All language subtitles for Mysteries.of.the.Abandoned.S07E04.Greatest.Icons.1080p.DISC.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-DoGSO_track3_[eng]

Narrator: derelict yet famous.

Empty but iconic.

Abandoned sites ingrained in
Popular culture.

When you see this landscape,

You get a sense of deja vu,
Like you've seen this before.

Narrator: famous musicians.

What do the lads from
Liverpool have to do with

All this?

Narrator:
Hollywood blockbusters.

Looking around,

It's very redolent of
That movie,

And this is actually the site
That it was based on.

Narrator:
And sports superstars.

You can actually see
The long jump pit where

One of the greatest american
Athletes of all time trained.

Narrator:
Ten deserted sites

Where movie
Magic and historical heroes

Took center stage.

This ridge is related to one
Of the most iconic stories

In u.S. History.

It was made for
The silver screen.

It was made for
The silver screen.

Narrator: ghost towns that make
Perfect backdrops for

Fantastical tales.

Hollywood was scouting for
A location

For a new movie they
Were making.

They found this amazing
Village forgotten by time.

Narrator:
And some places where

The truth is definitely
Stranger than fiction.

All sorts of tall tales were
Around about these sites.

He was far more bloodthirsty
And brutal

He was far more bloodthirsty
And brutal

Than his fictional counterpart.

Narrator: neglected yet
Hauntingly familiar.

The real life locations,
Made famous by

The most memorable characters
In popular culture.

These are ten of the world's
Most iconic abandoned places.

Decaying relics,

Ruins of lost worlds,

Ruins of lost worlds,

Sites haunted by the past,

Their secrets

Waiting to be revealed.

Number ten in the world's
Iconic and legendary locations

Is in tunisia,

On the edge of the parched
Sahara desert, where a curious

On the edge of the parched
Sahara desert, where a curious

Structure emerges from
Shifting sands.

When you first see
This landscape,

It's very alien, very barren,

But also there's something
Familiar about it.

You get a sense of deja vu like
You've seen this before.

It looks like
It could have been there

200 years or indeed
2000 years.

You just can't tell
Looking at it from a distance.

Narrator: its warm colors
And organic architecture

Give the building
A welcoming feel,

But closer inspection reveals
Menacing features.

The people who built this
Obviously had a lot

To be afraid of
And a lot to protect.

This high exterior wall is
Clearly there to protect

The settlement,

But from whom?

Narrator: what links this place
To another complex

Marooned 175 miles away,
Across the largest salt pan

Marooned 175 miles away,
Across the largest salt pan

In the sahara?

Barratt: there's no one here.

The sand has been pushed up
Against the structures.

It's been abandoned
For some time.

They seem really out of place,

As if they were dropped out of
An airplane into here,

The middle of nowhere.

Narrator: fantastical events
A long time ago

Connect both sites,

But this one is far and away
Different to the first.

But this one is far and away
Different to the first.

Here you see something that at
First looks ancient,

But you quickly realize
It isn't.

This is something built
More recently,

But it's entered into our
Collective imagination as if

It's a real place.

You start to realize that
These are not

All permanent structures.

What's really going on here?

Where did these things
Come from?

Narrator: and what
Out-of-this-world force

Made both these sites
World famous

Made both these sites
World famous

And gave hollywood's
Favorite intergalactic

Hero a place to call home?

This strange multi-celled
Construction

Is ksar ouled soltane.

Dr. Ali thabti
Is an expert

On the abandoned structures of
This strange desert.

[ speaking arabic ]
Translator: the ksar
Was protected from anything

That lay outside.

Because there was only one
Entrance,

Because there was only one
Entrance,

There was no other way of
Penetrating it,

Other than through this gate
Called a skifa.

Narrator:
Ksars are fortified villages

Found throughout
The northern sahara.

But why is this one
So different?

Dating from the 16th
Century, ksar ouled soltane

Straddles
An ancient saharan trade route.

[ speaking arabic ]
Translator: most people of this
Region were engaged

In trade either
Directly or indirectly.

In trade either
Directly or indirectly.

Slaves, precious metals,
Ivory and other products

Were all being imported
From neighboring sudan.

Narrator: the semi-nomadic
Culture who

Built this site were
Called the berbers.

The berber people have
Occupied this region since

Roman times,

And it's they that brought
This distinct style

Of building.

Building anything in this
Kind of landscape is hard work,

So anything that's built is
There for a purpose.

So anything that's built is
There for a purpose.

And here, we've got lots of
These little dome structures.

Very defensive, very small,
But clearly important.

Narrator: but how did these
Desolate cubicles

Ensure berber survival?

Each cell was known
As a ghorfa,

And it would hold the food
Reserves for a particular

Family --
For centuries,

They would use that to protect
Their grain and their olives.

They would use that to protect
Their grain and their olives.

This is your insurance policy.

This is your bank.

They had to get through
Dry seasons,

And they had to keep outsiders
From stealing their food.

That would be
A death sentence.

Narrator: while its walls
Offered protection from raiders,

The secret to the ghorfa
Cells' success

Was their rounded rooms,
Which deflect the sun.

[ speaking arabic ]
Translator:
So the temperature

[ speaking arabic ]
Translator:
So the temperature

Is always about the same
Within this room.

Narrator: the design of this
Desert grain store

Provided the dome cells with
Astonishing

Preservative properties.

[ speaking arabic ]
Translator: because
The temperature

Never goes above
17 or 18 degrees,

These rooms preserve food
Products stored in them.

So, for instance, barley can
Be kept here

For five, six, or even seven
Years without

Anything happening
To it.

Anything happening
To it.

Narrator: for centuries,
These domes helped protect

The berbers from the cruel
Conditions of the sahara.

Then, in 1976, their
Otherworldly shape inspired

The realization of
A very different desert world

At another neglected site
Almost 200 miles away.

It's a link that only begins
To make sense

It's a link that only begins
To make sense

When a distinctive domed
Structure comes into view.

In this seemingly
Neverending desert,

It looks tiny
And insignificant,

But it is
Immediately recognizable.

It's quite obvious this is
Luke skywalker's

Childhood home.

Now you know where you are.

The scenes at the lars'
Homestead really set

The scenes at the lars'
Homestead really set

The tone for "Star wars" --
For the original "Star wars."

Narrator: in 1976,
Director george lucas brought

Hollywood to this remote
Corner of tunisia.

Inspired by the domed
Architecture of the ancient

Berber grain store,
Lucas built a set here,

And the sandy landscape became
Luke skywalker's home planet

Of tatooine.

Barratt: it's that iconic.

I am surprised that there aren't
Two suns on the horizon.

I am surprised that there aren't
Two suns on the horizon.

It's so burnt into our
Brains that

You expect luke skywalker
Or his aunt or uncle

To come around
The corner.

Auerbach: this is where
It all started --

The original movie set of
The first "Star wars" film,

"A new hope."

I mean, you stand
And you look at it,

And just for a moment
You're transported

To a galaxy far, far away.

To a galaxy far, far away.

Initially, they went to
Tunisia because it was

A cost-effective location with
The deserts they wanted,

But then tunisia and
Its culture and architecture

Started influencing
The movies.

Narrator: the tunisian landscape
Seemed a dream fit

For lucas's vision,

But the brutal desert climate
Would have its say.

So key day,
March the 22nd, 1976.

So key day,
March the 22nd, 1976.

George lucas shouts "Action"
Out here in tunisia,

And it hasn't rained in seven
Years to this point.

And then what do you know it?

The rains come down for
The next four days.

[ thunderclaps ]

A storm rolled in, and it
Wreaked havoc on the set.

In fact, the top of the lars'
Homestead was blown right off,

And the model they were
Using for the jawas' ship,

The sandcrawler,
Was almost destroyed.

The sandcrawler,
Was almost destroyed.

Everything is just being
Washed away.

What a way to start this
Whole universe.

Narrator: production continued
And "Star wars"

Became
A celluloid sensation,

Although few expected george
Lucas to return to tunisia.

So the sets were just left --

Just left to the environment
And left to rot.

Narrator: but the unique
Architecture proved too much

Narrator: but the unique
Architecture proved too much

Of a draw,
And lucas did come back.

This time, the ancient grain
Store at ksar ouled soltane

Played an important role.

Meigs: they actually used
The ghorfas as a set,

As a location for
"The phantom menace."

And these cells that were once
Used for food storage

Became used as
Prison cells

Where anakin and his mother
Are imprisoned in

"The phantom menace."

Narrator: the ancient walls made
A perfect intergalactic prison,

But lucas wanted more from
The barren saharan landscape.

Could an extraordinary set of
Ruins disappearing

Into the sand give him what
He needed?

And later, on "The world's most
Iconic abandoned places,"

Which notorious gangster
Took refuge

In this once
Idyllic hideaway?

In this once
Idyllic hideaway?

*

Narrator: amid the perishing
Sands of tunisia,

Desolate ancient structures
Provided the iconic settings

For the "Star wars"
Movie franchise.

But one set of ruins in
The remote region of naftah

Is baffling.

How come this place is
So recent?

Director george lucas decided
To build

His own desert site in 1998.

His own desert site in 1998.

It's the fictional town of
Mos espa.

Mos espa is an entirely
Invented place.

It was built as a set in

The middle of nowhere when
They shot "The phantom menace."

Narrator: hamida chebbi
Worked on the film.

[ speaking foreign language]
Translator: during filming,

There were lots of people here,

Around 250.

The technical team were 120.

And on top of that, there were
All the actors and so on.

Sometimes there were 300
People on set.

It was a big job.

Narrator: familiar landmarks of
The imaginary sci-fi town

Have withstood
Weather and time,

Including the spaceport gate,
Podracing area,

And watto's shop.

Moisture vaporators
And other props also remain,

Moisture vaporators
And other props also remain,

Posing a stark contrast to
The sandy desert landscape.

[ speaking foreign language ]
Translator: they spent nearly

A whole year
Building this set.

It was a big undertaking.

First of all, they scouted in
May, june, and july.

After that, it was punishing
Building this set in the desert.

We would start work at four or
Even three in the morning

We would start work at four or
Even three in the morning

And finish at 10
Or 11 at night.

There were long days.

The shoot went on for three
More months.

Then it was all over.

It was like a dream.

Narrator: the movie-making may
Have finished many years ago,

But "Star wars" has become
Intrinsically linked

To tunisia.

[ speaking foreign language ]
Translator: they left these
Great sets,

Which have now become tourist
Attractions in the desert.

Which have now become tourist
Attractions in the desert.

"Star wars" really changed

This part of tunisia and really
Put it on the map.

It's become a place of
Pilgrimage for "Star wars" fans.

[ speaking foreign language]
Translator: I'm so happy

To have been part
Of making the film.

It gave an economic boost
To the region

And created jobs so that many
People could earn money.

It was extraordinary.

Narrator: today, as the desolate
Sands attempt to devour

The "Star wars" sets of naftah,

Ksar ouled soltane still
Stands strong.

Perched here for over
500 years,

It is a testament to its
Builders' skill and ingenuity.

Auerbach: in some ways,
The "Star wars" stories

Are stories of a struggle
Against the odds,

And that mirrors the story of
The berbers,

Who only survived in this
Harsh landscape by banding

Together and cooperating
Against a desert that was

Really encroaching upon them
On every side.

Narrator: from intergalactic
Heroes

To
International villains.

At number nine, a battered
Site on a private peninsula in

Guatape, colombia, was once
Home to an infamous outlaw.

Guatape, colombia, was once
Home to an infamous outlaw.

It looks a little bit like
A cross between

A playboy mansion and some
Kind of military fort.

Narrator: evidence of violence
Soon emerges

In this sprawling
20-acre site.

There's signs of some kind of
Enormous explosion,

So this place clearly has
A story to tell.

*

*

Narrator: william jimenez
Once worked

At
This dilapidated compound.

[ speaking spanish ]
Translator: it took

Almost seven years to build
The structures

That you can
See here today.

It had a swimming pool,
Tennis courts, a football pitch,

None of which sound out of
The ordinary,

But that football pitch
Doubled up as a helipad,

And it also had its own
Private seaplane dock.

This place was anything
But ordinary.

Narrator: but who built this
Luxurious place?

Narrator: but who built this
Luxurious place?

It's just 25 miles from
The town of medellin,

Where the colombian drug lord

Pablo escobar founded his
Infamous cartel.

When you're pablo escobar,
You can never really relax.

He was always surrounded
By security.

Narrator: the name of this
Compound is telling --

Hacienda la manuela,

The name of escobar's beloved
Only daughter.

The name of escobar's beloved
Only daughter.

He built this hidden retreat
To keep his family safe.

Meigs: he had armed guards.

He had walls that were built
Like the walls of a fortress.

Escobar wanted to be ready
For anything.

Narrator: william remembers
The elusive drug baron's

Visits here.

[ speaking spanish ]
Translator: pablo himself

Was here only
Two or three times maximum.

He'd only spend a few hours
Here and then leave.

He'd only spend a few hours
Here and then leave.

He wouldn't even stay
The night.

When you're the seventh
Richest man of the world,

You gotta watch your back
At all times.

Narrator: escobar had become
A target not just for

Colombian authorities
And the u.S. Government,

But also
Rival cartels.

Meigs: in 1993,
Some of escobar's

Rivals managed to infiltrate
The compound.

[ speaking spanish ]
Translator: what happened

[ speaking spanish ]
Translator: what happened

Was that six more pickups
And one van came full of people.

It was around midnight.

They placed two bombs,
One on that side

And one on the other side.

This was where they placed
The biggest bomb.

There was a huge explosion.

You can imagine
Everything was shaking.

In this area, there was
A bathroom,

And that's where the bomb
Exploded upward

And destroyed
The walls around it.

And destroyed
The walls around it.

It was such
A powerful explosion.

This bombing was kind of
The beginning of the end

For escobar.

Narrator: law enforcement
Swiftly took advantage

Of the situation.

Police forces quickly swept in

And seized all the drugs
And money.

Narrator: in december 1993,
Colombia's national police

Finally pinpointed
The gangster's whereabouts

And shot him dead.

Today, escobar's complex
Legacy means

His once glorious mansion
Lies abandoned.

Still to come...

Could a merciless prison
Contain one of the most

Famous breakout
Attempts of all time?

Famous breakout
Attempts of all time?

And why did the rich
And famous

Choose to escape
To this faraway ruin?

*

Narrator: coming up

On "The world's most
Iconic abandoned places,"

A sinister compound launches
A sports hero to victory,

And a deserted town is

The perfect setting for
A cinematic dystopia.

The next seminal site saw
A heroic endeavor,

Immortalized by hollywood,
Play out in the woods of

Immortalized by hollywood,
Play out in the woods of

Western poland.

You see some concrete vestiges
Of the past,

But it seems that the forest
Has reclaimed whatever

Was here.

So at some point years ago,

This was cleared.

But why did somebody clear
A space in this forest?

But why did somebody clear
A space in this forest?

Narrator:
Sift through the detritus

And the forest starts to give
Up its secrets.

You could actually come across

Some concrete pillars
In the ground.

They're clearly
The constructs of

Something that's repeated,
Something quite large.

Narrator: below ground,
A series of passages

Seem to go nowhere.

And deeper in the woods,
A curious feature emerges.

On a pathway,
You see this line of stones

With names inscribed
On the stones.

Then you arrive at the end,
And there's a big stone,

And it says, "Harry."

Harry -- here in the middle
Of a forest somewhere in poland.

Quite the mystery.

Narrator: marek lazarz scours
These woods to piece together

What went on here back in
The 1940s.

His finds paint
A baffling picture.

His finds paint
A baffling picture.

These are foundations of
The theater --

Large, large theater,
350 seats.

What you see here is
A orchestra pit, stage,

Backstage,
And few rooms behind.

Narrator: but why is
The theater here?

A clue lies in
The remnants of

The neatly built barrack
Buildings that surrounded.

The neatly built barrack
Buildings that surrounded.

This was a military camp,
And in the 1940s,

This polish wood was part of
Nazi germany.

It was known as
Stalag luft iii.

"Stalag" is short for
Stammlager.

This is where
They kept prisoners.

"Luft" connotes that it was run
By the luftwaffe.

And it housed various prisoners
From the allied air forces.

From 1942, it held more than
10,000 prisoners of war,

From 1942, it held more than
10,000 prisoners of war,

One of the biggest
Officers' camps for the airmen.

Narrator: risky allied air raids
In the early years

Of the second world war meant
That many daredevil airmen

Got caught
Behind enemy lines.

Prisoner of war camps were
Filled with brilliant,

Highly motivated officers
And sergeants,

And these guys were
Able to make life miserable

And these guys were
Able to make life miserable

For the german soldiers.

There was a code of honor

Among officers that --
In world war ii,

That if you were captured,
You had to try to escape.

Narrator: the positioning of
This site shows

That the german luftwaffe
Knew this.

This place was built in
The heartland

Of the german reich.

Even if you managed to get out
Of this camp,

Even if you managed to get out
Of this camp,

You weren't going anywhere.

Narrator: but that wasn't enough
To stop

The allied airmen trying to
Get out.

This camp, surrounded by
Searchlight towers,

Rows of barbed wire,

Machine guns, and dogs meant
There was

Only one way to do that --
By tunnel.

But the germans had that
Covered too.

They build the huts --
The barracks

Off the ground with
A clearance beneath,

Off the ground with
A clearance beneath,

So that it is harder to
Tunnel down.

Narrator: undeterred,
A group of allied officers

Led by squadron
Leader roger bushell,

Came up
With a daring escape plan.

Bushell's idea is that you're
Gonna build three big tunnels,

Nicknamed tom,
Dick, and harry.

You're gonna assume that
The germans are gonna

Discover one or two of them,

Discover one or two of them,

But with three, you'll all get
Out of the third one.

Narrator: the hope was that one
Of these

Tunnels would lead 200 men
To freedom.

But with the germans always
One step ahead,

Would they ever make it?

And how did their nail-biting
Exploits below this abandoned

Site inspire one of
The greatest adventure movies

Of all time?

*

Narrator: in 1943, in the german
Prisoner of war camp,

Stalag luft iii, a team of
Allied airmen

Were planning their escape.

It would become the stuff
Of legend.

You have your hopeless
Attempts to escape.

We're gonna devote our energies
To sports and gardening,

All the cultural
Pursuits, and meanwhile...

All the cultural
Pursuits, and meanwhile...

We dig.

This is the basis of the movie
"The great escape,"

Starring steve mcqueen,
James garner, charles bronson,

And other greats.

*

Narrator: remains on the site
Today still

Hold traces of
The true-life narrative.

Marek lazarz knows where
To look,

To find the most
Audacious tunnel...

To find the most
Audacious tunnel...

Harry.

Lazarz: we're now actually in
The north compound,

Where the hut 104 was.

Not much left, except a few
Pieces of the concrete.

Narrator: gaps built under their
Accommodation by

The germans meant tunneling
Would easily be spotted.

But there was a solution.

Inside all the huts,
Solid stove bases stood between

Inside all the huts,
Solid stove bases stood between

Two rooms.

These plinths went down through
The gap to the ground.

Two stoves were connected to
The one chimney.

After they removed the stove
From this place,

They used this area
To build the entrance,

And kind of fake floor was
Built using the same tiles

Here to cover the entrance of
The -- of the tunnel.

Narrator: harry would be dug
30 feet below hut 104,

Then travel more than
300 feet under two

Barbed-wire fences
And then exit at the tree line

That bordered the camp.

At three feet wide,
The tunnel was tiny,

So two larger staging areas
Were also incorporated.

These would aid the movement
Of escapees

And house some of its
Technical innovations.

Nusbacher: the diggers moved in
The tunnel

Nusbacher: the diggers moved in
The tunnel

Using a kind of
Underground railway,

And they were able to
Illuminate by using lamps made

With cooking fat scavenged from
The camps

Own kitchens and from
The prisoners' own meals.

Narrator: dug with only
Improvised tools,

Including cutlery,

Even the earth they were
Excavating was hostile.

Wawro: one of the reasons the
Germans decided to camp here

Is the soil is very weak,

Very sandy -- it's prone
To collapse.

So the tunnels were shored up
With timber

That had bean looted from
Around the camp.

The bunks, the bed boards,
The benches, the chairs,

They'd disassemble
All this stuff,

And they'd take
It underground to shore up

These tunnels.

Narrator: the soil at this site
Created a further problem.

Topsoil of the camp was
Actually dark gray.

Meanwhile, the dirt
Taken from

The tunnels was extremely
Bright and yellow.

The tunnels was extremely
Bright and yellow.

There are a few spots you can
Find some soil so you can see

The topsoil,
Which is dark gray.

But if you try to dig,

You will find some
Yellow soil.

This could be soil dug out
From the escape tunnel harry.

You feel
Like you're touching history.

So the inmates would conceal
Soil inside their baggy

So the inmates would conceal
Soil inside their baggy

Second world war trousers,
And they would walk out

Across the camp and they would
Spread the soil from

The tunnels so that it wouldn't
Be noticeable to the germans.

It's estimated they removed
About 100 tons

Of material with essentially
Sort of handmade tools.

Narrator: before long, every
Available area of the camp

Was being used to dispose of
The betraying soil,

Was being used to dispose of
The betraying soil,

Even the theater.

The theater was selected by
The prisoners because there was

A large, empty space underneath
The floor of the audience,

And it was perfect place to
Hide tons of the soil.

Oh my god!
They've found tom!

Narrator: the tunnelers' luck
Couldn't last.

First, curious guards
Uncovered tom

And destroyed it
With dynamite.

Then dick was abandoned when

The camp expanded and covered
Its exit point.

Now all hope rested on harry,
But even that wouldn't

Now all hope rested on harry,
But even that wouldn't

Last long.

They had to escape because
Germans were very close

To find tunnel and they had to
Make a decision.

We have to escape as soon
As possible.

The airmen knew that harry
Wasn't ready.

A stone line running through
The woods

Shows the tunnel's path.

They actually break out
Through harry in march of 1944.

In reality, it was the tail
End of the coldest winter

In european history.
It was freezing cold.

In european history.
It was freezing cold.

They get to the end of harry,
And the hatch won't open

'cause it's just frozen shut
Beneath a carapace of snow.

So they're sitting there.

They spent an hour and a half --
An hour and a half trying

To, like,
Knock this thing loose.

Another problem was that
The tunnel was too short.

Hold on to yourself, bartlett.
You're 20 feet short.

The hole is right here in
The open.

The guard is between us and
The lights.

So it made
The escape very difficult.

Narrator: by the time guards
Spotted the fleeing prisoners,

76 men had crawled their way
To freedom.

Tragically, the majority were
Quickly rounded up.

When hitler heard about
The great escape,

He was absolutely furious,

And hitler wanted to kill
Every airman who escaped

From stalag luft drei.

Actually only three of them
Successfully escaped

To england.

Seventy-three were captured
By the germans,

And 50 of them were executed
By the gestapo.

Narrator: the pows'
Quiet determination,

Spirit, and resistance were
Stirringly captured

By hollywood,

Although with a bit of
Artistic license.

Wawro: you know, people would
Expect that there were a lot of

Wawro: you know, people would
Expect that there were a lot of

Americans involved in this

Escape attempt because of
The role of steve mcqueen in

The movie "The great escape,"

But in fact, all the americans
In the camp had

Been moved to a different stalag
Before the escape attempt.

So there are actually no
Americans involved in this

Great escape.

Narrator: at the foot of
The himalayas in northern india,

A far-out site once attracted
The most famous faces in

A far-out site once attracted
The most famous faces in

The world.

It could have been a resort,
But you can kind of tell that

Even when it was new, it was
Pretty rough around the edges.

Narrator: the deeper you go,

The stranger things become.

Wherever you walk through
The trees,

Another unique structure pops
Up in front of you.

It's like some kind of
Magical land.

It's like some kind of
Magical land.

You're not quite sure what to
Expect next.

Narrator: sprouting from
The forest floor is

A collection of small
Round houses.

They are these dome-like
Structures.

It's quite a jumble, and some
Of them even look like caves.

There are a lot of these
Small spaces,

And there's not much there to
Give you clues as to what these

Were used for.

Narrator: inside, there's hindi
Writing on the walls.

Narrator: inside, there's hindi
Writing on the walls.

One clue is all this kind of
Spiritual graffiti.

Bell: this is not
The normal world.

It's like you're entering
Into a whole

Different dimension.

There's a very relaxing
Feeling to the whole site.

It's a calm place to be,
But what was it for?

Narrator: so how did this
Offbeat eastern site

Festering in the forests
Of india

Come to play a vital
Role in western culture?

Come to play a vital
Role in western culture?

Below this clifftop ruin is
One of the world's most

Sacred rivers,

The ganges.

Raju gosai knows this
Compound well.

This is
A very spiritual place

With a nice, beautiful setting
And all.

With a nice, beautiful setting
And all.

This is a place
Where pilgrims from far and near

Come and they take
Holy bath in the ganges.

Narrator: these structures sit
High above the throng

Of the legendary indian city
Of rishikesh.

Auerbach: rishikesh is
A place of considerable

Religious significance.

Pilgrims have been
Coming here for centuries.

And this site is different.

People coming here
Were coming here for

People coming here
Were coming here for

A very
Particular purpose.

If you want to understand what
This place was really

All about,

It's those small domed,
Cave-like structures that are

The real clues.

Narrator: more than 100 domes
Hide in this forest.

This place
Was created by a famous indian

Spiritual guru
Maharishi mahesh yogi in 1961.

Spiritual guru
Maharishi mahesh yogi in 1961.

The maharishi was known for
Developing his particular brand

Of transcendental meditation,

And he introduced that
Transcendental meditation to

India and the rest of
The world.

The maharishi created this
Place with western habits

In mind.

Narrator: this is
The chaurasi kutia ashram.

Meigs: an ashram is a center of
Religious study.

Meigs: an ashram is a center of
Religious study.

The maharishi's ashram was
A place that people came

To study and to meditate,

To hear lectures from him,
To get away

From the pressures of
Daily life in the world.

Narrator: this function explains
The singular architecture here.

It's quiet, it's calming,
It's private.

This is a place to meditate,
To find peace,

This is a place to meditate,
To find peace,

To make inner explorations.

He created all the modern
Facilities that was

Required for
His student to learn,

His disciple to learn
Transcendental meditation.

Narrator: when these meditation
Domes were built in 1970,

They were unrivalled
In india.

Thanks to one of the biggest
Pop bands in history,

This now forgotten ashram
Had suddenly

Become the most sought-after
Place on earth.

Become the most sought-after
Place on earth.

*

Narrator: in the late 1960s,
A remote spiritual site in

India suddenly became
The hippest place to be,

Thanks to the commercial savvy
Of its creator,

The maharishi mahesh yogi.

His name might not be that
Familiar today, but back then,

In the 1960s, he was
A global celebrity.

In the 1960s, he was
A global celebrity.

Narrator: at the height
Of their fame,

British pop group the beatles
Were huge fans.

You round the corner,
And suddenly there's

A massive image of
The beatles.

What do the lads from
Liverpool have to do

With all this?

Narrator: raju gosai is
A beatles disciple.

In 1968, the beatles came here,

And it was
A worldwide media hype.

And it was
A worldwide media hype.

Also along for the ride was
Mike love from the beach boys,

The singer donovan,
The actress mia farrow,

And her sister, prudence,
And all sorts of other people.

This big entourage all showed
Up here.

Narrator: how come they ended up
At this remote site?

George harrison was really
Dedicated to

Transcendental meditation and
Threw himself into it.

Transcendental meditation and
Threw himself into it.

And he said at one point,

"We have all the money you
Could dream of.

"We have all the fame you could
Wish for,

But it isn't peace, is it?"

When the beatles came here,

There were hardly any
Infrastructure here.

Narrator: the maharishi was
Astute enough to make sure

His esteemed guests got
What they needed.

You know, the maharishi was
No dummy,

And he recognized that when
The beatles showed up

This was the best thing that
Ever happened to his movement.

This was the best thing that
Ever happened to his movement.

We are at
The beatles bungalow.

These are some of the rooms
Where the beatles used to stay.

So this place was known as
Rishikesh hilton

Because it had
Wall-to-wall carpet,

It had curtains,

It had bunk beds with
The mattresses.

They had a attached toilet here

They had a attached toilet here

With, uh,

Bathtubs.

And this is the room
Where john lennon

And cynthia -- cynthia lennon
Used to stay.

John lennon and cynthia lennon
Came here together,

And they used to stay here
In one room.

But after a few days,
John and cynthia separated

And they used to live in
Another -- different rooms.

Meigs: the compound also had
A post office.

John was often leaving his
Wife, cynthia, who was there

John was often leaving his
Wife, cynthia, who was there

With him,

To go down to the post office
And see if there'd been any new

Telegrams from yoko ono,

Who he was beginning
To become involved with.

Narrator: although there had
Been tensions in the band,

This site fueled
Their creativity.

We are on the roof of
The beatles bungalow,

Where the beatles used to come
And play music here.

The white album,
Many of the songs,

They composed here.

Between hanging out with
The maharishi and meditating,

They wrote roughly 40 songs
In just seven weeks.

"Back in the ussr" and "I'm so
Tired" were composed here.

The latter, apparently
By lennon after he was suffering

From weeks of
Poor sleep at the ashram.

This is the room where, uh,
Prudence farrow used to stay,

And which inspired the beatles
To compose their --

And which inspired the beatles
To compose their --

One of the most memorable
Songs, "Dear prudence."

Mia farrow's sister, prudence,
Spent so much time in

Her room meditating that
People started to worry

About her.

So this period in the ashram
Is linked to

One of the most creative times
For the beatles.

Narrator: after the fab four
Returned to britain,

The ashram continued
To flourish,

The ashram continued
To flourish,

Thanks to the attention it
Had gained.

New meditation pods were built
To accommodate the tourists

Who flocked here,

But the whole enterprise was
Resting on shaky foundations.

Maharishi mahesh yogi
Took this land

From the forest
Department in 1961.

That lease expired in 1981
And after that,

The maharishi mahesh yogi
Foundation

Made several items for
The renewal of the lease.

Made several items for
The renewal of the lease.

But then the process never
Got completed.

The former ashram fell into
Disrepair as

A result of vandalism and
The encroachment of the jungle.

Narrator: today, this
Atmospheric site

Is controlled by
The rajaji tiger reserve,

But it will always be
Synonymous with four lads

But it will always be
Synonymous with four lads

From liverpool.

Intellectually, this site,

These bungalows, these strange
Halls, had a serious influence

On who the beatles became as
A band afterwards.

Narrator: at number six,
In ohio,

Near the city of mansfield,

Stands a haunting facility
Saved from destruction

By a remarkable
Hollywood connection.

The same day that the wrecking
Balls came to tear

This place down was the same

Day that the filming company
Showed up.

Narrator: before then, this
Ornate building had long

Been forgotten.

Those who conceived it,

Had no idea what a horror
Story of a legacy

They had spawned.

Narrator: but no matter what
Hollywood dreamt up,

It could never compete with
What went on here in real life.

It could never compete with
What went on here in real life.

The origins of this
Building's story

Stretch back to the late
19th century.

This site at mansfield was
Chosen in 1885

For a very special reason and
A very particular project --

To take young offenders
And rehabilitate and reeducate

Them in the most positive
Way possible.

It was a reformatory.

It was a reformatory.

So the notion was you weren't
Just punishing people,

You were helping them learn,

And then you would release
Them out in the world and they

Would commit crimes no more.

Narrator: this is the ohio state
Reformatory, completed in 1911.

Inside expert ron puff finds
Evidence that shows how

The idealistic reformatory
Soon became a crowded

Adult facility.

We're currently in
The west cellblock.

This has five tiers,

Originally 350 cells meant for
One inmate to a cell.

Ended up from the very
Beginning with two inmates,

So we housed 700 inmates here.

It became one of the hardest
Prisons, with some of

The most violent offenders
From around the country being

Kept there.

You could be stabbed.

You could be mugged.

You could be thrown off
A high walkway.

I mean, the place was such
That you were

In fear of your life each and
Every day.

Inmates were told when you
Came here,

Make yourself a weapon and
Hide it in the backyard,

So if everything goes crazy,
You at least know where your

Shank or your rock or whatever

It is you placed is,
So you can be safe.

Narrator: by the 1930s,
The ohio state reformatory

Had become
An infamous and brutal prison.

Puff:
For the worst offenders,

There was solitary confinement
Here at the reformatory.

The whole time you were in
Here, you weren't supposed

To talk.

They might keep the lights on
24 hours a day.

They might keep the lights off
24 hours a day.

They might keep the lights off
24 hours a day.

Narrator: the hole, as it was
Known, was crammed full

Of prisoners.

In one case, they had a riot
And they wound up putting 120

Prisoners down in the hole at
The same time for 30 days.

In this instance,
They actually found a body that

Had been murdered

And stuffed into a mattress
For several days before anyone

Realized he was dead.

Narrator: by the time this
Facility was abandoned in 1990,

Narrator: by the time this
Facility was abandoned in 1990,

Of the 150,000 inmates
Who arrived here,

200 never left.

Today, this grand facility has

Become a major
Tourist attraction

Thanks to an extraordinary
Twist of fate.

It was scheduled
For demolition,

But just before that,
A film crew came to shoot

But just before that,
A film crew came to shoot

A movie that, of course,
Has become world famous --

"The shawshank redemption."

Narrator: the acclaimed prison
Drama, starring morgan freeman

And tim robbins,
Made the most

Of this
Inhospitable setting.

One of the things we're famous

For is the movie
"The shawshank redemption."

Now that was filmed back here
In 1993,

And we're so thankful
It happened

Here because now we have
This building

To show people
Because of it.

To show people
Because of it.

"The shawshank redemption" was
The redemption of this prison.

Narrator: the world's abandoned
Places become etched in our

Consciousness when
The movie makers roll into town.

From the battlegrounds of
War-scarred heroes to a deserted

Settlement that makes
The perfect dystopian setting.

*

Narrator: among ten of
The world's

Most
Iconic abandoned places,

Game-changing moments in
History are not forgotten,

And notorious bygone
Characters leave their

Indelible mark.

At number five, in the east
China sea, 1000 miles from

Tokyo on the japanese island
Of okinawa,

Tokyo on the japanese island
Of okinawa,

Is a steep hillside with
A strange blend of ruins.

Looking across the water
Toward this rising ground,

A dominating ridge,

With some structures visible,
That look as though it's been

Reinforced, fortified, perhaps.

Somebody has taken
Serious care

To turn these hills
Into fortifications.

To turn these hills
Into fortifications.

Narrator: descending into
Dense vegetation,

Beyond the warning signs are
Entrances to another world.

Built into a mountain,
You'd never

Even know this complex
Was here.

It's pretty much impossible to

Access unless you were
Led inside.

I also see evidence of battle.

I see shell fragments or
Bullet holes around.

It's interesting that in one
Of the chambers you can still

It's interesting that in one
Of the chambers you can still

See text in japanese that when
It's translated into english,

Reads "Destroy america."

Narrator: how did these
Underground facilities

Contribute to some of
The bloodiest and most famous

Battles in history?

Bell: on this ridge are
The remains of an important

Medieval castle, a site of
Spiritual significance.

But to americans, this ridge
Means something else entirely.

But to americans, this ridge
Means something else entirely.

This is related to one of
The most iconic stories

In u.S. History.

Narrator: aki miyazato has spent
The last

Decade investigating what
Happened on this island.

So this is another
Tunnel here.

We believe it's not safe,
So we haven't gone in there.

We believe it's not safe,
So we haven't gone in there.

And, uh, it is kind
Of mystery.

Sometime I'm gonna find out.

Narrator: the rest of this
Subterranean network

Aki knows all too well.

So the writings in this wall
Says "Destroy america."

So this is the commander
Minoru ota's room,

And he sent a telegram sent
Out to mainland japan,

And he sent a telegram sent
Out to mainland japan,

Praising okinawans.

After that on june 13, 1945,
He committed suicide

In this room with his
Close officers.

Narrator: what led to this
Moment is

An extraordinary tale of
Bravery and self-sacrifice.

It is a remarkable
And heroic story.

It is a remarkable
And heroic story.

You can see why it was picked
Up by hollywood.

It was made for
The silver screen.

Narrator: april 26th, 1945.

The maeda escarpment,
Also known as hacksaw ridge.

Men of the u.S. Army's

77th infantry division
Wait anxiously

Beneath the almost vertical
400-foot cliff.

It was the largest amphibious
Assault in

The pacific theater of
The second world war.

The navy's fifth fleet and
More than 180,000

U.S. Army
And u.S. Marine corps troops

Descended on this island for
One final push.

Planners assumed that they
Would be

Resisted every step of
The way.

This was going to be omaha
Beach all over again.

Narrator: yet so far,
They've encountered

Only an eerie sound of silence.

That silence is now well
And truly shattered.

That silence is now well
And truly shattered.

They use naval gunfire support
To absolutely muller the place.

They bash hacksaw ridge so hard
That nothing is going

To be
Left alive on the surface.

Narrator: u.S.
Infantrymen claw their

Way up ladders to
The smoke-filled ridge above.

At first, the enemy is nowhere
To be seen.

But then once they get onto
The cliff,

The japanese, who are invisible,
Just pop up

The japanese, who are invisible,
Just pop up

And start blazing away.

Narrator: caught off guard,
The troops are

Driven back by a hail
Of gunfire.

Among them is desmond doss.

Doss is a seventh day adventist
Who refuses to hold

Or fire a rifle.

So how did he become enshrined
In hollywood legend?

*

Narrator: at the end of
The second world war,

As the brutal battle for
Okinawa raged across this

Ravaged site,

The young american pacifist
Desmond doss will not bear

Arms, but he also refuses
To retreat.

Instead of joining the retreat
Back down to the beach,

Doss continues to collect
Wounded

Up on
This fire-ravaged ridgetop.

Up on
This fire-ravaged ridgetop.

Not only does doss rescue his
Own captain,

But he also rescues 75 of
His comrades.

Doss isn't gonna fight,

But what doss is gonna do is

Save american lives as long as
He possibly can.

Narrator: carrying them
One by one

To the edge
Of the escarpment,

He lowers them by rope down
The cliff face.

He lowers them by rope down
The cliff face.

Yet doss's individual bravery

Couldn't mask his battalion's
Colossal losses.

When the u.S. Landed, they met
Almost no resistance.

But that was the plan --
To draw them in close

And then emerge from this
Network of underground tunnels.

This way they could engage
Them in hand-to-hand combat.

They're retreating into these
Fortifications, forcing

The americans to dig them out,

Such as they had to do at
Iwo jima,

Such as they had to do at
Iwo jima,

And take
Tremendous casualties.

So this, in turn, makes
The american approach much

More brutal.

The americans are forced to kind
Of pry them out of the rocks.

They're using
The inherent strength

Of defensive warfare
To their advantage.

According to classic military
Theory, if you're going in

Against a well-prepared enemy
In entrenched positions,

You had better have
A 6-to-1 advantage,

You had better have
A 6-to-1 advantage,

Otherwise, it's not
Gonna happen.

Narrator: so outnumbered are
The japanese, that every

Able-bodied okinawan
Is drafted in.

School boys as frontline
Soldiers and schoolgirls as

Nurses in makeshift
Underground hospitals.

Scorched timber from american
Flamethrowers is testament

To the horrors these children
Were exposed to.

Once the japanese positions
Beneath hacksaw ridge

Were destroyed,

Were destroyed,

U.S. Forces moved south toward
The strategically vital

Airfield at naha.

Here they were confronted with
Another underground

Fortress, built into the hill
Overlooking the airport.

This place was meant to house

A naval staff and a really
Serious

Communications capability.

So this is a signal room

Where there are several signal
Operators sending a message

To, um, mainland japan as well
As military navy,

To, um, mainland japan as well
As military navy,

Receiving and sending.

But decoding is done by

A different room and
Different operators.

Narrator: this is the former
Underground naval headquarters,

1500 feet
Of cavernous tunnel.

Nusbacher: you had to have room
For the admiral,

The flag staff, broader staff,
Signalers, and thousands

The flag staff, broader staff,
Signalers, and thousands

Of japanese soldiers
To defend the place.

It was built to be hard
To crack,

And it was built to last
Against a heavy

American assault.

Narrator: and it was about
To be put to the test.

The 6th marine division,
Having captured naha airport,

Encircled this bunker network.

Miyazato: and they couldn't
Fight back too much,

And then only way they could
Do is

And then only way they could
Do is

With the spears.

They went outside
And ended up getting hit.

They couldn't fight
Back anymore.

They had to stay inside.

Narrator:
Yet the evidence suggests

These tunnels
May have seen combat.

Bell: in these dark
Underground caverns

You can't help but notice that
Some of the walls

Are covered in pockmarks and
What look like bullet holes.

Narrator:
So did american forces manage

To penetrate this
Formidable facility?

Admiral ota, saying that if
This is the end of our

Operation, we are
Committing suicide,

But you are free to go.

It's hard to believe,
You know, a commander

Would not force
The lower-ranked soldiers

To commit suicide.

So it's very, very rare.

Nusbacher: once he had sent his
Final message,

Nusbacher: once he had sent his
Final message,

Admiral ota took out his
Personal weapon

And he shot himself in front
Of his staff.

And from the holes in the wall,
We can see

That all of his staff,
To a man,

Shot themselves afterwards.

Japanese culture said
It is better

To die a suicide than
To surrender,

And ota and his staff died
Heroes in the japanese culture.

And ota and his staff died
Heroes in the japanese culture.

Narrator: short of guns,

Some officers had to improvise
With grenades.

Others were found
With their throats cut.

Many of the regular soldiers
Chose to stay

And prepared to fight to
The bitter end.

Instead of fighting for
Control of these tunnels,

The americans just detonate all
The tunnel entrances,

Close them up with rubble.

And they waited a good,

Long time to make sure that
There would be no resistance

When they went down there.

When american forces did go
Into those tunnels,

They found thousands of bodies
Of japanese naval personnel.

Narrator: the battle of okinawa
Was one of

The bloodiest of the second
World war.

200,000 japanese were killed,

Many of them civilians
And children,

12,500 on the american side.

12,500 on the american side.

In 1970, the former naval

Headquarters were converted
Into a museum.

And in 2006,
Desmond doss's story

Was immortalized by
The hollywood film

"Hacksaw ridge."

And that film brought it
To the forefront of

Popular culture.

"Hacksaw ridge" is a film
Which is as anti-war

As any war film gets,

And it implants itself into
The american consciousness at

And it implants itself into
The american consciousness at

The same time that iraq and
Afghanistan are going

Badly wrong.

Narrator: having been shot and
Taken 17 pieces of shrapnel

At hacksaw ridge,
Desmond doss

Was rewarded with
The medal of honor

For his selfless act there.

*

*

*

Hacksaw ridge is actually
A good story, isn't it?

The soldier helped others,

And we believe that both
Americans and japanese,

Okinawans, share the history
Together and then what we do is

Pray for hope
For the eternal peace.

Narrator: at number four, in
Germany to the west of berlin,

Narrator: at number four, in
Germany to the west of berlin,

A unique complex is
Linked to

A seminal moment in
Sports history.

*

A silent swimming pool
Awaits guests,

A lone pommel horse sits in
An empty gymnasium,

And meadows stretch out in
Front of carefully

Positioned huts.

How did this place, built on
Totalitarian ideals, end up

Hosting one of the most
Memorable sports moments of

All time?

Jan bejsovec is an expert
On this location's history.

This site, really, mirrors
Much of our past.

They have the beauty of youth
On one side,

And we have the tragedy of
Death on the other.

Narrator: this complex dates
Back to 1934, just one

Year after adolf hitler had
Become chancellor of germany.

Hitler understood the power of
Propaganda and planned

To use it at the forthcoming
Berlin olympic games.

Now, in 1936

Now, in 1936

He has an opportunity to show
To the world

A new and rebuilt,
Completely new kind of germany.

Narrator: this is
The olympic village

For the 1936 berlin games,

Built to impress the 4,000
Athletes who would

Be flocking in from all over
The globe.

People met here to celebrate

Their youth,
Their physical strength.

These were the most elite
Sportsmen of their time.

Narrator: among them was
The american jesse owens.

You can actually see the long
Jump pit where jesse owens,

One of the greatest american
Athletes of all time, trained.

Narrator: this site had
Everything the foreign athletes

Needed to ensure they sent
Favorable reports back home.

Here we can clearly see how
The germans improved by

Building a olympic village,

Which nobody had seen so far.

It's not just having little
Houses for accommodation,

It's having real houses with
A terrace for sunbathing,

With a central heating system
Inside, and all the luxury of

That period.
And all the people

Who were here in 1936 were
Really impressed by it.

Who were here in 1936 were
Really impressed by it.

Narrator: the athletes were
Further seduced when they saw

Their colleagues performing
Live on the big screen.

These little rooms are a major
Breakthrough in technology

Because here on this wall was
A tv set and was,

For the first time in sports
History,

That you had a live broadcast.

These games, really, was
The first media games,

These games, really, was
The first media games,

The first real propaganda
Games, so incorporating

Everything they had.

Narrator:
So how did hitler's love of

Technology end up working
Against him?

*

Narrator: on the outskirts of
Berlin in germany

Are the deserted remains of
The world's first

Permanent olympic village,
Built for the 1936 games.

But outside, the racial

Purification of germany
Continued apace.

While the germans allowed jews
To participate in the games,

While the germans allowed jews
To participate in the games,

They were behind the scenes,

Continuing to pass
Antisemitic laws.

Narrator: meanwhile, in hitler's
Imperious olympic stadium,

Jesse owens was about to deliver
The fuehrer a harsh blow.

Here, the african american
Owens made history by stealing

The first of four gold medals
From hitler's aryan athletes.

Once hitler's humiliating
Olympics were over,

The village was handed to
The german army.

After the war, it fell under
Soviet control until

The ussr collapsed and this
Site was left to disintegrate.

Now the village is being
Repurposed into

Modern apartments,

But it will never prove more
Valuable than when jesse owens

But it will never prove more
Valuable than when jesse owens

Used it as a springboard to
Smash hitler's myth of

Aryan supremacy.

*

In romania,
The mystical carpathian

Mountains sit cloaked
In legend.

You've got these
Incredible valleys

With rivers running along
The bottom.

With rivers running along
The bottom.

It is stunning,
Absolutely stunning.

Narrator: atop one
Forested peak perch

A blood-soaked cluster
Of ruins.

This is a proper fortress.

It looks impregnable,
But there's

An incredible amount of damage
As well.

It certainly looks like it had
A dramatic downfall

In the end.

Narrator: local folklore has it
That another

Nearby medieval castle hides
A shadowy link.

Nearby medieval castle hides
A shadowy link.

It has turrets,
It has battlements.

It's every single fairy tale
That you've ever heard.

Narrator: every fairy tale has
Its villain,

And this one's no exception.

All sorts of tall tales,

Legends, and rumors swirl
Around about these sites.

Some are old and some are
New, but what do we know

Some are old and some are
New, but what do we know

For sure?

*

Narrator: the man who links
These two castles is known

The world over.

I am...Dracula.

Dracula is one of the most
Famous villains off all time.

Dracula is one of the most
Famous villains off all time.

It's a story that's been told
Over and over

Again in various
Interpretations of what

Vampires are like.

Narrator:
This is castello bran,

Otherwise known as the fabled
Dracula's castle.

Matei petrisor has spent
The past eight years

Establishing what links this

Site and the legendary count to
The mysterious

Site and the legendary count to
The mysterious

Ruined fortress in
The mountains.

So we are now in transylvania,
The land of legend and mystery,

A place that will give you
A perfect feeling for

The legend of dracula hiding
Here in this castle

In transylvania.

Narrator:
How did such a horrifying,

Yet captivating tale grow out
Of this picture-perfect site?

Yet captivating tale grow out
Of this picture-perfect site?

In this part of the world,

Fear of vampires is a very
Common thing.

Narrator: transylvanians
Have been known

To practice a ritual that stops
The dead from returning.

We go at the graveyard,

We -- they go into the tomb
And then after that, in order to

Make sure that he will never
Come back again,

We -- you have to cut the head
With the silver dagger,

We -- you have to cut the head
With the silver dagger,

And then we place the head
Between the legs to make

Sure that

He will never come and kill
People in the village.

Narrator: the local lore fired
Author bram stoker's ingenuity.

His descriptions of
The vampire count

Dracula's transylvanian
Castle captured

The public imagination.

When he describes the castle,

It's perfectly just like in
The book --

It's perfectly just like in
The book --

Up on the cliff,
A little river nearby.

It's gothic. It's got this
Haunted feeling about it.

It's the quintessential
Transylvanian castle,

But this wasn't the real
Dracula's home.

Narrator: that accolade lies
With the rundown hilltop citadel

Where a true-life dracula
Did exist.

In fact, he was far more

Bloodthirsty and brutal than
His fictional counterpart.

Narrator: so how did the real
Count dracula earn himself

A name as the most barbaric
Nobleman in history?

*

Narrator: in romania,
A medieval fortification

Claims to be dracula's castle.

It makes the most of
The tales of

Vampires and ghouls that swirl
Around the region.

But across
The carpathian mountains,

A far more remote and deserted
Citadel holds a greater claim.

Looking at it, you can see
These incredible

Strong walls heading up from
Vertical cliffs.

Absolutely vertical.

And then there's no
Easy way to get up there.

There's no defined road.
Just inaccessible.

Narrator:
This is poenari castle.

Historian nicolae ionescu
Studies the defensive

Historian nicolae ionescu
Studies the defensive

Structures that

Have stood on this site for
Nearly 1,000 years.

[ speaking foreign language ]
Translator: the tower behind us

Is the first part of the castle
To be built.

It was probably built in
The 13th century.

They chose this location
To build a castle

Because of the close proximity
To the road.

In trading routes like this,

Castles were built to control
Borders and customs

Castles were built to control
Borders and customs

When local rulers wanted to
Collect taxes from traders.

Narrator: it's in the 15th
Century that this site

Earned the blood-soaked
Reputation that easily

Outstrips that of the fictional
Castle dracula.

Poenari castle lay in
The medieval kingdom

Of wallachia.

Wallachia was a buffer
State between

Wallachia was a buffer
State between

The expanding ottoman empire
And the kingdom of hungary.

Poenari castle sat on
A flashpoint in the borderlands.

Back then,

This site was the domain of
A wallachian prince,

Wladyslaw the iii.

He had inherited his father's
Honorable title,

Order of the dragon.

In romanian tradition,
The word "Dracul"

In romanian tradition,
The word "Dracul"

Translates as "Dragon"
Or "Devil."

So for most romanians,
"Dracula" means

"The son of the devil."

Narrator: wladyslaw the iii
Became known as vlad dracula.

But it wasn't just the name
That earned the real

Count dracula

His notorious place
In history.

Holed up in this
Hilltop aerie,

Vlad dracula was known far

And wide for his
Blood-curdling cruelty.

And wide for his
Blood-curdling cruelty.

He earned the nickname
Vlad the impaler,

Or vlad tempest
In the local tongue.

The stories of brutality
Litter his reign.

Narrator: within these walls,
Turks who refused to remove

Their turbans had them nailed
To their heads.

The local nobility were invited
To a banquet,

Where vlad impaled them.

And rumors of
Cannibalism abounded.

And rumors of
Cannibalism abounded.

As you can imagine,
Though, such wholesale

Slaughter didn't

Make vlad the most popular
Person at the time.

Narrator: his brutality was most
Often focused on

The marauding ottomans.

[ speaking foreign language ]

Translator: his
Most iconic historical episode

Was when he seized
A part of

The ottoman army that was
Pursuing him and impaled them.

Narrator: images circulated at
The time exaggerated

Vlad's appetite for impaling
And human flesh.

Wherever the truth lies,

Vlad dracula finally met his
Match when

The ottoman sultan
Mehmed the ii

Arrived at the gates.

So 1462, we find dracula
Fighting against mehmed

Down in wallachia.

The capital was conquered
And destroyed.

He was running up

Poenari, the fortress
That he built.

Narrator: but eventually
The real count dracula was

Driven out of his own
Poenari castle,

And he fled here to seek
Refuge in

What would later become known
As dracula's castle.

He hide here and then
The spies of the hungarian king

Find out he is trying to run
Away using the secret passage,

And they wait for him.

He was arrested at the exit
From the tunnel.

It's believed he spent two
Months as a prisoner there,

Rotting in the dungeons.

Narrator: after his release,
Vlad dracula

Swiftly regained his
Lost territories.

But his reign was short-lived.

But his reign was short-lived.

While marching to yet another
Battle with the ottomans,

Vlad and a small vanguard of
Soldiers were ambushed,

And vlad was killed.

His head was cut off and sent
To the sultan as a trophy.

Narrator: the name dracula may
Be synonymous

With the world's
Favorite villain,

But in his home country of
Romania, wladyslaw the iii

Is a national hero.

Is a national hero.

Here, he's admired as a leader
Who protected his merchants,

Rid the land of thieves, and
Stood up to oppressive empires.

[ speaking foreign language ]
Translator: his courage

To do so,

That's what got him
To remain

In the romanian
National conscience.

*

*

Narrator: today, while vlad
Dracula's real-life home

Lies abandoned, tourists flock
To the castle

Of his fictional counterpart.

Many movies were made after
This character,

So I do believe that this
Legend will never die.

*

Narrator: still to come,

How did a derelict townscape
On a torn-out island off

How did a derelict townscape
On a torn-out island off

The coast of japan and a remote,

Deserted village in the u.S.

Become known
The world over?

*

Narrator: some of the world's
Most iconic abandoned places

Lay neglected for decades,
Far away and long forgotten.

*

At number two, off
The southwest coast of japan,

Is an obliterated and deserted
Island site,

Once the thrilling backdrop
For james bond's

Bitter showdown in
The movie "Skyfall."

The deserted streets and
Battered buildings that stood

Behind bond once housed
A population long departed.

*

A high wall surrounds this
Island blast zone.

It's not clear what it was
Built to keep in

It's not clear what it was
Built to keep in

Or out.

So what happened at this
Devastated site?

And what became of the 5,000
People who once lived here?

This ravaged settlement is
Hashima island.

Former resident tomoji kobata
Remembers the first time

He saw this place, locally known
As battleship island.

[ speaking japanese ]
Translator: when I saw

The island from
A ship for the first time,

I noticed that it really
Looked like a battleship.

Another thing I was surprised
By was the sheer number

Of reinforced
Concrete buildings.

Narrator: derelict buildings and
Industrial structures cover

This 16-acre site

And reveal what this
Place was built for.

Coal was first discovered here
In the 19th century,

Coal was first discovered here
In the 19th century,

And four deep shafts were sunk
To extract it.

You're talking about digging
A 200-meter-deep mine

In the sea next to this tiny
Little island.

It's an incredible
Logistical challenge.

The deeper you go
Into the mine,

The more material you're
Bringing up.

And to use that to backfill
And make your island

Slightly bigger

To maybe then house more
Miners so you can go

Even deeper,

Even deeper,

It kind of keeps going round
And round.

Where does it stop?

Narrator: by the 1970s,
Reclamation meant

Hashima island had tripled its
Natural size.

Reclaiming land is actually
A massive engineering challenge.

Because you're working with
Water, which moves.

The levels come up and down.

It can be quite acidic,
Quite salty.

It corrodes manmade materials
Quite easily.

Narrator:
Despite the reclamation,

Narrator:
Despite the reclamation,

Hashima still became one of
The most crowded places

On earth.

The population density on
Hashima got to the point

Where it was double

What civic engineers at
That time would have

Recommended as being
The maximum.

Narrator: nine-story blocks
Accommodated

The burgeoning population.

[ speaking japanese ]

Translator: there were no
Elevators at all

In these high-rise buildings,

So people moved
About horizontally.

There are lots of passageways
Going across,

So we didn't need to go
Downstairs at all to get from

One building to another.

We could just walk across using
The passageways.

Narrator: productivity was high
Despite punishing temperatures

Of 100 degrees fahrenheit
And 95% humidity.

Working conditions
Were brutal.

[ speaking japanese ]
Translator: it was a really

Dangerous place.

Dangerous place.

Stones often fell from
The ceiling.

It was like doing
Hard labor in a steam bath.

Narrator:
With the coal deposits depleted,

Mining operations ceased in 1974
And the population left.

*

Nearly 40 years later,
Hashima became a site

Nearly 40 years later,
Hashima became a site

Of industrial heritage

And the perfect setting for
James bond to meet his match.

From sports legends
To war heroes,

Iconic ruins have provided

A backdrop for those who
Made history.

But the derelict streets of
This final site

Inspired scenes of the future.

At number one, in rural
North carolina

At number one, in rural
North carolina

Is an industrial-looking
Ghost town

In the middle of nowhere.

*

You see house after house
That looks

As though it hasn't been lived
In ever.

The houses are laid out
According to some sort of plan.

The houses look
Mostly identical.

Barratt: and then you've got
A smattering of commercial

Buildings and a shop.

It's a community,

But it's suddenly frozen
In time.

Narrator: there's little to
Suggest why this village

Is here.

This is a land of

Rocky peaks, dark hollows,
Deep river valleys.

It's not a place known for
Rich agriculture.

What would have brought people
To a place like this?

What would have brought people
To a place like this?

Narrator: could traces of
Manufacturing next to

The nearby river offer up
A clue?

Nusbacher: whatever happened to
Make everyone here move away

Had to have been worse
Than living

In one of the poorest corners
Of america.

This place might have been
Totally forgot,

Just a backwater that no one
Remembers, if it hadn't played

A major role in one of

The largest hollywood
Blockbuster series ever.

The largest hollywood
Blockbuster series ever.

Narrator: calvin reyes has spent
Three years

Preserving this
Dilapidated place.

It's really great to be able
To connect people with

Something that's more
Pop culture

And show them a little bit of
Piece of history that they can

Then fall in love with.

Narrator: the structures here
Tell a sorry tale

Narrator: the structures here
Tell a sorry tale

Of abject poverty.

This is a typical floor plan.

So you have four rooms in
The bottom,

Separated by a main wall --
And so originally,

You'd have two families
Living in this house.

These are not thick walls.
They're not insulated walls.

They were built quickly.

The last, like, residents

Were early 2000s,
Which is still hard for people

To really believe

Because there was no running
Water at that point.

There's no sewer.

There's no sewer.

They had electricity, but just
A little bit of electricity.

It was a tough life.

Narrator: former residents
Susie childers and rick hames

Used to call these simple
Structures home.

-childers: this is my house.
-hames: this is the house

We lived in.

This is where we grew up.
-hames: yeah.

I used to throw a baseball
Against these steps for hours,

And quite a few of those balls
Found the windows.

[ chuckling ]

In that regard,
It looked kinda normal.

It looked good then.

It looks sad now.

Very sad.

Narrator: this faded
And battered village

Is called henry river.

In 2011, it's rundown
Appearance attracted hollywood.

Meigs: when the producers of
"The hunger games"

Were looking for a place
That looked

Rural and impoverished
But still livable,

Rural and impoverished
But still livable,

Henry river turned out to be
The perfect place.

This village wasn't built for
The movie.

This village was built
106 years

Before the movie was
Actually filmed.

They were looking for
A dystopian environment,

Which clearly we have
[ chuckling ]

In an abandoned village.

Narrator: this site was used
To depict the grim,

Futuristic hometown of
"The hunger games"

Futuristic hometown of
"The hunger games"

Main character
Katniss everdeen.

It's absolutely perfect.

It's perfect for district 12.

It's perfect for katniss
And her family

To live in because it's
The real deal.

Generations of people
Have lived and worked here

And brought up
Their own families.

Narrator: thanks to the movie,
Millions now

Know this village as
District 12.

But what's the real story?

*

*

*

Narrator: in a remote part of
North carolina,

The producers of "The hunger
Games" found the perfect

Deserted setting for katniss
Everdeen's district 12 home.

In real life, hundreds of
People had

Once lived in this curiously
Isolated village.

There has to be something that
Makes it economically feasible

Or logical for all these people
To congregate in this pretty

Or logical for all these people
To congregate in this pretty

Remote location.

Geography is the reason that
This town is here.

You've got a very steep valley
With a lovely river

Flowing through it.

Narrator: a 100-year-old dam
At the edge

Of the settlement demonstrates
The importance of the river.

It's just stones stacked on
Top of stones,

Which is really incredible
When you think about the time

That they built it.

Uh, you don't have the heavy
Machinery that

You have today to build
Something like that.

You have today to build
Something like that.

I'd say about eight to ten
Months of the year

They'd be able to run
Off of water power.

The river was high enough
And producing enough flow.

Narrator: but what was this
Power producing?

The answer was cotton.

In u.S. History, famously,
Cotton was the backbone

Of the economy in the south.

That cotton was being shipped
Overseas to

Be made into cloth in britain
And france.

Be made into cloth in britain
And france.

But after the civil war,
After slavery ended,

Cotton was still being grown
In the south,

But the new idea was to build
Cotton mills.

Narrator: in 1903, the henry
River manufacturing company

Bought 1,500 acres at
This site

And transformed it into
A thriving

Cotton-production center.

The company erected 35
Worker houses,

The company erected 35
Worker houses,

A two-story boarding house,

A bridge,

A brick company store,

The power-producing dam,
And the original three-story

Brick mill building where
The cotton yarn was produced.

Reyes: the mill itself was down
In a little basin,

And this one was right on
The river.

Early on, when they first
Started operating

In 1905, they were working with
4,000 spindles.

Within a few years, though,
They tripled that production.

Within a few years, though,
They tripled that production.

And so it was a --

It was a good mill
For production.

At any given time, they had

Over 100 employees working in
The mill.

Meigs: this was your classic
Company town.

Everything was owned by
The company.

They provided everything,

Which, in a way, is the image
Of the beneficent company that

Wants to make life good for
Its workers, but also tended to

Trap workers into staying
In the town.

Narrator: for some,

Millwork was their
Only choice.

My mom, my baby brother,
And me moved here in 1948,

And, uh, my mom had a job
In the mill,

And she was newly
Divorced and had no income.

And she didn't drive,
So she thought

This was the perfect spot
To live.

So we lived in the boarding
House to begin with,

And rick and his mom lived
There, too.

And rick and his mom lived
There, too.

Hames: I can remember

Listening to my mom talk

About how disappointed
She was that she wasn't able

To finish high school
Because,

As with a lot of
Other families in that day

And time, when they
Got to be a certain age

And they were able to work,
They had to work

And contribute
To the family.

So...

She went to work
In the mill

Before she ever graduated
From high school.

Their entire lives were
Spent here.

Narrator: industrial accidents
Were common in busy

Cotton mills, and the one in
Henry river was no exception.

Reyes: you have people,
Especially early on in

Production, that were coming
Straight off the farm.

They're not used to working in
A manufacturing environment,

And here's these giant
Machines that they're working

On that didn't have the same

Safety regulations that we
Have today.

Injuries were normal.

People would lose appendages.

They'd lose fingers, they'd lose
Hands, they'd get crushed,

They'd break bones,

And it's just part of life in
The textile mill.

My mother was injured pretty
Significantly in the mill.

She got her hand caught in one
Of the winding machines

And had several surgeries.

Narrator: the tough-working life
And poverty created

A tight-knit community at
Henry river.

The epicenter of this
Neighborhood was the brick

Building that would double as
District 12's bakery,

The company store.

So this was the place where
Everything happened.

This is the store where they

This is the store where they

Bought all their goods for
Their household.

This is where the kids used to
Come and hang out.

This store housed
Everything.

It was your post office.

It was your clothing store.

It was where you bought food
If you didn't grow it yourself.

It's where you bought coal
To heat your house.

This is where
They centered around --

Not necessarily the mill.

The mill was a means of making
Money and surviving.

This is where the community
Was built around,

This central store.

Narrator: but what caused
The mill to disappear?

As the 20th century progressed,

The henry river mill installed
Steam power, then electricity,

But by the 1970s,
It could no longer survive.

Other countries were
Developing their own

Cotton mills.

The u.S. Did not have
A monopoly on this technology,

So countries were building
Their own mills often in areas

With lower labor costs.

With lower labor costs.

Narrator: when it closed
In 1970,

The vast mill building was
Still fully intact.

In 1977, it was struck by
Lightning

And burned to the ground
By the next morning.

You could see it for miles,
The fireball,

Because it just completely
Went up and there was no

Saving it.

Narrator:
With the mill burnt

To its
Very foundations,

There was no work for
The people of the village,

And they eventually dispersed.

Today, the industrial heritage
Of henry river mill village

Has been revived.

It's really neat to go back in
Time and see...

What some of these things
Look like and you

Find everything.

It's really incredible.

I think of the footsteps
And the people that

Came through here and all
The stories they could tell.

Narrator: the village has also
Been given

Narrator: the village has also
Been given

A new kind of history.

I don't know if they actually
Filmed some

At the house we lived
In at the top of the hill,

But I loved the parts they
Showed in the store,

And my daughter tells me now
I lived in district 12.

[ laughing ]