All language subtitles for Mysteries.of.the.Abandoned.S08E08.Alien.Ghost.Tower.1080p.DISC.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-DoGSO_track3_[eng]

[narrator]
A breathtaking tower

in the forests of Croatia.

If this was in any town
or city in the world,

it would make for
an extraordinary landmark.

[narrator] Buildings in
a Columbian ghost town

reclaimed by nature.

[Dougal] They've almost
been sucked down

into the earth beneath them.

It's quite an eerie place.

[narrator]
And a majestic facility

[narrator]
And a majestic facility

on the banks of the Thames.

[Alicia] As you enter,

you can really feel
the grandiosity of this place.

It's almost cathedral-like.

[narrator] Decaying relics,
ruins of lost worlds,

sites haunted by the past,

their secrets waiting
to be revealed.

[narrator] On the edge of
New York Harbor is a colossal,

modern-looking building.

[Jim]
This one, you can't miss,
even from miles away,

you can see this structure
is absolutely enormous.

It's quite a mystery
what this is.

It has this big
hangar-like feel.

You actually come to realize
that there are two buildings

You actually come to realize
that there are two buildings

that are linked by these
huge hovering bridges.

[narrator]
Only when entering inside

does its abandoned
state become clear.

Its purpose, however,
is anything but.

[Jim] In the center
of the building

is this giant atrium

that goes up for
several stories

and there is rail road tracks
that run right through it.

[Geoff] But then it has
these strange protuberances,

these balconies jutting
out of the walls,

these balconies jutting
out of the walls,

something like
I've never seen before.

[narrator] This building
was a response

to an unparalleled
logistical challenge.

[Geoff] There's probably
a few buildings in the world

that saw so many people
come in and out of its doors.

And unfortunately,

who passed through
the doors of this place

never came back alive.

[narrator] In 1917,
the United States

entered the First World War,

entered the First World War,

but fighting on battlefields
thousands of miles away

posed an unprecedented
problem.

The US had a huge
logistical challenge of

getting tens of
thousands of troops

and thousands and thousands
of tons of equipment,

food and supplies
back and forth

across the Atlantic.

[narrator] An army of
two million needed

to be raised
and shipped across the ocean.

To overcome this
mammoth task,

they designed this
extraordinary complex.

they designed this
extraordinary complex.

In so many areas,

this building is
a record breaker,

and the reason for that is its
incredibly innovative design.

[narrator] This is
the Brooklyn Army Terminal,

and the man behind
its creation is

renowned architect
Cass Gilbert.

Now, Cass Gilbert
is really well-known

for designing buildings like
the neo-Gothic skyscraper,

the Woolworth Building.

This is obviously
a very different building,

very utilitarian.

very utilitarian.

[narrator] Andrew Gustafson
is an expert

on the history
of the structure.

[Andrew]
This building was built

entirely out of
reinforced concrete.

And when it was built,

it was the largest concrete
building in the world.

You can see, it was
built with floors,

you know,
almost 10 inches thick.

[Jim] The concrete structure
was so robust,

they actually allowed
the workers

to drive around
in military jeeps.

And you can still
see some of

the speed limit signs today.

[narrator] This was
a vast logistical hub

that would carry
urgently needed troops,

weapons and supplies
to the trenches

of Western Europe,

and at its heart
was the atrium.

[Andrew] This was designed
to be the main cargo

handling area
for the facility.

This was an indoor railyard.

You could drive
two trains directly

into the building,
and overhead,

it used to have glass
so it could operate

24/7 year-round regardless
of the weather.

24/7 year-round regardless
of the weather.

These trains would pull in

and they would unload them
onto this central platform.

And then above us,

we also have a pair of old
5-ton electric gantry cranes.

So these cranes could be
positioned over that cargo,

they would lower a cable,
pick it up,

and then they would drop
it into these balconies.

[Geoff]
It was really a marvel.

It had 96 centrally
controlled freight elevators,

giving it just amazing
logistical potential.

And it was the most
advanced freight terminal

And it was the most
advanced freight terminal

in the world at the time.

[narrator] The cargo wasn't
just here to be stored.

It needed to be moved
in and out

at a moment's notice.

For this, Cass Gilbert
designed something unique.

So we're standing
in the skybridge.

Essentially, they built
a whole separate grade

on the third level that
connected Warehouse A

out to the piers.

The idea was that once you
loaded a piece of cargo

The idea was that once you
loaded a piece of cargo

into the warehouse,

it never touched
the ground again

until it was
loaded onto a ship.

[Geoff] It meant that
the Army Terminal

had the capability to
do intermodal shipping.

There's no sort of
barrier in between

where things have
to be offloaded,

carried to the pier
and then loaded again.

They'd come straight from
the train and onto the ship,

vastly speeding up the process
of supplying armies

or transporting troops.

[narrator] It was
a groundbreaking site

built in record time.

built in record time.

This massive four million
square foot facility of piers

and wharves and warehouses

and terminals was constructed
over just 17 months,

four million square feet
in 17 months.

[narrator] And yet,
it wasn't quick enough.

The summer offensives of 1918,
led by Britain and France,

had brought Germany
to its knees.

By the fall, Allied victory
was all but complete,

with 10,000 American troops
arriving in France every day.

with 10,000 American troops
arriving in France every day.

But not one of them came
through this complex.

[Geoff] United States joined
the war in April of 1917

but didn't get
its first troops

into battle until June
of 1918.

So we were planning
on a 1919 campaign,

but the war ends in 1918.

So what do you do
with this place?

[narrator] Completed
in September 1919,

they had missed the war
by 10 months,

they had missed the war
by 10 months,

but it wasn't long
before the government

found a new enemy
of the state,

this time internally,

and it would give the terminal
a new lease of life.

Prohibition starts
in early 1920,

and all of a sudden
the federal government

is mobilizing tons of
resources

to fight the scourge
of alcohol.

They confiscated
an awful lot of liquor

in the city of New York.

A lot of it was stored here.

[Geoff] And at any given
time during Prohibition,

there was something like
a quarter of a billion dollars

in today's dollars' worth of
confiscated drugs and alcohol

in these big buildings.

[Jim] In fact, at one point,

they had so much they
started to dispose of it

through a hole in the dock.

[narrator] One New Yorker
had a cunning plan

to exploit this situation.

That one day in 1927,

when they opened up
that hole in the pier,

they discovered strings
of about 20 buckets

they discovered strings
of about 20 buckets

that were hanging on wires
underneath that hole.

So someone had actually
rowed underneath the pier,

strung up those buckets,

waited for them to dump out
that slurry of beer and wine.

I don't know what they
would advertise it as

but probably some
pretty unpleasant stuff.

[narrator] The terminal
proved a useful tool

in the fight against alcohol,

but its original
wartime design was about

but its original
wartime design was about

to be put to the test.

[narrator] This is
the Brooklyn Army Terminal,

an epic construction
designed to speed men

and materials
across the Atlantic

during the First World War,

but the war was over
before it was ready.

Soon, however, it would
finally come into its own

and do what it was built for.

Most Americans had
regarded to World War I

as the war to end all wars.

as the war to end all wars.

But then December 7, 1941,

the Japanese
attack Pearl Harbor

and sink most of
the American Pacific fleet.

America suddenly finds
itself in a world war again.

With World War II,

you really have
the Brooklyn Army Terminal

coming sort of full circle,
so to speak,

to fulfill its
original purpose.

The first two major
deployments of the US Army

following the attack
on Pearl Harbor,

both started right here.

On January 15, 1942,
Operation Magnet began.

On January 15, 1942,
Operation Magnet began.

And so this was a deployment
of about 4,000

US Army troops going from
Brooklyn to Belfast,

Northern Ireland,

to help reinforce
the British there.

Just about a week
after Operation Magnet,

we had another task
force that was assembled

that was bringing
the first American troops

into the Pacific theater.

Over the course of the war,

3.2 million military personnel
moved through this building

3.2 million military personnel
moved through this building

and 37 million tons
of equipment.

[Geoff] The Brooklyn
Army Terminal

became the largest supply base

anywhere in the world
during World War II.

[narrator] The terminal also
holds another sobering record.

It was the solemn
duty and responsibility

of the Brooklyn Army
terminal to actually

receive the remains
of Americans killed

in the European theater.

In fact, 140,000 Americans
came back

In fact, 140,000 Americans
came back

to the Brooklyn Army Terminal.

That represents about
three quarters

of all of the Americans

whose remains were repatriated
to the United States.

[narrator] Although
the Second World War

came to an end in 1945,

troop rotations continued
through the Cold War.

And one of the more
famous soldiers to depart

from the terminal
was Elvis Presley.

[Michele] He's drafted
into the military

and what he decides to do
is rather

and what he decides to do
is rather

than serve
in special services,

which would have
enabled him to perform

as a musician
and entertain troops,

he actually decided to
enlist as a regular soldier.

So he goes through
basic training.

And in September of 1958,

he decides to hold this
massive press scene

at Brooklyn Army Terminal
before he departs.

This is a huge PR
and marketing moment

for the US Army that
this massive rock star

was putting his career
on pause to serve his country.

was putting his career
on pause to serve his country.

[narrator] Despite its
once revolutionary design,

its days were numbered.

In 1966, it was forced out
of business,

outdated by the advent of
containerized shipping.

Yet its strength
and design has ensured

that the Brooklyn Army
Terminal still has a future.

[Jim] It's a sign of
how well-made

and functional this building
is that even though

and functional this building
is that even though

much of it has sat empty
for decades,

parts of it are
now being reused

and new businesses
are moving in,

restaurants,
startup companies.

So some corners
of this complex

are actually thriving
with new life.

[narrator] In rural Colombia,

in the shadow
of the Andes Mountains,

a site lies shattered
and semi-hidden

in the undergrowth.

[Dougal] You've got sort
of roads that sometimes

appear to lead nowhere
or just disappear,

and then you've got
buildings either side

that seem to have almost
been engulfed by the ground.

[Alicia]
Everything is really odd.

You don't know if the ground
has risen up

or if the buildings
have sunk down.

There's whole
streets of buildings

that seem to be half missing,
partly destroyed.

[Rob] The roofs have
been removed off many

and the walls are caving in.

and the walls are caving in.

This isn't just the ravages
of time that's done this.

[narrator]
Whatever happened here

didn't just destroy
the buildings.

[Rob] There are crosses,

gravestones and shrines
everywhere.

[Alicia] Columbia has
a really tumultuous

and dangerous history.

Was this war,
was this violence

or was this something else?

[Dougal] And this is one
of the worst disasters

of this kind in human history.

It's certainly up there as
one of the most dramatic.

It's certainly up there as
one of the most dramatic.

[narrator]
This is the town of Armero.

When Freddy Gutierrez
lived here,

it was a thriving community.

[Freddy speaking Spanish]

[translator] On our right,
we have
what was Carmen's church

and on our left,
the stadium.

Over there in that corner,

there was
a pretty big playground.

I always remember,
the hustle and bustle.

I always remember,
the hustle and bustle.

[narrator] At its height,

this town was home to
around 30,000 residents.

Freddy lived here with his
parents and two brothers.

[speaking Spanish]

[translator] This is the house
on 21st Street.

We lived happily
in that house.

We lived here
until November 13.

From here,
we left that night.

[narrator] Overnight,
this town was transformed

from a place of life
and vitality into a wasteland.

from a place of life
and vitality into a wasteland.

And the reason
lay 45 miles west.

[Alicia] We are
in the plateaus

of Nevado Del Ruiz,

which completely
dominates the landscape.

[Rob] Although the volcano
had been silent for decades,

in 1984,
all that started to change.

[Alicia] The first sign
was tremors,

and then the following March,
a UN

seismologist actually observed
a 500 foot vapor column

seismologist actually observed
a 500 foot vapor column

and determined that
this was a precursor

to a massive eruption.

[Dougal] By October 1985,

a fairly detailed hazard map
had been put together

and it was clear that they'd
outlined a number of places

that should
or needed to be evacuated.

[narrator] At the center
of that map lay Armero,

and the damage would
likely be catastrophic

due to the unique features
of this volcano.

[Dougal] It's some
17,400 plus feet high,

[Dougal] It's some
17,400 plus feet high,

and even though it's
near the equator,

because of its height,

its upper parts and its peak
is covered in snow and ice.

If you impart hot volcanic
material onto snow and ice,

you very quickly
turn it into water

and you can mix that loose
volcanic material into almost,

like, what we call
a volcanic slurry.

And this phenomenon,
called a lahar,

can be quite deadly.

[narrator] The hazard map
placed Armero directly

in the firing line
of these lahars.

in the firing line
of these lahars.

But what the geologists
predicted

and what the residents
were told

were two very
different things.

[Rob] The map met with
criticism from the authorities

because they felt that
it was too alarming

and so they decided not
to widely distribute it

amongst the population.

[narrator] Armero's
residents wouldn't be ready

for what was coming their way.

[Rob] The possibility
of lahars was high,

and geologists
predicted that any magma

coming through the summit

could have
devastating effects.

could have
devastating effects.

They desperately urged
local officials to evacuate,

but it seems that their
warnings fell on deaf ears.

[narrator] Six weeks
after the hazard map

had been produced

and the evacuation
of Armero first

recommended disaster struck.

On November 13, 1985,

black ash began to
spew out of the volcano

and immediately geologists

demanded the evacuation
of Armero

demanded the evacuation
of Armero

and the neighboring villages.

[narrator] Despite this,
Radio Armero called

for residents not to panic
and stay in their homes,

a message echoed
by the town's priest

over the church's
loudspeakers.

Just after 9:00 p.m.,
the volcano blew.

With a massive storm
and lashing rain outside,

few heard the warning signs.

As predicted, the eruption
produced pyroclastic flows

As predicted, the eruption
produced pyroclastic flows

that melted the summer
glaciers and snow,

creating four thick lahars.

But these were far worse
than anyone

could have ever imagined.

[Freddy speaking Spanish]

[translator] When
the avalanche hit the town,

I would say the first symptom
was the horrific sound of it.

It was indescribable.

[narrator] Freddy's parents
didn't hang around.

They grabbed
the three children,

left the house
and headed down the street,

left the house
and headed down the street,

ash falling in the darkness.

[translator] We were all
very scared because

you know something is
coming after you to hurt you.

But we knew nothing else.
We didn't know what to do.

[narrator] Lahars cascaded
into the west side of town,

but Freddy was a mile
from the initial impact

and they pushed north
towards the church.

[Freddy speaking Spanish]

[translator] Unfortunately,
as we were approaching
the church,

we realized the avalanche was

we realized the avalanche was

coming down
towards the stadium.

We were grabbing
trees, walls, anything.

But a second avalanche came

and raised
the mud level again.

That was the moment
we found ourselves

with the mud up to our necks.

[Rob] Within minutes,

85% of the town was
covered in mud and debris.

The sheer volume and speed of
the mudflows was astounding.

[Freddy speaking Spanish]

[translator] My younger
brother slipped away from
my mom's arms.

[translator] My younger
brother slipped away from
my mom's arms.

She managed to save him.

And when she took
him from the mud,

he was completely naked.

He had just turned
three years old.

[narrator] Many were
swept away or pulled under

and suffocated by
the thick mud of the lahars.

[Freddy speaking Spanish]

[translator] The level was
rising and getting thicker,
too.

We had to cling to the trees
as a group to stay together.

[narrator] Soon,
they heard a familiar voice.

[narrator] Soon,
they heard a familiar voice.

It was a local taking
refuge on a nearby roof,

and he helped them climb
the trees to safety.

[Freddy speaking Spanish]

[translator] It was
the most tragic night.

We prayed for our lives,
for everyone's lives,

and for the town, which was
in that moment disappearing.

[narrator] Huddled together,

they prepared to
see out the night.

No idea what scene awaited
them in the morning.

[narrator] In October 1985,

geologists produced
a hazard map

that placed the town of
Armero in imminent danger

from one of
Colombia's largest volcanoes.

But authorities
downplayed the danger,

leaving residents totally
unprepared for the mudslides

known as lahars that
ravaged the town.

[speaking Spanish]

[translator] The horror,
the uncertainty

[translator] The horror,
the uncertainty

about more avalanches coming,

a deep silence
covering everything,

just before people who
got stuck started to shout

and cry and not knowing

what was beneath us
or if we could sink.

[narrator] Freddy and his
family survived the night

on a rooftop as everything
around them

was consumed by mud.

They were rescued
the next day,

but after a disastrous
relief operation,

but after a disastrous
relief operation,

around 23,000 people were
believed to have died.

Many of their
bodies never found.

It has been the deadliest
lahar in recorded history.

[Dougal] It erupted some
35 million tons of material,

but that's only about
3% to 4% of

what came out of the famous

Mount St. Helens eruption
in 1980.

So in many ways,

it was a relatively small
explosive volcanic event.

But if you couple that
with the hot material

landing on snow and ice,

landing on snow and ice,

when you then funnel that
power down the river valleys,

you can turn something
that's a relatively

small eruption into
a deadly lahar.

[narrator]
The town's buildings

most destroyed or buried,

some still visible
but half sunken,

are testament to its power.

It serves as a stark warning

that ignoring
advice of scientists

is a dangerous game.

The town, never rebuilt,

is preserved as a memorial
to the dead.

is preserved as a memorial
to the dead.

For those left behind,

the events of that night
are always with them.

[Freddy speaking Spanish]

[translator] Our mourning
continues for our city,

for all the people who died
and for all that was lost.

However, we have
to find our place

in the world and move forward.

[narrator] On the banks
of the River Thames,

12 miles east
of Central London

12 miles east
of Central London

is a diamond in the rough.

[Sascha] This location
is far from appealing,

and I speak as a fan
of the city of London,

this site is not
easy on the eye.

[narrator] But inside
is a building

very much at odds
with its setting.

[Sascha] You have this
magnificent arched doorway,

[Sascha] You have this
magnificent arched doorway,

but you'd never imagine what
lays beyond that doorway.

It's a complete contrast to
the really industrial nature

of the surrounding area.

The first time you walk
into this building,

it's like walking into
one of the great cathedrals.

It really does have
a feeling of

grandiosity about it.

All those ornate ironwork
interiors with vivid,

bright colors.

[narrator] The site played
a vital role in the growth of

[narrator] The site played
a vital role in the growth of

what was the largest city
in the world.

This wasn't just
a well-designed complex,

it also housed
a public health solution.

[Sascha] This is really
one of the most magnificent

feats of Victorian
engineering,

and yet most people,

even though it's right
under their feet,

have never seen it
and know that much about it.

[Peter] One day in 1989,
I got a strange phone call,

[Peter] One day in 1989,
I got a strange phone call,

it turned out from
a small group of

retired engineers
and they said,

"We're trying to restore
one of your

great-great-grandfather's
places,

come and have a look."

[narrator]
Peter Bazalgette arrived

at a decrepit facility
left abandoned for decades.

[Peter] When I first came
into this mysterious place,

it hadn't been properly used
since the Second World War,

it was rusting away,
full of dead pigeons.

I was over-awed by
the grandeur of it,

I was over-awed by
the grandeur of it,

but sadly,
it was a decaying grandeur.

[narrator] Neglected in
this industrial wasteland,

Peter joined forces with
a team of retired engineers

and set about saving this
forgotten piece of heritage.

[Peter] When I was a kid
in the 1950s and '60s,

I knew I had a very famous
relative

from the Victorian age.

Nobody else did.

We didn't value
what the Victorians

had done for us.

That's very different today.

[narrator] Designed by his
great-great grandfather,

[narrator] Designed by his
great-great grandfather,

Sir Joseph Bazalgette,

and still boasting the biggest
rotative-beam engines

in the world,

it was the product
of a health crisis

in mid-19th century London.

In London's poor east side,

construction and sanitation
were completely unregulated,

and London became known
as a city of two halves,

with the wealthy
being able to afford

to escape to the cleaner
air of West London.

In the poor half,

you had a dense population
crammed together

in tiny houses with rats

in tiny houses with rats

and sewage running
between them

down the narrow
cobbled streets.

[Sascha] You didn't have
clean running water.

You had houses that were
infested with vermin

and people living
just cheek to jowl,

crowded with one
another in very,

very unhealthy conditions.

These were
the Victorian slums.

[narrator] But soon enough,

even those in the West
couldn't escape

the smell of human excrement.

the smell of human excrement.

The long, hot summer of 1858

caused a horrendous
stench to emanate

from London's mighty river.

[narrator] It was known
as the Great Stink.

[Dominic]
The smell began wafting

into buildings everywhere,

including the houses
of Parliament.

And because they still
believed in the miasma theory

that disease was spread
by air or bad smells,

they all thought their own
health was at serious risk.

[narrator] Cholera
had been ravaging

London's population
for decades.

London's population
for decades.

Sewage pumped directly
into the river

was spreading the disease,
but through the water supply,

not through the air,
as they believed.

Cholera is a highly
infectious disease

that is spread through water

that has been contaminated
by fecal matter.

[narrator] Physician John Snow

had made the connection
years earlier

and understood this
was a water borne disease.

But even by 1858,
few accepted his findings.

But even by 1858,
few accepted his findings.

[Alicia] These politicians
literally believed

that they were
inhaling diseases.

So that was really the last
straw to get them to act

and to commission Bazalgette
to begin his project.

[narrator] Bazalgette's task
was to clean up the city

and prevent the spread
of disease.

[Alicia] Joseph Bazalgette
was the chief engineer

of the Metropolitan
Board of Works

and his first job in this
relatively new organization

was to fix London's
sewage problem.

was to fix London's
sewage problem.

And his plan was
to run main sewers

from the West of the city
to the East,

and those sewers would
run parallel to the Thames

but keep the sewage
out of the Thames.

[Dominic] The whole system
consisted of 1,300 miles

and 82 miles of West-East
intercepting sewers.

For seven years,

Joseph Bazalgette dug up
the whole of London.

Joseph Bazalgette dug up
the whole of London.

He had to cross railway lines,
he had to cross canals,

he had to redesign
the center of London.

I imagine everybody
in those days

was cursing Joseph Bazalgette
for disrupting London,

but not after 1865,

when it was all finished
and London was cleansed.

Because his sewage system
was trailblazing.

It was an innovation.

It showed how a modern city
could work.

[narrator] But how
did this building fit

into that
revolutionary system?

[narrator] In response to
the Great Stink of 1858,

Sir Joseph Bazalgette was
tasked with cleaning up

London's Thames River
by revolutionizing

the city's sewage system.

He devised and had built
a network of sewers

that carried the city's
wastewater to two vast pumping

and filtration systems,
either side of the Thames,

and filtration systems,
either side of the Thames,

just east of the metropolitan
conurbation.

[narrator] One of those
was the pumping station

here at Crossness.

Well, this flywheel
belongs to a rotative
steam-beam engine.

In fact, there are
four in this building,

the four largest ever
built ever in the world.

And they're named
after the members

of the British Royal Family,
Queen Victoria,

Prince Albert, Alexandra,
one of their daughters,

and Bertie, one of their sons.

[Dominic] The four massive
engines at Crossness

pumped sewage into a reservoir
that held 25 million gallons.

The sewage was then
released with the ebb tide,

so it flowed
safely out to sea.

[narrator] The opening
ceremony in 1865

was held at Crossness
with great pomp.

[Sascha] The pumping
station became

known as
the Cathedral of Sewage

and in a fashion
typical of ceremonies

and in a fashion
typical of ceremonies

in the capital of
imperial Britain,

it was opened with
a grand ceremony,

possibly the most
lavish meal ever served

inside a sewage facility.

Just look at this,

some of the finest Victorian
wrought-ironwork

ever commissioned.

And it shows one thing
about the Victorians,

immensely proud
of public works,

this was a building
essentially

for pumping excrement.

for pumping excrement.

[narrator] For 80 years,

the beam engines at
Crossness turned.

But after
the Second World War,

more advanced engines
rendered them redundant.

But thanks to a group
of enthusiasts,

Crossness would find
a new lease of life.

[Alicia]
With all of the colors

and intricate metal design,

it's clear that a lot of
work went

into this restoration project.

[Sascha] The trust
decided to intervene

and restore part
of the building

and restore part
of the building

and also to restore
one of the engines,

and now it can
be seen operating

in all its former glory.

[Peter] Thirty years after
I first walked in here,

and thanks to
the extraordinary efforts

of the members of
The Crossness Engines Trust,

we now have a living museum,
a living steam museum.

[Peter] And if you look at
this magnificent beam arm

of this restored engine,
look at the way it's painted,

look at the majesty of it.

look at the majesty of it.

You can tell that today
we really appreciate

what the Victorians did
and how they really created

modern society that we
still rely on today.

[narrator] While this pumping
station has been restored,

parts of Bazalgette's system
never went out of use.

So they're building
a new super sewer,

not to replace but to
complement Joseph's system.

[Sascha] That the intercepting
sewers

[Sascha] That the intercepting
sewers

are still in use
150 years later,

it's really a testament
to the overall

build quality of the system

as it was originally
constructed.

[narrator] 60 miles
south of Zagreb,

in the wooded hills
of Petrova Gora,

a dazzling building sits
high on a mountain peak.

[Rob] The building almost
swallows you whole.

[Rob] The building almost
swallows you whole.

It's simply otherworldly.

[Michele] It looks modern.

It makes you
think of something

that would be in a city.

But this is in the mountains,
in the middle of nowhere.

[narrator] As you venture in,

you realize it is just as
modern and abstract inside.

[Lynette] This is something
that you merge into

as you would come into
a place of worship.

[Rob] Although there
aren't any windows,

it's surprisingly
light inside.

it's surprisingly
light inside.

The offset slices
allow streams of light

to flood in from above.

[Michele] It's not some
abandoned industrial works,

but it's on an
industrial scale almost.

It's just this really
perplexing building

that looks out of place.

[Rob] These vast
concrete curves

covered in stainless steel,

spiraling up a 120 feet
into the sky

make for
an extraordinary landmark.

make for
an extraordinary landmark.

[narrator] But what
was its purpose

and why has such
a striking landmark

seemingly been left to ruin?

[narrator] Cedomir Studen
is a local historian

and custodian of this
remarkable complex.

[Cedomir speaking Croatian]

[translator] As you can see
from the configuration
of the building,

this was a very ambitious
and futuristic project.

There are 11 floors in total.

There are 11 floors in total.

Downstairs, under the ground,
there is a concert hall,

which can host up to
1,000 people.

On the floors above
were educational

and exhibition spaces,

and it did all that
with multimedia tools,

which made it
a trailblazer of its kind.

[narrator] The reason
for its existence

can be unearthed from
the woods it overlooks.

[Rob] This huge
towering building

[Rob] This huge
towering building

dominates the hillside,

but it's not the only
structure here.

When you start exploring,

you come across some
more abandoned buildings

very deep in the woods.

These buildings are
scattered about,

and when you go inside,

it's clear that people
once lived here.

[narrator] Those that
filled these empty cabins

were engaged in a desperate
fight for survival,

part of an ethnic
conflict that dates

back to the interwar period.

back to the interwar period.

Between the First
and Second World Wars,

there was constant fighting

amongst the various
ethnic groups

that comprised Yugoslavia.

[narrator] At the forefront
of the power struggle

were the right wing
fascist group, the Ustasa.

[Lynette] The Croatian Ustasa
believed that Croats

were ethnically superior
to especially Serbs.

[Michele] Many
Croat nationalists

[Michele] Many
Croat nationalists

supported the Ustasa

because they believed
that this was a ticket

to independence from Serbia.

[narrator] When the Nazis
invaded Yugoslavia

in April 1941, the Ustasa
were natural allies.

The Nazis were
very happy to contribute

to the disintegration of
the Kingdom of Yugoslavia

and to take the Croatian part

and turn it into
a puppet state

and turn it into
a puppet state

that was ruled by the Ustasa.

[narrator]
This fascist alliance

wouldn't go unchallenged.

But how does
the striking tower

on the hill fit
into this story?

[narrator] In the shadow
of a conspicuous landmark

are the remains of
a partisan stronghold

buried in the woods,

set up to fight
the Nazi-backed Ustasa.

[Cedomir speaking Croatian]

[translator] We are now
arriving at a place

which played an extremely
important role in the history

of the resistance during
the Second World War.

[narrator]
Those behind it

[narrator]
Those behind it

were the Kordun Partisan
Detachment,

part of the People's
Liberation Army of Yugoslavia,

and at the helm was
one of history's

most notorious leaders.

It was led by a figure who
would become a major player

in 20th century politics,
Josip Broz,

who was also known as Tito.

He's a communist
and envisions a Yugoslavia

that is going to share
that political ideology.

[narrator]
To overthrow the Ustasa,

[narrator]
To overthrow the Ustasa,

Tito needed an army

and secure bases
to operate from.

[Cedomir speaking Croatian]

[translator] We are at
the Central Partisan
Hospital complex.

There was the surgery,
there were hospital wards,

a dental surgery, a kitchen.

Up there was the watchtower.

These buildings provided
an entire infrastructure.

[narrator]
Using guerrilla tactics,

they ambushed the Ustasa from
their bases deep in the woods,

they ambushed the Ustasa from
their bases deep in the woods,

while recruiting more
Serbs to join their cause.

[Cedomir speaking Croatian]

[translator] In this region
of Petrova Gora,

there were
15 active detachments.

The Kordun Partisan
Detachments

were mainly made up
of local villagers.

[narrator] For the partisans
to survive,

it was essential their
stronghold remained hidden.

[Cedomir speaking Croatian]

[translator]
Here is an example,

a field lavatory that
looks like a toilet

a field lavatory that
looks like a toilet

but can be speedily
dismantled,

opened up and entered into

and used to hide
wounded soldiers inside.

[narrator] This 30-building
strong hospital

masked a network of
underground bunkers

capable of sheltering
hundreds of soldiers.

It wasn't long, though,

before the Ustasa
had the stronghold of

Petrova Gora firmly
in their sights.

Petrova Gora firmly
in their sights.

In early April 1942,

there was a sudden
breakthrough of defenses.

The Ustasa forces
stormed multiple

partisan positions
around Petrova Gora.

Given that these
ethnic Serbs only had

crude weapons and pitchforks,

given that they were going
against armed soldiers,

they really stood no chance.

[Cedomir speaking Croatian]

[translator] The cruel revenge
of the Ustasa regime

resulted in one-third of

resulted in one-third of

Kordun's residents
getting killed,

98% of whom were Serbs.

[narrator] The Ustasa
continued

their vicious attempts

to cleanse the region
of Serbs,

yet this hospital
was never discovered.

And as the tide of war turned
against the Nazis, Tito,

backed by the British
and his communist allies,

emerged victorious.

Tito's prestige as the man

who led the opposition
to the Nazis

who led the opposition
to the Nazis

and to the Ustasa made him
a national hero across

what was Yugoslavia.

[narrator]
Under Tito's firm grip,

Yugoslavia was
brought back together,

and for many years
there was relative peace

between the ethnic groups.

This structure was built
as a symbolic phoenix

rising from the ashes of war.

[Cedomir speaking Croatian]

[translator] Tito was
in favor of erecting

a memorial in this place

a memorial in this place

because he wanted to
express his gratitude

to the local people for their
sacrifice during the war.

[Rob]
The stainless steel panels

are hugely reflective,

and this effect symbolizes
light overcoming darkness.

Within the structure was
originally a museum,

which housed hundreds
of documents,

relics and artifacts
related to the battle

and the history of
the ethnic Serbians'

and the history of
the ethnic Serbians'

struggles in the region.

[narrator] But just before
it opened in 1981,

Tito died and with him
the peace he had brought.

Ethnic divisions resurfaced,
and in 1991, war erupted.

With the onset
of the Yugoslav Wars,

the monument falls
into disrepair,

it's looted, it is defaced.

So it has a really sad ending.

[narrator] Today, Yugoslavia
is a distant memory,

but the monument
that still stands here

tells a story that must
not be forgotten.

[Cedomir speaking Croatian]

[translator]
This devastated monument

represents
a particular significance

of this place in the hearts
of the local population.

It reminds us of a time when
people fought against those

who had lost their humanity.