergeant Samuel Doe

led a group of indigenous Liberian soldier

into the president's mansion

There, they executed the president,

and began targeting his ministers

and party headquarters.

[translation] What led to the destruction

of this building was the war

They felt the former regime

had been in power for too long.

Many government officials were killed.

13 were publicly executed on the beach.

[narrator] After the True Wh Party was ousted from power

the EJ Roye Building was confiscated and left to deca

A government agency eventually took over the building.

[Sascha] It became so dereli

that it had to be closed for reconstruction.

[narrator] In 2005, the True Whig Party

made a bid to return to frontline Liberian politics

But reclaiming the EJ Roye Building

is an uphill struggle.

They still see the building as the party's,

and a fierce legal battle is ongoing

to stop any construction

or possession of the buildin by government officials.

The party has filed a US $10 billion-lawsuit

against the government.

Even in its ruined state, this building is still regarded as

a symbol and an icon of Liberia and Monrovia.

[narrator] High in the Andes Mountains,

above the city of La Paz,

a ramshackle complex sits alone and exposed.

This building looks like it's teetering

on the edge of the world.

The paint work has degraded, roof panels are missing,

and there's a faded grandeur to the place.

[narrator] As you get closer

other structures appear to rise out of the barren earth

This strange glass pyramid

looks more like an art installation.

[narrator] Here, the air is thin

and the weather is ferocious

[Sascha] This is extremely high altitude.

17,500 feet above sea level.

That's higher than the base camp A at Everest.

This place was once busy and bustling with tourists

who would come from all over the globe.

You can see something pretty dramatic

has taken place.

[narrator] This isn't an isolated case.

What happened here

is happening all across the planet.

And the ramifications are only just beginning.

This is Chacaltaya in western Bolivia.

Together, these dilapidated structure

hold an extraordinary claim to fame.

This is the highest ski resort in the world.

But it doesn't really resemb a ski resort anymore.

The slopes are empty, the bars, silent.

[narrator] Samuel Mendoza is the guardian of this site

[translation] I have been taking this route

for 42 years.

I come from further down the mountain

where there is a big lake.

From there, I walk all the w to the mountaintop.

This has been the most important thing in my life.

[narrator] He still remember

what this place was like in its heyday.

[translation] It was really busy on this mountain

The skiers would come to here and get off,

and they would go down again

The whole mountain was covered with snow.

Skiing was brilliant all year round,

and it was rated as a class one site

for international skiing competition.

This place was so popular,

it even hosted national ski championships.

[narrator] After a day out on the slopes,

visitors could let their hair down

at the resort's central hub

the Club Andino refuge.

[translation] They spent the day skiing

and the night here amongst friends.

They played guitar and drank wine. It was fun.

Very joyful to be here with them.

[narrator] Samuel would sta up here most nights.

[translation] I lived here for many years.

But we only had candles.

No electricity.

This cabin has been a very important place for m

Almost like my home.

[narrator] Living and skiin this high, though,

was extremely taxing on the human body.

[translation] We're 5,300 meters above sea level.

Some people get unwell because of the lack of oxyge

This pyramid is here for tho who had altitude sickness.

They would go inside and there was oxygen for the

[narrator] Locals have another method

of dealing with the altitude sickness.

[translation] I drink coca t

and that is what protects me most.

It takes a while to boil because of the lack of oxyge

It is good for the health, the altitude sickness,

the headaches and the stomach aches.

[narrator] For a long time, Chacaltaya thrived.

But unbeknown to many, the resort was doomed.

[narrator] Chacaltaya in Bolivia

was once the highest ski resort in the world,

and a playground for the ric and adventurous.

But a hidden threat was about to change everything.

This used to be a full-scale glacier

that lasted all year round.

But as you can see, from the lack of snow and ic

the situation has changed in recent years.

[translation of Samuel] I first noticed it in 2002.

The rocks were warm.

You could still ski, but not down the whole slope

only half of it.

Scientists set up a measuring station

to monitor the size of the glacier,

and they noticed it was losing mass every year.

As global temperatures increase,

the atmosphere gets warmer and warmer,

and the altitude at which things freeze

keeps getting higher and higher.

[Alexis Pedrick] Once the glacier began to lose mass,

it only accelerated.

And this is due to the color

which determines its reflectivity.

So as it lost ice the color kept getting darker,

as the lower layers mixed with more and more dirt.

[narrator] Nobody appreciate

quite how fast this would happen.

In 2005, scientists predicted

that this glacier would last another 10 years.

However, this was optimistic

By 2009, this 18,000-year-old glacie

had completely disappeared.

[narrator] With it came the closure of the resort.

[translation] Now, because of climate change,

we don't have any snow.

It's all like this. It's just rock.

For me, it's sad to see it without snow.

Without skiing, no glacier. It's such a shame.

[narrator] The ramification were far greater in La Paz,

almost 6,000 feet below the resort.

These glaciers are not just commodities

for tourists to enjoy.

They're essential to supplying water

to the neighboring communities.

[Alexis] They depended on the glaciers

to hold the water during the rainy season,

acting like a dam

so that it would be availabl during the dry seasons.

And now that this glacier is gone,

water rationing has become a reality

for people in these communities.

[narrator] Today, the mountain is silen

Yet, Samuel still takes his familiar route

to check on the refuge.

For him, not all hope is los

[translation] There are no more visitors,

and there is no more money for maintenance.

Hopefully, one day,

it will snow again.

[narrator] This, however, is looking evermore like a wishful dream.

As the situation with global warming

only gets worse around the world,

the situation at Chacaltaya

is just gonna grow more and more extreme.

The glacier is likely never going to return.

[narrator] On the banks of Belgium's River Scheldt

lies the carcass of a once thriving town.

We're on the outskirts of Antwerp, Belgium's second city

and a key piece of real esta within Europe.

This is an ordinary working class neighborhood,

sandwiched between a city and acres of farmland.

And it looks just really, really abandoned.

[narrator] Remains of the lives lived here

point to a recent exodus.

There's hardly a window that isn't boarded up,

and the streets are quiet and silent.

It's almost like a time capsule

but from very recent history.

[narrator] The dereliction on show

doesn't offer an easy answe to what happened here.

This is not Pompeii. There's no huge natural disaster here.

But where are all the people?

[narrator] Dieter Verschoore is a local journalist.

He has always known the Belgian town of Doel

as a shell of its former sel

When lots of people lived here,

you had a bakery and you have a grocery store

and even a gas station, which is now all abandoned.

[narrator] Although the majority of the town

is boarded up and empty,

there are signs that a few stalwart residents

continue to live amongst the relics of a better time

And as you can see,

everything is being closely watched by cameras,

because they do have a lot of vandalism,

and they're trying everythin to prevent that.

This particular sign says, "This isn't a zoo."

Just to prevent people or tourists

standing around here and staring at their house.

Because how would you feel if someone just comes

and stands in front of your house

and takes pictures of it?

[narrator] Doel's inhabitant have been locked in a battl

for the survival of their to for over half a century.

The cause of this fight

lies just beyond its vacant streets.

So, right in front of me is the nuclear power plant of Doel.

It's really an institute here.

When you mention the name Doel,

you immediately say, "Nuclear power plant".

[narrator] It wasn't the specter of nuclear meltdown

that emptied the town,

but another mega-project on the far side of the river

The port of Antwerp is one of the busiest

and biggest sea ports in the entire world,

and it has been at the top of that list,

not just in recent history,

for hundreds and hundreds of years.

But in that time, shipping has changed.

[narrator] As global consumerism took o

in the second half of the 20th century,

the infrastructure it requir began to feel the strain.

Trade is ramping up in really fascinating, dynamic ways.

There's not only food,

there are chemicals, there's clothing.

If the port of Antwerp were to stay competitive,

it had to expand or die.

[narrator] Port authorities soon turned

their attention to Doel.

They see this quaint little village

sitting just across the river.

And they don't just see a village,

they see opportunity.

[narrator] In 1963, the tow was earmarked for demolitio

to make way for an expansio of the port,

marking the start of a 50-year battle to save Doe

This is a tiny village against the state

and an incredibly wealthy port authority.

First, they have to get rid of the resident population.

[narrator] The authorities began a coordinated effort

to remove as many residents as possible.

It's actually made illegal

to construct any more houses in this area.

[Sascha] Most folks just gave up the ghost. They pack up and leave.

And the place starts its transformation

from thriving, quaint village to ghost town.

That must be very weird to have to leave your homes,

leave everything behind,

everything you know about your childhood,

that must have been terribl for those people.

[narrator] Despite the pressure,

the people fought back.

Local councilor Boudewijn Vlegels

remembers how it played out

[translation] It was a grou formed here in Doel

by citizens who over the yea came together

to oppose the plans to demolish the town.

The work of the activists

certainly rose the profile of Doel.

Suddenly, people in Antwerp were aware

that this area was not goin to go down without a fight.

If the authorities wanted a quiet land grab,

the activists made sure that this was never gonna happen.

[narrator] By 1978,

after 15 years of battling the plans,

it seemed that David had beaten Goliath.

[Dr. Mitchell] The plans to clear the village

were placed on hold,

but this is by no means the end of the story.

[narrator] In 1978, residents of Doel in Belgiu

received some good news.

The government had announce

that they would no longer demolish the town

to make way for the expansio of Antwerp port.

But by the 1990s, it became clear

that the battle wasn't over yet.

[translation] They were worried

because they didn't know

whether they would be allowe to keep living here.

There was a lot of insecurit

[narrator] Starting in 1995

the authorities again looke to empty the town.

They offered to buy the homes of any remaining residents.

And they gave the impressio

that the longer the residents waited,

the lower the offer on the homes would be.

It's about this time that the population of Doel

goes from about 900 to 300 or 400

and things really become desperate at this point.

Officially, the idea was that the houses would b

rented to residents

as the fate of the village was being decided.

But what happened was

a lot of the buildings were simply abandoned,

and started to fall into disrepair,

which suited the authorities just fine.

[narrator] But just as the previous generation had

in the 1960s and '70s,

residents and concerned citizens pulled together.

One group decides they're not gonna lay down

and just take it. They're gonna fight.

There were protests, there were rallies,

there was petitions.

People wanted their voices to be heard.

[narrator] The battle to save the town

went back and forth for over a decade.

Despite all the campaigners' efforts,

in 2008, all seemed to be lost.

The authorities took the brutal decision

to send in the bulldozers.

They knew it would look bad and it did.

But the bulldozers went in

and started knocking down buildings.

[narrator] But soon, there was a breakthrough.

In 2009, it was ruled

the state could not forcibly remove the residents.

So the bulldozing was stopped.

They were essentially at a stalemate.

The state being stopped in its tracks by the proletariat.

[narrator] In 2018, more than 50 years after

the first plans to destroy Doel were announced,

the remaining residents

received a welcome bit of news.

It was decided that the port of Antwerp

would be extended elsewhere,

leaving the residents of Doel safe.

[translation] I'm convinced that Doel has

a bright future ahead of it

and that we can turn it into something grea

for the whole region to enjo

[narrator] In Cleveland, Ohi

sits a once-noble structure

intended to help satisfy

humankind's desire for knowledge.

It looks like a pretty, residential road

on the edge of east Cleveland.

But if you look closer,

you'll see that it's a hulking building

sitting on a hillside overlooking the town.

It's got odd wings going off in different angles.

But most dramatically,

there are two large domes on the roof.

The old domes are majestic,

but they're completely falling apart.

[narrator] Built at a time of technological innovation

this site played its part i a great scientific discovery

It's clear this was an observatory

meant for gazing into the heavens.

But the neighborhood it's i was not the kind

you would typically put an observatory in today.

Vines and decay have accumulated on the walls,

but somehow, the academic grandeur

has remained intact for all these years.

The overall aspect is one of sadness, really.

Clearly, this was an importa structure in its day,

and now it is neglected.

[narrator] Who built this center of learning?

And how did the march of progress

bring it all crashing back down to Earth?

[narrator] In East Cleveland Ohio, lie the remains

of a pioneering scientific structure.

I was here on my wedding day. I was married

in the observatory 41 years ago.

[narrator] Monica Pershey lives locally.

Back in 1980, her husband-to-be

was studying the history of astronomy.

The observatory was their dream wedding venue.

[Monica] It was snowing.

Late December. Very, very cold.

We were married in the morning

so it was still kinda dim and cloudy.

And it was a beautiful building at the time.

And it was warm and cozy inside.

[narrator] Like many of this city's residents,

this building holds a special place in their hearts,

which makes its demise all the more upsetting.

[Monica] I kind of feel lik it didn't have to be this wa

Things do fall apart,

but the vandalism

is particularly heartbreakin to me.

It was very different than it is now.

The room had a large brass rail in the middle.

Along the walls were murals

Notably astronomers, Galileo Copernicus, as I recall.

There was a lot of woodwork

It had a very luxurious fee to it.

[narrator] The observatory was first opened in the 1920

The story of its conception

dates back four decades earlier,

when two men, Worcester Reed Warner

and Ambrose Swasey, decided to go into business

So, in 1880,

Cleveland was one of the most important iron-making centers

of the Unites States.

The Warner and Swasey Compan

quickly became a leading manufacturer

of precision tools and machine instruments.

But it was with their telescopes

that they managed to change the world.

They weren't academics, they weren't scientists,

and they certainly weren't astronomers.

They were just two passionate individuals

who desperately wanted to know more about

what's out there beyond Eart

[narrator] The successful businessmen

were also keen philanthropists,

and tried to put their wealth to good use.

[Rob] Looking up at the star on a clear night

was their shared passion.

But they wanted it to be so much more

than just a hobby.

[narrator] This is the Warne and Swasey Observatory,

named after the two men that funded its construction

For many years, this is where students from

what is now Case Western Reserve University

did astronomical observations.

It was a prime, prime site.

[narrator] John Grabowski is a historian

at Case Western University today.

As a Cleveland native,

he understands the importanc

of the observatory to the local community.

This site is really...

It's a landmark of the city's history

because it links to several things.

One, it links to the rise of science

and astronomy in Cleveland, and that really links direct

to the creation of the Case School of Applied Science

in 1881.

The telescope Warner and Swasey made

for this observatory

was a 9.5-inch refractor telescope.

In 1920, when this telescop was installed,

it wasn't really on the cutting edge.

There were much larger telescopes in use

in other parts of the world

[John] We are now in the dome room

for the first telescope that was here.

And as we look around the dome room right now,

you can see the mechanism, the rollers to move the dome,

you can see the slick

where the telescope would have been through.

So this was, you know, the mechanics,

the typical mechanics for an observatory at that point.

[narrator] As the decades passed,

the capability of the observatory's telescope

was soon eclipsed by more powerful models.

If this site was to play any meaningful role

in scientific advancement,

it was going to need some serious investment.

In November 1941,

a brand-new 24-inch telescop was installed.

[John] Well, the second dom was for a larger telescope.

It has spectrometer, it has technologies

that allow them to capture images

and that really enhances the seeing here.

Over the next 20 or so years,

some really significant work would be done

at this observatory.

Scientists managed to prove the theory

that the Milky Way was a spiral galaxy,

and the cooler stars were located near its center

This is a really important discovery

in understanding both the formation of galaxies

but also their evolution, their life cycle.

[narrator] But the observatory's positi

at the forefront of astronomical research

was under threat.

A powerful force was encroaching from the west.

The outskirts of Cleveland

turned out to be a really unfortunate place

to build an observatory.

As the city grew, so did the halo of light

that surrounded its downtown and suburbs.

And with each new streetlight and home

and car headlight,

the skies became brighter and the stars became dimmer

It became pretty clear that the golden age of observation

was coming to an end for the observatory.

[narrator] The city's light pollution

meant the observatory was now only useful

as a setting for local amateurs

to explore the heavens.

So the observatory transitioned from being

a place of science to a place of the people.

This became a great place for the public to come

and learn a little bit about astronomy

and get some wonderful glimpses

of the planets and the stars.

[narrator] It was hailed as one of the best

in the country for public viewing.

But by the 1980s,

its star had fallen so low, it was entirely abandoned.

The observatory lost its scientific value,

failed to pull in visitors,

and it was the end of an era for star lovers.

[narrator] The impact of Warner and Swasey's investme

can still be felt all across the city.

The observatory that bears their names

will always be remembered fondly.

[John] They created one of the major industries

in Cleveland, but both of th invested their fortunes

in education and in science

The domes are a place

where generations of students and scientists

look at the sky and try to discern

what was out there, and try to discover new things.

And that makes it special.