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- [Colm] Vienna, a city of
grandeur and sophistication,
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00:00:05,500 --> 00:00:10,163
and at it's heart, a museum
with secrets dark and strange.
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00:00:11,560 --> 00:00:15,293
A family curse, an alchemist's magic,
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00:00:16,360 --> 00:00:18,203
Medieval special effects,
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and the priceless
treasure that disappeared.
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Secrets hidden in plain sight,
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inside Vienna's Kunsthistorisches museum.
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(suspenseful music)
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Vienna's Kunsthistorisches museum
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is the highest expression
of European architecture.
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The perfect complement to
the treasures on display.
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00:00:58,340 --> 00:01:01,053
The sheer number of
masterpieces is amazing.
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00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:05,710
What may be more amazing
is that nearly everything
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was once owned by one family.
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And we can meet them here
in the picture gallery.
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These are the Habsburg,
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Europe's foremost ruling
family for 500 years.
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They appear cultured,
relaxed and all powerful.
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But they didn't start out that way.
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Back in the age of chivalry,
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being a Habsburg emperor wasn't easy.
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In this era,
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men in armor were not loyal
soldiers but freelance warriors
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who swore allegiance
to whomever they chose.
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The highest ranking
Habsburg, Maximilian the 1st,
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tried to convince knights to follow him;
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in part, by impressing
them with his armor.
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- Maximilian developed some of the most
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amazing armoring techniques,
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the fit and finish had
never been seen before.
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Not only that, he took
it to a level of fun.
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He developed facial
features within the helmets
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that had never been seen before.
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- [Colm] Andre Renier is
a historical technologist.
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Today he's asked curator,
Matthias Pfaffenbichler,
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to show him this piece
of Maximilian's armor.
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It is a breastplate like no other,
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with prominent gears and levers.
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Their function and purpose is unclear.
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Andre is fascinated by this
strange mechanical armor
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and has a plan to discover its secrets.
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- There's never been a successful attempt
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to recreate Maximilian's armor.
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My dream make that happen.
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- [Colm] Matthias shares this dream.
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Today he's giving Andre
unprecedented access
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to examine the armor from every angle.
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Its exact purpose is still a mystery.
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Matthias and Andre believe that purpose
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has something to do with jousting.
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(crackling of lightning and thunder)
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Jousting was the Middle
Ages' most popular sport.
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- [Andre] This was the
football of its time,
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the soccer of the day.
- Yes this was
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their only great spectator sport.
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- And Maximilian created the
biggest spectacle of all.
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- [Matthias] Yes.
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- [Colm] For knights, jousting was a way
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to prove their bravery
in front of the crowd.
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(jeering of crowd)
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- [Matthias] Most horses,
combined with their armor,
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it's 1,500 kilos.
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This is like driving a
small car on a concrete wall
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with 100 kilometers per hour.
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So it's an enormous force.
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- [Colm] For Maximilian,
the spectacle was a way
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to attract potential allies to his court.
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- The important thing were not
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the sport events in themselves,
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but the negotiation which
took place at the same time.
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So he tried to get more power
by winning over the knights.
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(horse neighing)
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- [Colm] Problem was,
every duke in the land
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held his own jousting tournament.
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- [Matthias] So there was a
competition between the dukes,
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the middle size rulers and the emperor.
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- [Colm] If Maximilian wanted
to keep the crowds coming,
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he needed a way to pimp his joust.
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And that might be where
this breastplate comes in.
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Matthias believes it once
had a shield attached to it
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that was designed to break away on impact.
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- If you hit here, nothing happens.
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- Nothing happens.
- If you hit here,
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nothing happens.
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If you hit here, or if you
hit here, nothing happens.
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If you hit here, and you have to hit hard,
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then this mechanism is unlocked.
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- As soon as that was loosed--
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- Yes, the shield would
go up into the air.
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- [Colm] Andre intends to test this theory
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by recreating the breastplate,
fashioning a shield,
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and putting them to the
test in a jousting arena.
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His workshop near Detroit, Michigan,
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has all the right equipment for the job.
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But though he and his team
start the detail schematics,
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the inner workings surprise him.
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- [Andre] I'd just assumed that was art.
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- No there's not a lot of art here.
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Everything you see is the
way it had to be to exist.
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I'm really impressed
with ancient technology.
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Our ancestors were incredible.
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- This is one of the greatest
challenges from a historical
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reverse engineering,
that we have encountered.
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It is really really very difficult.
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- [Colm] Emperor
Maximilian spent a fortune
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developing and perfecting
new types of armor.
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And after six weeks of intensive
labor, Andre knows why.
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- Since we left Vienna,
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we've had four major revisions
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where we've scraped everything.
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We've had 27 minor versions
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which is why we call this Suit Number 27.
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We have a thousand man hours
into just building this.
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I wonder how many times it took them
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to build the same thing.
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- [Colm] The 15th century
design is full of surprises.
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- [Andre] We discovered
that in the spring box,
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there are two little ejector
springs that push the arms out.
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Other than that, there's
nothing in the spring box.
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- [Colm] The system will be
field tested by Andre himself.
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Along with his passion
for historic recreation,
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he is a champion modern day jouster.
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- This suit really encumbers me.
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I can't move at all actually.
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- [Colm] The breastplate is much heavier
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than anything Andre has worn before.
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- [Woman] Is that better?
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- [Man] He gained 28 pounds.
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00:07:03,350 --> 00:07:05,000
- I'm really concerned about safety, guys.
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I'm gonna tell you that right now.
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This makes me very front heavy.
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If I do come off, our
ringmaster knows to call 911.
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- [Colm] Knights of old used
heavy steel-tipped lances
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and were often injured
in high speed collisions.
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Andre and his opponent
opt for a safer approach,
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using balsa-tipped lances instead.
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(horse's hooves clip clopping)
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- [Man] And we're ready to rock 'n' roll.
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- [Colm] In a normal jousting match,
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a knight scores by hitting
anywhere on the body.
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- [Woman] Here is your lance.
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- [Colm] But to have any chance
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to make Andre's shield break away,
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his opponent will need to hit
the tiny disc at the center.
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- [Andre] Okay, I'm loaded.
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(horse neighing)
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- [Woman] Play on.
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(dramatic music)
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(thundering hooves)
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- [Colm] This turns out to be a challenge.
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- [Andre] Do it again.
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- [Colm] The second hit
releases the shield,
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but Andre barely saw it through his visor.
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So he wants to see the instant replay.
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- There we go, start of the run.
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- Yes, that's not--
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- [Woman] Steady up.
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- Too much work went into this, for that.
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We need to have a go over the head.
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(breaking of wood)
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- [Colm] The team tries again.
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But the shield flies
no higher than before.
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Andre is too exhausted
for another attempt.
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- [Andre] That was the
single hardest thing
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I've ever done joust in.
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- [Colm] For Andre,
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the riddle is why the
shield didn't fly higher.
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- The breastplate worked really well.
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The breastplate's only one
third of the entire assembly.
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So the next step is to recreate
the shield and the lance.
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The challenge is there's none
left in the world to go by.
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There's no drawings really of them.
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So it'll be an uphill
battle but we'll make it.
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Make for it.
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- [Colm] Andre and his
team get back to work
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with a new respect for
Maximilian's engineers.
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They realized that armed
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with all the right
combination of equipment,
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Maximilian's knights would
have produced an impact
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that looked more like this.
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(clashing contact)
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And won Maximilian a
well deserved reputation
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as the host with the most.
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Next on museum's secrets,
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the museum's most valuable
treasure disappears.
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(breaking glass)
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(dramatic music)
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At Vienna's Kunsthistorisches museum,
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on the morning of May 11th 2003,
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security staff reported
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that there had been a
break-in during the night.
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- I went into the gallery,
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I saw this broken showcase,
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the empty showcase,
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and I just had to burst in tears.
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This was an incredible catastrophe.
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- [Colm] Missing was a gold
statue known as the Saliera,
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00:10:17,240 --> 00:10:19,263
valued at $58 million US.
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00:10:20,900 --> 00:10:23,893
This museum's secret is
about how to catch a thief.
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00:10:26,036 --> 00:10:28,750
- It was a huge story public in Austria.
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It's a piece of like the
soul of this country.
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And it was gone.
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00:10:35,970 --> 00:10:37,670
- [Colm] The Vienna
police assigned the case
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00:10:37,670 --> 00:10:41,283
to their Chief Investigator,
Detective Ernst Geiger.
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00:10:43,130 --> 00:10:45,280
- The day the crime was committed,
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the scaffold was like this.
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So the offender could climb
to the window where it was.
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Here's the window.
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(glass breaking)
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He activated the alarm system.
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00:11:02,400 --> 00:11:06,030
From now on every second
counted for the offender,
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00:11:06,030 --> 00:11:10,040
so he hurried there, smashed the glass,
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00:11:10,040 --> 00:11:11,720
pulled out the Saliera,
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00:11:11,720 --> 00:11:13,770
and went back this way,
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00:11:13,770 --> 00:11:16,290
jumped out through the window,
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00:11:16,290 --> 00:11:17,290
and escaped outside.
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00:11:18,130 --> 00:11:19,640
- [Colm] Geiger noticed that the gallery
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was filled with priceless Raphaels.
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00:11:23,100 --> 00:11:28,040
- We asked ourselves why
didn't he steal them?
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Just took out the Saliera.
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00:11:31,277 --> 00:11:33,700
- [Colm] The most likely
reason was that the Saliera
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00:11:33,700 --> 00:11:36,803
is made of gold, easy
to melt down and sell.
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00:11:38,570 --> 00:11:40,280
- Since we didn't know who he was,
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00:11:40,280 --> 00:11:41,863
we didn't know how he'd take it in,
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00:11:41,863 --> 00:11:44,653
so we were very worried
that he might destroy it.
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00:11:46,480 --> 00:11:47,720
- [Colm] But Geiger had a hunch
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00:11:47,720 --> 00:11:51,630
the thief knew the Saliera
was more valuable intact.
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00:11:51,630 --> 00:11:55,840
- We thought somebody who
knew about the uniqueness
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00:11:55,840 --> 00:11:58,833
and the importance of the
Saliera had stolen it.
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- [Colm] The Saliera is the only surviving
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00:12:02,080 --> 00:12:04,680
gold sculpture by Benvenuto Cellini,
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00:12:04,680 --> 00:12:07,493
a prominent Italian artist
of the 16th century.
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00:12:08,780 --> 00:12:11,410
Famous for his creative genius
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00:12:11,410 --> 00:12:13,393
and his impulsive behavior.
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00:12:14,830 --> 00:12:16,380
During the Sack of Rome,
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he was accused of
stealing the Pope's jewels
237
00:12:19,210 --> 00:12:20,380
and hiding them.
238
00:12:24,270 --> 00:12:26,430
But whoever stole Cellini's masterpiece
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00:12:26,430 --> 00:12:28,063
had something else in mind.
240
00:12:29,870 --> 00:12:31,550
Museum officials received a letter
241
00:12:31,550 --> 00:12:35,640
demanding a ransom of $5.5 million US,
242
00:12:35,640 --> 00:12:38,450
and warning them to keep it hush hush.
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00:12:38,450 --> 00:12:42,023
- It was clear it was an art epic case.
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00:12:43,200 --> 00:12:44,920
- [Colm] But before the police could act,
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00:12:44,920 --> 00:12:47,163
the thief's letter was
leaked to the press.
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00:12:49,490 --> 00:12:52,796
- From that moment on, there was nothing,
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00:12:52,796 --> 00:12:53,629
there was nothing.
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00:12:53,629 --> 00:12:55,060
He didn't answer.
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00:12:55,060 --> 00:12:56,710
He didn't write another letter.
250
00:12:56,710 --> 00:12:58,903
All the communication stopped.
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00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:04,110
- [Colm] Weeks passed, then months.
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00:13:04,110 --> 00:13:07,020
- Every single day in such a situation
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00:13:07,020 --> 00:13:08,700
seems to be a very long time.
254
00:13:08,700 --> 00:13:11,213
I personally thought about that every day.
255
00:13:12,450 --> 00:13:14,270
- It was just gone, no trace.
256
00:13:14,270 --> 00:13:17,090
People believed maybe it's destroyed,
257
00:13:17,090 --> 00:13:20,900
maybe it appears somewhere
on the black market.
258
00:13:20,900 --> 00:13:24,950
And the police said they
are close to a solution,
259
00:13:24,950 --> 00:13:26,810
they are gonna get him soon.
260
00:13:26,810 --> 00:13:28,623
But they did not do it for years.
261
00:13:30,340 --> 00:13:34,480
- In October 2005, nearly two years later,
262
00:13:34,480 --> 00:13:37,603
we heard again from our offender.
263
00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:40,900
- [Colm] The thief's
second letter offered proof
264
00:13:40,900 --> 00:13:42,653
that he still had the Saliera.
265
00:13:43,920 --> 00:13:47,140
He directed police to a spot
near a statute of Mozart,
266
00:13:47,140 --> 00:13:49,053
just a stone's throw from the museum.
267
00:13:51,130 --> 00:13:53,400
Geiger felt the thief
was playing with him,
268
00:13:53,400 --> 00:13:55,543
and perhaps even watching him.
269
00:13:57,180 --> 00:14:00,000
This time there would be
no leaks to the press.
270
00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:02,800
- We did it very secretly.
271
00:14:02,800 --> 00:14:05,060
Not as many policemen,
272
00:14:05,060 --> 00:14:06,653
only plain clothes men,
273
00:14:06,653 --> 00:14:08,053
that looked around,
274
00:14:09,050 --> 00:14:11,253
they found it here, behind.
275
00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:16,680
- [Colm] The package contained
a small gold trident.
276
00:14:16,680 --> 00:14:19,233
The thief had pried it
from Neptune's hand.
277
00:14:20,370 --> 00:14:22,870
- All of a sudden we realized
there was a big chance
278
00:14:22,870 --> 00:14:25,553
that we might see the object again.
279
00:14:27,120 --> 00:14:29,360
- [Colm] A week later, the
thief sent a text message
280
00:14:29,360 --> 00:14:32,353
from a cell phone that had been
modified to be untraceable.
281
00:14:33,890 --> 00:14:36,550
He had doubled the ransom to $12 million
282
00:14:36,550 --> 00:14:38,310
and wanted it delivered by courier,
283
00:14:38,310 --> 00:14:40,063
exchanged the Saliera.
284
00:14:43,520 --> 00:14:46,310
Geiger sent a courier to
the specified location
285
00:14:46,310 --> 00:14:48,263
but with no money in his knapsack.
286
00:14:49,520 --> 00:14:51,980
Police followed at a discreet distance,
287
00:14:51,980 --> 00:14:53,073
ready to pounce.
288
00:14:54,510 --> 00:14:56,260
The thief didn't appear.
289
00:14:56,260 --> 00:14:59,233
He sent another untraceable
message with a new destination.
290
00:15:00,300 --> 00:15:01,983
And then several more.
291
00:15:03,890 --> 00:15:07,803
These actions were a
kind of wild goose chase.
292
00:15:08,790 --> 00:15:10,230
- [Colm] At the last location,
293
00:15:10,230 --> 00:15:13,740
there was a long interval
before a message arrived.
294
00:15:13,740 --> 00:15:16,013
And when it did, the thief was angry.
295
00:15:16,850 --> 00:15:19,680
- The message said,
against his instruction,
296
00:15:19,680 --> 00:15:23,420
police was involved, and
therefore has stopped it,
297
00:15:23,420 --> 00:15:25,543
and now will destroy the Saliera.
298
00:15:27,510 --> 00:15:28,680
- [Colm] It seemed that the world
299
00:15:28,680 --> 00:15:31,000
would be robbed of Cellini's genius.
300
00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:33,543
And Geiger would never
catch the brazen thief.
301
00:15:35,750 --> 00:15:40,710
Unfazed by setbacks, Geiger
had the last message analyzed.
302
00:15:40,710 --> 00:15:43,420
This time the thief slipped up.
303
00:15:43,420 --> 00:15:46,600
He used the cell phone
with a traceable ID number.
304
00:15:46,600 --> 00:15:50,440
- He had no more prepared cell phone.
305
00:15:50,440 --> 00:15:55,440
So he had to buy one more cell phone.
306
00:15:55,660 --> 00:15:57,960
- [Colm] Geiger traced
the phone to this shop.
307
00:15:59,160 --> 00:16:01,910
The store had a camera trained
on the checkout counter.
308
00:16:03,780 --> 00:16:06,940
When these security images
were broadcast by the media,
309
00:16:06,940 --> 00:16:09,393
they elicited an immediate response.
310
00:16:10,660 --> 00:16:13,560
- A man phoned the police and said,
311
00:16:13,560 --> 00:16:18,040
I'm the man on the photo
but it's a mistake.
312
00:16:18,040 --> 00:16:21,013
I didn't have nothing to
do with the Saliera case.
313
00:16:22,030 --> 00:16:24,080
- [Colm] Robert Mang
had no criminal record
314
00:16:24,080 --> 00:16:25,133
or obvious motive.
315
00:16:26,540 --> 00:16:29,563
But his job was designing
security systems.
316
00:16:30,400 --> 00:16:31,380
So he would have known
317
00:16:31,380 --> 00:16:33,358
how to get past the one in the museum.
318
00:16:33,358 --> 00:16:35,730
(breaking glass)
319
00:16:35,730 --> 00:16:37,900
At Mang's home, Geiger discovered
320
00:16:37,900 --> 00:16:40,173
the first draft of a ransom note.
321
00:16:41,420 --> 00:16:43,073
Confronted with this evidence,
322
00:16:44,070 --> 00:16:46,243
Mang led police to a wooded area.
323
00:16:47,670 --> 00:16:50,680
Buried underground was a lead box
324
00:16:50,680 --> 00:16:53,630
containing Cellini's masterpiece.
325
00:16:53,630 --> 00:16:55,580
- So the Saliera was back,
326
00:16:55,580 --> 00:16:57,780
a piece of Austria was back,
327
00:16:57,780 --> 00:17:01,523
and Mr Geiger was honored
in the Parliament as a hero.
328
00:17:03,040 --> 00:17:05,610
- [Colm] Many wondered why
a previously honest man
329
00:17:05,610 --> 00:17:07,763
would commit such an outrageous crime.
330
00:17:08,750 --> 00:17:11,390
- This was a very very strange situation.
331
00:17:11,390 --> 00:17:15,260
Knowing that Cellini was
such an outrageous character,
332
00:17:15,260 --> 00:17:17,490
I had the feeling that maybe the thief
333
00:17:17,490 --> 00:17:20,920
wanted to be the Cellini of our times.
334
00:17:20,920 --> 00:17:22,520
- [Colm] When Cellini was arrested,
335
00:17:22,520 --> 00:17:25,500
he refused to admit he had
stolen the Pope's jewels
336
00:17:25,500 --> 00:17:26,573
even under torture.
337
00:17:27,690 --> 00:17:29,903
And one night he made a daring escape.
338
00:17:30,810 --> 00:17:33,720
By contrast Robert Mang pleaded guilty
339
00:17:33,720 --> 00:17:35,900
and would not get away.
340
00:17:35,900 --> 00:17:38,290
Instead of achieving
the fame of a Cellini,
341
00:17:38,290 --> 00:17:41,720
he ensured the fame of
a Cellini masterpiece.
342
00:17:41,720 --> 00:17:43,810
- Until this very moment,
343
00:17:43,810 --> 00:17:46,260
only a handful of people in Austria
344
00:17:46,260 --> 00:17:48,210
knew about the Saliera.
345
00:17:48,210 --> 00:17:50,933
But from this day on, everybody know it.
346
00:17:54,820 --> 00:17:58,763
- [Colm] Up next, the secret
of turning silver into gold.
347
00:18:01,687 --> 00:18:04,437
(dramatic music)
348
00:18:05,890 --> 00:18:09,103
For hundreds of years, Europe
was on the gold standard.
349
00:18:10,910 --> 00:18:14,420
So if you were a king who
wanted his face on a gold coin,
350
00:18:14,420 --> 00:18:16,613
you had to have some
gold in your treasury.
351
00:18:18,210 --> 00:18:22,663
In 1677, Austria's
Emperor Leopold ran out.
352
00:18:23,630 --> 00:18:27,690
Leopold was in a terrible
financial situation
353
00:18:27,690 --> 00:18:32,690
because of the extremely
expensive war against the Turks.
354
00:18:33,690 --> 00:18:37,212
So he needed a lot of money
just to pay his troops.
355
00:18:37,212 --> 00:18:41,400
(battle cries over thundering hooves)
356
00:18:41,400 --> 00:18:43,150
- [Colm] Then one day in November,
357
00:18:43,150 --> 00:18:45,700
a stranger arrived at
the palace with an offer
358
00:18:45,700 --> 00:18:48,883
to solve the king's
money problems for good.
359
00:18:52,750 --> 00:18:55,890
He said he would turn silver into gold,
360
00:18:55,890 --> 00:18:59,163
and then tell the Emperor
the secret for a price.
361
00:19:00,510 --> 00:19:02,683
The cash-strapped Emperor agreed.
362
00:19:03,750 --> 00:19:05,230
According to all accounts,
363
00:19:05,230 --> 00:19:06,680
there was no sleight of hand.
364
00:19:07,820 --> 00:19:11,603
A silver medallion changed
as if by magic into gold.
365
00:19:14,480 --> 00:19:16,703
You might think alchemy can't be real.
366
00:19:17,770 --> 00:19:20,420
But the gold medallion
created by the alchemist
367
00:19:20,420 --> 00:19:22,603
is in the Kunsthistorisches museum.
368
00:19:24,060 --> 00:19:28,250
- It's more than seven kilos of gold.
369
00:19:28,250 --> 00:19:32,457
So it's the biggest gold
medallion ever cast in the world.
370
00:19:35,006 --> 00:19:36,700
- [Colm] How did the alchemist do it?
371
00:19:36,700 --> 00:19:39,833
This might be our most
valuable museum secret.
372
00:19:42,060 --> 00:19:45,273
The mystery fascinates archeologist,
Marcos Martinon-Torres.
373
00:19:47,530 --> 00:19:50,510
- We know from the text
that this medallion
374
00:19:50,510 --> 00:19:53,920
was transmuted in front
of the very Emperor.
375
00:19:53,920 --> 00:19:56,960
So how was it that he
did the transmutation?
376
00:19:56,960 --> 00:19:59,643
Hopefully we can now find
an answer to that question.
377
00:20:00,930 --> 00:20:02,790
- [Colm] The first thing
Marcos would like to know
378
00:20:02,790 --> 00:20:05,013
is the purity of the
gold in the medallion.
379
00:20:07,070 --> 00:20:09,770
Museum staff can't provide
a definitive answer
380
00:20:09,770 --> 00:20:11,673
without damaging it.
381
00:20:13,670 --> 00:20:15,560
But a noninvasive X-ray proves
382
00:20:15,560 --> 00:20:17,333
that gold is definitely present.
383
00:20:18,820 --> 00:20:20,393
How did the alchemist do it?
384
00:20:24,930 --> 00:20:26,240
To look for the answer,
385
00:20:26,240 --> 00:20:29,203
Marcos travels 40 kilometers
north of the museum.
386
00:20:31,470 --> 00:20:34,570
Here he meets archeologist,
Sigried von Osten,
387
00:20:34,570 --> 00:20:37,390
who has uncovered evidence
of an alchemist's workshop
388
00:20:37,390 --> 00:20:39,393
in a 16th century church.
389
00:20:42,140 --> 00:20:44,430
Alchemists were Christian mystics,
390
00:20:44,430 --> 00:20:47,550
seekers of the legendary
Philosopher's Stone,
391
00:20:47,550 --> 00:20:50,123
the power to turn base metal into gold.
392
00:20:51,500 --> 00:20:53,380
But in the back room is proof
393
00:20:53,380 --> 00:20:55,973
they did not put their faith in God alone.
394
00:20:57,500 --> 00:20:58,520
- Well shall we do inside,
395
00:20:58,520 --> 00:21:00,950
I can't wait.
- Yeah, yeah.
396
00:21:00,950 --> 00:21:02,060
- [Colm] Several years ago,
397
00:21:02,060 --> 00:21:05,073
Sigried made an amazing
discovery beneath the floor.
398
00:21:11,139 --> 00:21:11,972
- [Marcos] So this is
where it all happened.
399
00:21:11,972 --> 00:21:14,010
This is where you found this equipment.
400
00:21:14,010 --> 00:21:16,990
- It's only a little
part of the materials.
401
00:21:16,990 --> 00:21:19,730
We have more than a thousand objects.
402
00:21:19,730 --> 00:21:21,610
- [Marcos] 1,000 objects.
403
00:21:21,610 --> 00:21:23,770
They've got an assortment of material.
404
00:21:23,770 --> 00:21:24,840
Everyone of them,
405
00:21:24,840 --> 00:21:28,260
very specialized for a
specific technical function.
406
00:21:28,260 --> 00:21:29,760
You just have to have a look at this
407
00:21:29,760 --> 00:21:32,640
to see they knew a lot
of science, don't they?
408
00:21:32,640 --> 00:21:36,810
- This laboratory was high tech.
409
00:21:36,810 --> 00:21:38,530
- [Colm] Much of this
equipment would look at home
410
00:21:38,530 --> 00:21:40,053
in a modern chemistry lab.
411
00:21:41,040 --> 00:21:43,840
- When people of this
day think about alchemy,
412
00:21:43,840 --> 00:21:46,293
of course they immediately
think of Harry Porter.
413
00:21:47,310 --> 00:21:49,630
We've tended to regard alchemists
414
00:21:49,630 --> 00:21:53,363
as wizards and obscure philosophers.
415
00:21:54,740 --> 00:21:57,750
But these alchemists
knew a lot more science
416
00:21:57,750 --> 00:21:59,583
than we credit them for.
417
00:22:00,744 --> 00:22:04,443
It was very much about trial
and error, experimentation.
418
00:22:05,810 --> 00:22:09,120
- [Colm] So alchemists
were really early chemists,
419
00:22:09,120 --> 00:22:11,763
including the alchemist
at Leopold's court.
420
00:22:14,440 --> 00:22:17,210
Marcos thinks he changed silver into gold
421
00:22:17,210 --> 00:22:19,483
using a trick that only
a chemist would know.
422
00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:24,490
He believes the alchemist's
original medallion
423
00:22:24,490 --> 00:22:29,130
was not pure silver but a
material much like this.
424
00:22:29,130 --> 00:22:32,273
Forged in a modern lab
by jeweller, Jamie Hall.
425
00:22:34,400 --> 00:22:36,220
- Well, although it looks entirely silver,
426
00:22:36,220 --> 00:22:39,650
there's 30% gold in this.
427
00:22:39,650 --> 00:22:42,040
I don't think anyone would
realize it was in there.
428
00:22:42,040 --> 00:22:44,030
- So it's roughly 70% silver,
- that's right, yes.
429
00:22:44,030 --> 00:22:46,273
- 30% gold, it looks very silver.
430
00:22:47,260 --> 00:22:48,660
- [Colm] And if the alchemist started
431
00:22:48,660 --> 00:22:50,830
with silver that contains gold,
432
00:22:50,830 --> 00:22:53,343
Marcos may know what
chemical was in his vat.
433
00:22:54,290 --> 00:22:55,360
- [Marcos] I've been looking into
434
00:22:55,360 --> 00:22:58,300
what may have been available
to a 17th century alchemist
435
00:22:58,300 --> 00:23:02,523
and I think the most plausible
reagent would be nitric acid.
436
00:23:03,870 --> 00:23:06,880
- [Colm] Alchemists called it aqua fortis.
437
00:23:06,880 --> 00:23:08,770
- The name aqua fortis says it all.
438
00:23:08,770 --> 00:23:10,470
It's so fortis, it's so strong,
439
00:23:10,470 --> 00:23:12,430
that it dissolves anything you put in it.
440
00:23:12,430 --> 00:23:14,900
Anything except for gold.
441
00:23:14,900 --> 00:23:17,600
So we've got everything we
need except for an emperor.
442
00:23:23,005 --> 00:23:24,450
We can see it's turning dark immediately.
443
00:23:24,450 --> 00:23:26,393
It's obviously attacking the silver.
444
00:23:28,100 --> 00:23:29,710
- [Colm] After about three minutes,
445
00:23:29,710 --> 00:23:32,890
Marcos removes the
medallion from the acid.
446
00:23:32,890 --> 00:23:34,410
- [Marcos] It's gone totally black.
447
00:23:34,410 --> 00:23:35,510
It doesn't look like gold.
448
00:23:35,510 --> 00:23:38,333
Let's hope we can actually
do something to it.
449
00:23:39,626 --> 00:23:40,730
So we have to rinse it quite well
450
00:23:40,730 --> 00:23:42,673
so that the reaction doesn't continue.
451
00:23:43,800 --> 00:23:48,780
It certainly looks different
but not quite gold in this.
452
00:23:48,780 --> 00:23:50,400
We would hope.
453
00:23:50,400 --> 00:23:52,180
- [Jamie] Yeah it still
hasn't taken much off
454
00:23:52,180 --> 00:23:54,940
so what we're gonna have
to do is use a brass brush.
455
00:23:54,940 --> 00:23:57,170
- [Marcos] Now that is
looking very impressive.
456
00:23:57,170 --> 00:23:58,337
- [Jamie] Now that really just starting
457
00:23:58,337 --> 00:23:59,393
to look gold, doesn't it?
458
00:23:59,393 --> 00:24:01,860
- [Marcos] I think we've
transmuted our medallion.
459
00:24:01,860 --> 00:24:03,937
- [Jamie] Yep, then we
could be millionaires.
460
00:24:03,937 --> 00:24:06,410
(chuckling)
461
00:24:06,410 --> 00:24:08,640
- [Colm] Marcos is sure
that the alchemist performed
462
00:24:08,640 --> 00:24:10,853
this same chemistry trick for the emperor.
463
00:24:12,860 --> 00:24:15,280
And because it really was just a trick,
464
00:24:15,280 --> 00:24:18,043
it couldn't solve
Leopold's money problems.
465
00:24:19,100 --> 00:24:21,200
Regaining the Habsburg family fortune
466
00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:23,600
would be up to his
granddaughter, Maria Theresa,
467
00:24:24,530 --> 00:24:28,133
who employed an even more
magical way to get rick quick.
468
00:24:29,870 --> 00:24:31,353
She printed paper money.
469
00:24:32,760 --> 00:24:34,460
(dramatic music)
470
00:24:34,460 --> 00:24:36,233
Next on museum's secrets,
471
00:24:37,070 --> 00:24:40,343
how a falcon brought the
Dark Ages into the light.
472
00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:44,190
(dramatic music)
473
00:24:45,230 --> 00:24:47,640
Inside the Kunsthistorisches museum,
474
00:24:47,640 --> 00:24:49,830
what Medieval artifacts are made of,
475
00:24:49,830 --> 00:24:51,823
reveals the era's pecking order.
476
00:24:53,810 --> 00:24:55,530
For the lowly foot soldier,
477
00:24:55,530 --> 00:24:57,330
wood and iron.
478
00:24:57,330 --> 00:24:59,913
For noble knights, the finest steel.
479
00:25:00,750 --> 00:25:02,930
Kings are worthy of gold.
480
00:25:02,930 --> 00:25:05,503
And so it seems, is a falcon.
481
00:25:09,360 --> 00:25:11,520
Hunting game with birds of prey,
482
00:25:11,520 --> 00:25:13,713
was the noblest of past times.
483
00:25:15,340 --> 00:25:19,690
- It's very noble because
you put your vittles through
484
00:25:19,690 --> 00:25:23,963
a living animal, and he's
doing the hunting for yourself.
485
00:25:25,340 --> 00:25:28,210
- [Colm] A knight might
hunt with a Harris's hawk,
486
00:25:28,210 --> 00:25:30,817
while barons favor the Eurasian owl.
487
00:25:32,130 --> 00:25:34,453
But only this bird is fit for a king.
488
00:25:35,910 --> 00:25:38,783
And modern falconer,
Dan Frankian, knows why.
489
00:25:39,930 --> 00:25:42,700
- [Dan] Gyrfalcons are
basically the epitome of falcon.
490
00:25:42,700 --> 00:25:46,300
They are by far, the
top end of the top end.
491
00:25:46,300 --> 00:25:47,780
They're like driving a Ferrari.
492
00:25:47,780 --> 00:25:50,163
They are unbelievably quick and fast.
493
00:25:52,010 --> 00:25:54,570
- [Colm] No king in history
enjoyed falconry more
494
00:25:54,570 --> 00:25:56,470
than Frederick the Second,
495
00:25:56,470 --> 00:25:59,723
who was crowned Holy
Roman Emperor in 1220.
496
00:26:02,880 --> 00:26:04,350
Frederick's love for falcons
497
00:26:04,350 --> 00:26:07,760
would help to bring an
end to the Dark Ages.
498
00:26:07,760 --> 00:26:10,673
The reason why is a museum secret.
499
00:26:13,060 --> 00:26:14,900
Frederick came to power in an era
500
00:26:14,900 --> 00:26:18,380
when the Church decreed that
the sun went around the Earth
501
00:26:18,380 --> 00:26:20,783
and science was akin to heresy.
502
00:26:21,930 --> 00:26:24,090
Asking questions about the universe
503
00:26:24,090 --> 00:26:25,790
could get you burned at the stake.
504
00:26:27,630 --> 00:26:30,810
Even emperors were advised
to follow the old ways
505
00:26:30,810 --> 00:26:32,533
even in the sport of falconry.
506
00:26:34,020 --> 00:26:35,890
Like all Medieval Falconers,
507
00:26:35,890 --> 00:26:38,380
Frederick calmed his captured birds
508
00:26:38,380 --> 00:26:40,640
by sealing up their eyes.
509
00:26:40,640 --> 00:26:42,160
- Using a needle they would take
510
00:26:42,160 --> 00:26:44,840
the bottom lid of the
falcon and the top lid,
511
00:26:44,840 --> 00:26:48,970
put a little tiny hole in it,
and put the two lids together.
512
00:26:48,970 --> 00:26:51,870
Now these days it's totally unnecessary
513
00:26:51,870 --> 00:26:54,223
and a lot of people consider it barbaric.
514
00:26:55,540 --> 00:26:56,980
- [Colm] The same might
be said for the way
515
00:26:56,980 --> 00:26:59,280
Frederick trained his
falcons to hunt for him.
516
00:27:00,800 --> 00:27:04,270
He lured them with live
birds tied to a string.
517
00:27:04,270 --> 00:27:05,690
- And that's where you would tie it up
518
00:27:05,690 --> 00:27:07,297
and then you could swing it.
519
00:27:07,297 --> 00:27:09,930
And the falcon would see
that it's a bird in distress
520
00:27:09,930 --> 00:27:11,430
and they will go right for it.
521
00:27:12,890 --> 00:27:14,370
- [Colm] After months of training,
522
00:27:14,370 --> 00:27:16,430
the falcon would attack on command.
523
00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:23,373
In 1226, Frederick was pulled
away from his favorite sport
524
00:27:23,373 --> 00:27:26,013
when the Pope ordered
him to lead a Crusade.
525
00:27:28,890 --> 00:27:30,720
There had been several previous attempts
526
00:27:30,720 --> 00:27:32,553
to take Jerusalem for Christendom.
527
00:27:35,280 --> 00:27:36,113
All had failed.
528
00:27:38,660 --> 00:27:40,640
But as Holy Roman Emperor,
529
00:27:40,640 --> 00:27:43,470
it was Frederick's duty to try again.
530
00:27:43,470 --> 00:27:47,020
- He landed with an army in Palestine
531
00:27:47,020 --> 00:27:49,110
but didn't fight any battle.
532
00:27:49,110 --> 00:27:50,593
He started to negotiate.
533
00:27:51,740 --> 00:27:53,460
- [Colm] During the diplomatic talks,
534
00:27:53,460 --> 00:27:56,463
Frederick became fascinated
by what the Arabs showed him.
535
00:27:58,920 --> 00:28:01,530
Astronomy and engineering far in advance
536
00:28:01,530 --> 00:28:02,713
of anything in Europe.
537
00:28:04,220 --> 00:28:06,803
Frederick soon realized
why they were ahead.
538
00:28:08,180 --> 00:28:11,130
They asked questions and then tested them.
539
00:28:11,130 --> 00:28:13,233
What we would call the scientific method.
540
00:28:14,780 --> 00:28:17,143
Frederick also discovered
a shared interest.
541
00:28:18,000 --> 00:28:19,100
- In the Arabic culture,
542
00:28:19,100 --> 00:28:22,050
falcon hunting played an important role
543
00:28:22,050 --> 00:28:23,680
and still plays an important role.
544
00:28:23,680 --> 00:28:25,060
If you go to the Emirates,
545
00:28:25,060 --> 00:28:28,133
you'd see lots of sultans
hunting with falcons.
546
00:28:29,510 --> 00:28:31,720
- [Colm] For both
Frederick and the sultan,
547
00:28:31,720 --> 00:28:34,193
falconry was much more than a sport.
548
00:28:35,540 --> 00:28:38,120
- The bond that you have
between a bird of prey
549
00:28:38,120 --> 00:28:40,590
and yourself, is very similar
that you have with the dog
550
00:28:40,590 --> 00:28:42,930
but you can't hug this.
551
00:28:42,930 --> 00:28:45,553
But once both of those eyes lock onto you,
552
00:28:46,750 --> 00:28:47,650
they're beautiful.
553
00:28:49,300 --> 00:28:51,940
- [Colm] Frederick noticed that
the Arabs train their birds
554
00:28:51,940 --> 00:28:52,993
a little differently.
555
00:28:53,960 --> 00:28:57,250
For one thing, they didn't
seal their eyes with thread.
556
00:28:57,250 --> 00:28:59,500
- [Dan] Originally, the Arab developed
557
00:28:59,500 --> 00:29:02,060
the hood to replace the sealing
558
00:29:02,060 --> 00:29:05,193
because they thought it
wasn't such a wonderful idea.
559
00:29:06,400 --> 00:29:08,530
- [Colm] Frederick tried the Arab method
560
00:29:08,530 --> 00:29:11,570
and he tried the Arab way
of questioning things.
561
00:29:11,570 --> 00:29:14,740
- So it goes on in this way.
562
00:29:14,740 --> 00:29:16,490
I'm going to one, two, three do it.
563
00:29:17,923 --> 00:29:19,130
Like that.
564
00:29:19,130 --> 00:29:21,953
- [Colm] He tested the hood
and found it to be superior.
565
00:29:23,290 --> 00:29:24,940
Frederick also noticed that Arabs
566
00:29:24,940 --> 00:29:26,923
didn't need live birds for bait.
567
00:29:28,280 --> 00:29:30,840
Making a lure from the
wings and meat of the prey,
568
00:29:30,840 --> 00:29:33,010
worked just as well.
569
00:29:33,010 --> 00:29:34,630
- That's supposed to follow what it is
570
00:29:34,630 --> 00:29:37,230
that the falcons going to be chasing
571
00:29:37,230 --> 00:29:38,580
in the natural environment.
572
00:29:40,816 --> 00:29:42,530
Come on, girl.
573
00:29:42,530 --> 00:29:44,440
- [Colm] Frederick tested
this Arab technique
574
00:29:44,440 --> 00:29:45,563
and many others.
575
00:29:48,080 --> 00:29:50,830
His interest in Arab falconry and science
576
00:29:50,830 --> 00:29:53,300
created an atmosphere of mutual respect
577
00:29:53,300 --> 00:29:55,320
between the two leaders.
578
00:29:55,320 --> 00:29:59,080
- And this enabled them
to negotiate a solution
579
00:29:59,080 --> 00:30:01,460
which was good for both sides.
580
00:30:01,460 --> 00:30:04,470
And this was that the sultan of Egypt
581
00:30:04,470 --> 00:30:06,620
would give Jerusalem to the emperor
582
00:30:06,620 --> 00:30:08,963
and the emperor wouldn't attack Egypt.
583
00:30:10,320 --> 00:30:11,750
- [Colm] With the sultan's blessing,
584
00:30:11,750 --> 00:30:13,950
Frederick was crowned
the King of Jerusalem.
585
00:30:15,620 --> 00:30:18,853
His was the first and
only bloodless Crusade.
586
00:30:21,320 --> 00:30:23,040
When he returned to Europe,
587
00:30:23,040 --> 00:30:25,833
he published the results
of his falcon experiments.
588
00:30:27,190 --> 00:30:29,920
- It's the first treatise on falconry,
589
00:30:29,920 --> 00:30:32,000
it's kind of what we refer back to.
590
00:30:32,000 --> 00:30:33,230
That's very important,
591
00:30:33,230 --> 00:30:35,203
I mean, it's the Bible.
592
00:30:36,386 --> 00:30:37,219
(dog whimpering)
593
00:30:37,219 --> 00:30:40,510
- [Colm] Frederick's book
revolutionized European falconry
594
00:30:40,510 --> 00:30:42,710
and transmitted the scientific method
595
00:30:42,710 --> 00:30:45,370
from the Islamic world to Christendom
596
00:30:45,370 --> 00:30:47,100
where it would influence visionaries
597
00:30:47,100 --> 00:30:50,283
like Galileo and Leonardo da Vinci.
598
00:30:53,030 --> 00:30:56,363
The Church was not pleased
but it was too late.
599
00:30:57,360 --> 00:30:59,470
Frederick and his beloved falcons
600
00:30:59,470 --> 00:31:02,973
had already helped to bring
light into the Dark Ages.
601
00:31:05,640 --> 00:31:07,860
Next on museum secrets,
602
00:31:07,860 --> 00:31:10,563
the forbidden dance
that changed the world.
603
00:31:13,441 --> 00:31:16,440
(dramatic music)
604
00:31:16,440 --> 00:31:18,560
Inside the Kunsthistorisches museum
605
00:31:18,560 --> 00:31:20,870
is a violin that was
made to play the music
606
00:31:20,870 --> 00:31:22,723
that Vienna is famous for,
607
00:31:24,220 --> 00:31:25,053
the waltz.
608
00:31:27,200 --> 00:31:29,340
This sublime waltz melody,
609
00:31:29,340 --> 00:31:32,160
the Blue Danube by Johann Strauss,
610
00:31:32,160 --> 00:31:35,593
has become a familiar fixture
in many formal occasions.
611
00:31:37,080 --> 00:31:39,250
Today we rarely dance the waltz
612
00:31:39,250 --> 00:31:42,400
except to observe archaic traditions.
613
00:31:42,400 --> 00:31:45,750
But if you think the
waltz is tame or boring,
614
00:31:45,750 --> 00:31:46,623
it isn't.
615
00:31:47,870 --> 00:31:50,870
The truth about the waltz
and how it changed the world,
616
00:31:50,870 --> 00:31:52,433
is our museum's secret.
617
00:31:55,280 --> 00:31:58,430
The story begins at the
end of the 18th century
618
00:31:58,430 --> 00:32:00,803
when all of Europe was engulfed by war.
619
00:32:01,664 --> 00:32:04,989
And Austria had fallen on hard times.
620
00:32:04,989 --> 00:32:07,223
- It was a poor time, a very poor time.
621
00:32:08,220 --> 00:32:11,940
People lost a lot of
members of their family.
622
00:32:11,940 --> 00:32:15,910
Soldiers who died in the
battles, or very injured.
623
00:32:15,910 --> 00:32:18,250
- [Colm] Peter Widholz
is a professional tenor
624
00:32:18,250 --> 00:32:20,763
and President of the
Johann Strauss Society.
625
00:32:21,880 --> 00:32:24,350
- There was no time in Austrian history
626
00:32:24,350 --> 00:32:28,100
which was too sad for the
people to forget music
627
00:32:28,100 --> 00:32:30,000
and to forget to dance.
628
00:32:30,000 --> 00:32:33,703
Music helped the Austrians
always to survive.
629
00:32:34,950 --> 00:32:37,180
- [Colm] To take their
minds off the carnage,
630
00:32:37,180 --> 00:32:39,880
Austrian nobles danced the minuet,
631
00:32:39,880 --> 00:32:41,610
bowing and curtsying to each other
632
00:32:41,610 --> 00:32:43,483
as they had done for centuries.
633
00:32:46,040 --> 00:32:47,920
But in the countryside,
634
00:32:47,920 --> 00:32:50,843
commoners were inventing
some brand new dance moves.
635
00:32:51,970 --> 00:32:54,140
To understand what was new about them,
636
00:32:54,140 --> 00:32:56,383
we need to take it step-by-step.
637
00:32:58,670 --> 00:33:01,640
- Now you will see the way
they are standing all ready.
638
00:33:01,640 --> 00:33:05,030
The lady is slightly to the left,
639
00:33:05,030 --> 00:33:07,800
and she looks to the left,
that's very important.
640
00:33:07,800 --> 00:33:09,070
And then all you have to do
641
00:33:09,070 --> 00:33:12,410
is repeat six steps all the time.
642
00:33:12,410 --> 00:33:14,040
- [Colm] Thomas Schafer-Elmayer runs
643
00:33:14,040 --> 00:33:16,580
Vienna's top dance academy.
644
00:33:16,580 --> 00:33:19,870
Vanessa and Peter have never
danced the waltz before.
645
00:33:19,870 --> 00:33:23,210
- [Thomas] Gentlemen
starts right foot forward,
646
00:33:23,210 --> 00:33:24,563
the lady, left foot back.
647
00:33:25,450 --> 00:33:27,490
- [Colm] In contrast to the minuet,
648
00:33:27,490 --> 00:33:30,020
waltzing couples never change partners
649
00:33:30,020 --> 00:33:32,473
and they stay much closer together.
650
00:33:34,150 --> 00:33:36,130
- The men must touch the women,
651
00:33:36,130 --> 00:33:38,230
not only with the fingers on their hand,
652
00:33:38,230 --> 00:33:40,450
but also at their waist, yeah?
653
00:33:40,450 --> 00:33:43,000
There's a small contact
with the body of the woman.
654
00:33:44,150 --> 00:33:46,600
When you dance very quickly at waltz,
655
00:33:46,600 --> 00:33:49,220
then could be that the dress of the lady
656
00:33:49,220 --> 00:33:51,230
comes a little bit up.
657
00:33:51,230 --> 00:33:53,610
And then could be that you can see
658
00:33:53,610 --> 00:33:56,123
her ankle or maybe her calf.
659
00:33:57,390 --> 00:33:58,550
- [Colm] In the 18th century,
660
00:33:58,550 --> 00:34:01,400
such wanton displays were frowned on.
661
00:34:01,400 --> 00:34:04,850
- And to that time, it
was nearly a scandal.
662
00:34:04,850 --> 00:34:07,480
- So the Church was not in favor of it
663
00:34:07,480 --> 00:34:10,860
and the rulers were not in favor of it.
664
00:34:10,860 --> 00:34:13,530
The Church very often was against things
665
00:34:14,743 --> 00:34:16,443
that gave the people a lot of fun.
666
00:34:17,780 --> 00:34:20,230
- [Colm] And so Europe's
straight-laced nobles
667
00:34:20,230 --> 00:34:22,150
stuck with the minuet,
668
00:34:22,150 --> 00:34:24,570
throughout the long war and into an era
669
00:34:24,570 --> 00:34:27,433
when all of Europe longed for peace.
670
00:34:28,470 --> 00:34:32,200
In 1814, Emperor Francis
the First of Austria
671
00:34:32,200 --> 00:34:34,800
decided to try something new.
672
00:34:34,800 --> 00:34:37,430
- He invited all the princes and kings
673
00:34:37,430 --> 00:34:39,123
and also the Tzar of Russia,
674
00:34:39,970 --> 00:34:42,500
to come to Vienna to find a treaty
675
00:34:42,500 --> 00:34:45,130
and to draw new borders for Europe.
676
00:34:45,130 --> 00:34:47,770
As the nobles negotiated in this palace,
677
00:34:47,770 --> 00:34:50,423
the halls echoed with
shouts of accusations.
678
00:34:52,770 --> 00:34:54,940
After long days of acrimony,
679
00:34:54,940 --> 00:34:56,860
they were eager to unwind.
680
00:34:56,860 --> 00:35:00,100
The plan of the Emperor
during the Viennese Congress
681
00:35:00,100 --> 00:35:02,610
was to make a lot of amusements
682
00:35:02,610 --> 00:35:05,210
for the European kings and princes.
683
00:35:05,210 --> 00:35:09,313
There were a lot of balls and concerts
684
00:35:09,313 --> 00:35:11,033
and different events in Vienna.
685
00:35:12,060 --> 00:35:13,560
- [Colm] It so happened that Vienna
686
00:35:13,560 --> 00:35:15,300
was the only European capital
687
00:35:15,300 --> 00:35:17,393
where dance halls allowed the waltz.
688
00:35:18,750 --> 00:35:20,570
When the nobles saw it,
689
00:35:20,570 --> 00:35:22,070
they wanted to try it.
690
00:35:22,070 --> 00:35:23,860
- The kings, some of the princes,
691
00:35:23,860 --> 00:35:25,970
and all the aristocratic society,
692
00:35:25,970 --> 00:35:28,950
finds the love for that dance.
693
00:35:28,950 --> 00:35:29,963
They enjoyed it.
694
00:35:31,110 --> 00:35:33,030
- [Colm] And once they started waltzing,
695
00:35:33,030 --> 00:35:35,320
they felt a new sensation.
696
00:35:35,320 --> 00:35:38,545
- So what sensation do you
get when you were waltzing.
697
00:35:38,545 --> 00:35:40,260
- I mean it's the going very fast
698
00:35:40,260 --> 00:35:42,600
and you see all around moving.
699
00:35:42,600 --> 00:35:45,730
It's like it's really like
you feel in another place.
700
00:35:45,730 --> 00:35:48,207
- You remember on the playgrounds
when you were very young,
701
00:35:48,207 --> 00:35:50,750
you had those things where
you put yourself onto it
702
00:35:50,750 --> 00:35:52,458
and turn around turn around?
703
00:35:52,458 --> 00:35:54,660
Pretty much like this.
- Yeah pretty much like this.
704
00:35:54,660 --> 00:35:57,750
- It is the most exciting experience
705
00:35:57,750 --> 00:36:00,130
that you can have when you are dancing
706
00:36:00,130 --> 00:36:03,280
because you are floating across the floor.
707
00:36:03,280 --> 00:36:05,980
And it's really giving you some feeling
708
00:36:05,980 --> 00:36:08,073
like you are a little bit high.
709
00:36:09,460 --> 00:36:12,100
- [Colm] After the nobles
experienced the waltz,
710
00:36:12,100 --> 00:36:15,020
the mood of the negotiations changed.
711
00:36:15,020 --> 00:36:18,980
- The Prince de Ligne was asked
how is the Congress going,
712
00:36:18,980 --> 00:36:21,923
and he said, Congress is
not going, it's dancing.
713
00:36:23,540 --> 00:36:27,340
Dancing certainly
contributed to an atmosphere
714
00:36:27,340 --> 00:36:31,453
where the people were able to
make decisions without hatred.
715
00:36:33,200 --> 00:36:36,060
- [Colm] The Congress of Vienna
produced a peace agreement
716
00:36:36,060 --> 00:36:39,303
and the nobles went home to
teach their nations the waltz.
717
00:36:40,410 --> 00:36:43,490
- The waltz became a
dance which was accepted
718
00:36:44,450 --> 00:36:48,213
by the noble society and
could be danced by everyone.
719
00:36:49,450 --> 00:36:51,030
- [Colm] In the decades to come,
720
00:36:51,030 --> 00:36:52,420
the Vienna Waltz would become
721
00:36:52,420 --> 00:36:54,650
wildly popular throughout Europe,
722
00:36:54,650 --> 00:36:58,433
propelled by the seductive waltz
melodies of Johann Strauss.
723
00:36:59,500 --> 00:37:04,500
- Once a journalist
attended a ball and he saw
724
00:37:04,720 --> 00:37:08,730
how much the young people were excited
725
00:37:08,730 --> 00:37:11,490
by the music of Johann Strauss.
726
00:37:11,490 --> 00:37:12,500
How they danced.
727
00:37:12,500 --> 00:37:16,250
And he went home and wrote and
the next day in the journal,
728
00:37:16,250 --> 00:37:20,410
how many children must be
grateful to Johann Strauss
729
00:37:20,410 --> 00:37:23,550
that they exist, because
after such a ball,
730
00:37:23,550 --> 00:37:26,973
young babies were produced
by the excited parents.
731
00:37:28,560 --> 00:37:31,210
- [Colm] So the Church
had it right all along.
732
00:37:31,210 --> 00:37:33,050
You never know what will happen
733
00:37:33,050 --> 00:37:34,713
when a couple starts to waltz.
734
00:37:38,220 --> 00:37:42,013
Up next, a royal family's darkest secret.
735
00:37:44,429 --> 00:37:47,550
(dramatic music)
736
00:37:47,550 --> 00:37:50,943
It is often said that family
is the most important thing.
737
00:37:52,540 --> 00:37:54,770
But to the family whose wealth and power
738
00:37:54,770 --> 00:37:58,230
are on display in the
Kunsthistorisches museum,
739
00:37:58,230 --> 00:37:59,513
it was everything.
740
00:38:01,360 --> 00:38:05,270
The Habsburg family, with
branches in Austria and Spain,
741
00:38:05,270 --> 00:38:07,533
believed they were God's gift.
742
00:38:08,570 --> 00:38:13,570
- They can track their genealogies
back the Julius Caesar,
743
00:38:13,610 --> 00:38:17,440
of course, but also back to
the ancient Jewish kings,
744
00:38:17,440 --> 00:38:19,463
to David and Solomon and so on.
745
00:38:20,790 --> 00:38:22,450
- [Colm] Historian Karl Vocelka
746
00:38:22,450 --> 00:38:25,080
believes the Habsburg
used religious relics
747
00:38:25,080 --> 00:38:27,123
to cement their hold on power.
748
00:38:29,830 --> 00:38:32,210
They laid claim to this lance,
749
00:38:32,210 --> 00:38:34,923
said to have pierced Christ on the cross.
750
00:38:36,610 --> 00:38:39,190
To prove to themselves and others
751
00:38:39,190 --> 00:38:41,793
that their family was blest by the Lord.
752
00:38:43,330 --> 00:38:45,770
- Perhaps they themselves
were very convinced
753
00:38:45,770 --> 00:38:50,303
that they are the best ruling
family ever, full stop.
754
00:38:52,300 --> 00:38:53,940
- [Colm] But as everyone knows,
755
00:38:53,940 --> 00:38:55,833
pride comes before a fall.
756
00:38:58,670 --> 00:39:02,090
In the heart of Vienna,
underneath an ancient monastery,
757
00:39:02,090 --> 00:39:05,640
is a vast crypt containing 13 generations
758
00:39:05,640 --> 00:39:07,263
of Habsburg emperors.
759
00:39:08,700 --> 00:39:11,050
All of us have to go sometime,
760
00:39:11,050 --> 00:39:14,133
but the dates on these coffins
reveal something surprising.
761
00:39:15,440 --> 00:39:18,060
Many are from the 18th century.
762
00:39:18,060 --> 00:39:20,110
Few were from the 19th.
763
00:39:20,110 --> 00:39:23,103
And only a handful date
from the 20th century.
764
00:39:24,040 --> 00:39:26,420
What happened to the Habsburgs?
765
00:39:26,420 --> 00:39:28,517
That is our museum's secret.
766
00:39:28,517 --> 00:39:31,670
(dramatic drumming)
767
00:39:31,670 --> 00:39:34,280
Francisco Ceballos
believes there are clues
768
00:39:34,280 --> 00:39:35,603
in the picture gallery.
769
00:39:36,900 --> 00:39:40,003
Starting with this likeness
of King Carlos the Second.
770
00:39:41,209 --> 00:39:45,292
(speaking in a foreign language)
771
00:39:51,144 --> 00:39:54,050
The King's priests
thought he was bewitched.
772
00:39:54,050 --> 00:39:57,213
As a geneticist, Francisco
thinks otherwise.
773
00:39:58,369 --> 00:40:02,452
(speaking in a foreign language)
774
00:40:12,576 --> 00:40:14,430
Today we know that inbreeding can cause
775
00:40:14,430 --> 00:40:17,270
unhealthy traits to build up in DNA.
776
00:40:17,270 --> 00:40:19,560
But the Habsburgs didn't.
777
00:40:19,560 --> 00:40:22,610
In fact, they thought
marrying within their family
778
00:40:22,610 --> 00:40:24,623
would strengthen the royal bloodline.
779
00:40:26,460 --> 00:40:28,640
- The Habsburgs had a very strict rule
780
00:40:28,640 --> 00:40:33,640
who is possible partner for
a female or male Habsburg.
781
00:40:34,040 --> 00:40:37,580
They have to come out of
a former ruling family
782
00:40:37,580 --> 00:40:40,910
or of some clearly defined
aristocratic families
783
00:40:40,910 --> 00:40:42,503
that were seen as equal.
784
00:40:44,000 --> 00:40:46,670
- [Colm] As their family
tree grew in on itself,
785
00:40:46,670 --> 00:40:48,660
genetic problems became visible
786
00:40:49,530 --> 00:40:53,053
in the facial deformity now
known as the Habsburg jaw.
787
00:40:55,290 --> 00:40:58,817
But their most severe
problem cannot be seen.
788
00:40:58,817 --> 00:41:00,320
(crackling thunder)
789
00:41:00,320 --> 00:41:03,650
In the family crypt, tracing
the genealogy reveals
790
00:41:03,650 --> 00:41:06,793
that many Habsburgs died
without producing children.
791
00:41:08,290 --> 00:41:11,113
The family was dying out and they knew it.
792
00:41:12,670 --> 00:41:15,670
They prayed to God to lift the
curse that had befallen them.
793
00:41:17,730 --> 00:41:22,400
And then in 1651, this
little girl was born.
794
00:41:22,400 --> 00:41:25,750
- Here we have three portraits
of Margarita Theresa.
795
00:41:25,750 --> 00:41:28,550
She was a perfectly normal girl.
796
00:41:28,550 --> 00:41:32,040
She was intelligent and beautiful.
797
00:41:32,040 --> 00:41:33,210
- [Colm] At the age of 15,
798
00:41:33,210 --> 00:41:36,470
Margarita married
another healthy Habsburg,
799
00:41:36,470 --> 00:41:39,513
her uncle, Emperor Leopold the First.
800
00:41:41,570 --> 00:41:44,010
The family was certain these noble equals
801
00:41:44,010 --> 00:41:45,763
will produce a healthy heir.
802
00:41:48,190 --> 00:41:51,200
Her first child lived just one year.
803
00:41:51,200 --> 00:41:53,923
Her second child survived but died young.
804
00:41:54,810 --> 00:41:56,450
Her next two children were born
805
00:41:56,450 --> 00:41:59,320
with serious genetic abnormalities.
806
00:41:59,320 --> 00:42:01,253
Both died in infancy.
807
00:42:03,160 --> 00:42:06,030
Margarita herself would die in pregnancy
808
00:42:06,030 --> 00:42:07,593
when she was only 21.
809
00:42:10,270 --> 00:42:12,000
In the centuries that followed,
810
00:42:12,000 --> 00:42:14,140
the Habsburgs would avert extinction
811
00:42:14,140 --> 00:42:16,010
when a few broke with tradition
812
00:42:16,010 --> 00:42:17,873
to marry outside the family.
813
00:42:20,590 --> 00:42:23,920
The last claimant to the
throne, Otto von Habsburg,
814
00:42:23,920 --> 00:42:26,820
was just a child during World War One.
815
00:42:26,820 --> 00:42:29,320
But Habsburg power was
crushed on the battlefield.
816
00:42:31,630 --> 00:42:35,450
He died in 2011 as a private citizen
817
00:42:35,450 --> 00:42:37,403
at the ripe old age of 98.
818
00:42:38,470 --> 00:42:40,280
His funeral procession through Vienna
819
00:42:40,280 --> 00:42:42,350
attracted 100,000 people,
820
00:42:42,350 --> 00:42:43,940
a testament to the abiding power
821
00:42:43,940 --> 00:42:46,873
of the Habsburg name in
the Austrian imagination.
822
00:42:47,810 --> 00:42:50,920
500 years after their empire began,
823
00:42:50,920 --> 00:42:53,883
Otto was laid to rest among his ancestors.
824
00:42:54,860 --> 00:42:58,213
Perhaps in the hereafter,
he'll wear a crown.
825
00:42:59,937 --> 00:43:02,060
(dramatic music)
826
00:43:02,060 --> 00:43:03,470
In this museum filled
827
00:43:03,470 --> 00:43:06,030
with the Habsburg's greatest treasures,
828
00:43:06,030 --> 00:43:08,410
for every mystery we reveal,
829
00:43:08,410 --> 00:43:10,633
far more must remain unspoken.
830
00:43:12,160 --> 00:43:13,270
Secrets of wealth
831
00:43:14,690 --> 00:43:15,523
and power
832
00:43:17,260 --> 00:43:18,743
and of the human heart.
833
00:43:20,520 --> 00:43:21,893
Hidden in plain site,
834
00:43:23,420 --> 00:43:26,013
inside the Kunsthistorisches museum.
835
00:43:29,355 --> 00:43:32,022
(dynamic music)
836
00:44:03,554 --> 00:44:06,554
(electronic whoosh)
65194
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