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An epic terraced construction
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00:00:04,480 --> 00:00:07,640
once at the heart of a
mighty Asian empire.
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00:00:07,680 --> 00:00:12,920
You see this overgrown structure
kind of tumbling down the mountain
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00:00:12,960 --> 00:00:16,240
and then reaching away
from it are these long pipes
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00:00:16,280 --> 00:00:19,720
stretching out over the
hills, almost like tentacles.
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00:00:20,760 --> 00:00:24,680
A forbidding Ukrainian
palace shrouded in intrigue.
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00:00:24,720 --> 00:00:26,760
It's brooding.
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00:00:26,800 --> 00:00:28,800
Every one of those windows
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looks like it ought to have a
ghost hiding in the draperies.
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00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:42,320
Mountain-side ruins forged in
one of humanity's darkest hours.
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00:00:42,360 --> 00:00:45,480
Emerging from the tunnel,
you see a grey stone building.
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00:00:45,520 --> 00:00:49,320
Grass and vegetation are
starting to climb up the walls
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00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:51,200
and nature's
beginning to reclaim it.
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00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:57,240
And a massive facility that
powered america to the forefront
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00:00:57,280 --> 00:00:59,600
of aviation technology.
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00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:01,760
It's an eerily deserted town.
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00:01:01,800 --> 00:01:04,760
The houses are all boarded
up. There's an old theatre.
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00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:09,160
And the focal point is these
three huge, hangar-like structures.
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00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:16,480
Decaying relics,
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00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:20,120
ruins of lost worlds,
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forged through years of
toil, now haunted by the past,
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00:01:26,320 --> 00:01:29,760
their secrets waiting
to be revealed.
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On the rugged coastline of
jinguashih, Taiwan, where mountains
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00:01:48,040 --> 00:01:51,600
rise out of the ocean,
an imposing structure
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breaks the otherwise
lush, green vegetation.
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There looks to be
some kind of fortress built
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00:01:59,760 --> 00:02:01,640
into the mountainside.
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00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:05,160
Fortress or castle, it's
not really very clear.
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00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:11,960
It's terraced and it's magnificent
in its monumental scale.
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00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:17,080
It looks like some old fortress or
palace tumbling down the hillside
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00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:20,320
or maybe some overgrown
Tibetan monastery.
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00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:26,960
But it's not luxurious, it's not
ceremonial, but nor is it domestic.
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00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:30,960
There are no doors or
windows that are apparent.
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00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:36,000
Clues as to its function may lie
in the surrounding infrastructure.
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00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:39,320
Reaching away from
it are these long pipes,
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00:02:39,360 --> 00:02:43,000
almost like tentacles
disappearing over the nearby ridges.
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00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:48,720
They're like veins protruding out
from this main fortress structure.
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00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:54,880
On a hill overlooking both the main
complex and these giant pipelines
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00:02:54,920 --> 00:02:56,920
is something
altogether different.
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00:02:56,960 --> 00:03:02,200
It looks quite grand and intricate
compared to the other structure.
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00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:07,120
Maybe a sign of a more
luxurious period of time for this area
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00:03:07,160 --> 00:03:11,120
or perhaps the influence
of a different culture or ruler.
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00:03:12,680 --> 00:03:14,960
What kind of facility was this
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00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:18,920
and why would hundreds of
Americans find themselves working here?
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00:03:22,040 --> 00:03:27,440
For local resident mr Cheng,
this place is in his blood.
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00:03:30,040 --> 00:03:32,360
I've been through
so much at this place.
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00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:36,520
I was born, educated,
worked here.
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00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:42,600
Even after I retired,
I'm still living here.
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00:03:46,800 --> 00:03:51,960
Now in his mid-'80s, he
remembers this facility in full flow.
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00:03:53,920 --> 00:03:58,160
I was involved with an experiment
with sulphides and copper.
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00:04:01,520 --> 00:04:03,880
If the density of the
sulphides were too high,
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we weren't able to extract
the gold and copper from it.
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00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:15,000
So, we'd have to grind it
in order to extract them.
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00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:20,200
This is the shuinandong smelter,
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00:04:20,240 --> 00:04:24,280
known locally as the
remains of the 13 levels.
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00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:30,000
A processing plant for refining
and smelting copper and gold.
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00:04:32,840 --> 00:04:36,520
The tunnel is a transportation
system for mining.
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00:04:38,080 --> 00:04:40,160
The rocks are
transported out from here.
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This is tunnel six.
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00:04:47,160 --> 00:04:49,560
The miners used to work here,
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but there's no work anymore.
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00:04:52,720 --> 00:04:55,800
It's dangerous, so
they shut it down.
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00:04:58,080 --> 00:05:00,760
Once the high-grade
gold ore was extracted
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00:05:00,800 --> 00:05:04,440
from beneath the mountains,
these tunnels and railway lines
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00:05:04,480 --> 00:05:08,320
took the rocks to the
smelter for processing.
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00:05:08,360 --> 00:05:11,240
The way they processed the
ores, they would bring it in at the top
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00:05:11,280 --> 00:05:14,480
and there were a series of
processes and getting the ore
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00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:17,080
to be refined in a
purer and purer state
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00:05:17,120 --> 00:05:20,280
as they worked their
way down to the bottom.
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00:05:20,320 --> 00:05:25,160
The reason it has these large
arches without any windows is,
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00:05:25,200 --> 00:05:29,360
that's where they loaded the
rocks and the ore in and out.
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00:05:29,400 --> 00:05:31,200
And the same
goes for the ceiling.
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00:05:31,240 --> 00:05:32,760
It was all about efficiency.
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00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:38,600
The smelter is a chemical process
that involves huge amount of heat
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00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:40,400
and also a massive
amount of power
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00:05:40,440 --> 00:05:46,120
to split the component parts
of the raw ore into pieces.
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00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:48,960
And it's done through
a process of reactions,
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00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:53,720
with trying to separate and
oxidise out the metals that you want.
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00:05:55,320 --> 00:05:59,280
Yet, none of the valuable
gold remained here.
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00:05:59,320 --> 00:06:02,360
When this compound was
constructed in the 1930s,
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00:06:02,400 --> 00:06:05,080
Taiwan wasn't part of China.
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00:06:05,120 --> 00:06:09,160
At that time, mr Cheng's father
was working in brutal conditions
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00:06:09,200 --> 00:06:12,600
under the gaze of
a different overlord.
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00:06:14,840 --> 00:06:18,640
The ornate details and
kanji writing around the site
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00:06:18,680 --> 00:06:23,400
reveal their identity -
the empire of Japan.
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00:06:23,440 --> 00:06:26,840
Wherever the Japanese
went, they expected to stay.
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00:06:26,880 --> 00:06:29,640
They thought they were
building a grand empire
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that would last forever.
89
00:06:31,600 --> 00:06:34,760
And so, they built not
just factories and smelters,
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00:06:34,800 --> 00:06:36,000
but shrines.
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00:06:36,040 --> 00:06:39,560
Here in Taiwan, they built the
shinto shrine to the mountain god.
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00:06:41,640 --> 00:06:44,880
Originally built to bring
peace and stability,
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00:06:44,920 --> 00:06:49,040
the health of local workers
became secondary to gold,
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00:06:49,080 --> 00:06:51,920
as mr Cheng's father discovered.
95
00:06:54,080 --> 00:06:56,960
He worked in the
mines as a mine worker.
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00:06:58,440 --> 00:07:01,040
He was digging in the fields.
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00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:05,560
I was four years old
when he passed away.
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00:07:05,600 --> 00:07:08,840
I was raised by my
mother and brother.
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00:07:09,760 --> 00:07:12,400
Japan was an empire on the rise.
100
00:07:12,440 --> 00:07:14,840
Having emerged out
of an era of isolation,
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00:07:14,880 --> 00:07:18,800
the country had entered a
period of rapid transformation
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00:07:18,840 --> 00:07:24,160
and Taiwan was incorporated
in to the empire of Japan in 1895.
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00:07:24,200 --> 00:07:27,440
It was the start of a chain
reaction that would have devastating
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00:07:27,480 --> 00:07:32,080
consequences for the region
and for many young Americans.
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00:07:34,160 --> 00:07:37,720
Taking over Taiwan
was one of the first steps
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00:07:37,760 --> 00:07:40,440
in Japan's expansionism,
where they would ultimately
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00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:45,720
take over much of Asia and
finally attack the us at Pearl harbor.
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00:07:45,760 --> 00:07:48,200
After Taiwan came Korea.
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00:07:48,240 --> 00:07:51,080
Then, they turned their
gaze back to northern China
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00:07:51,120 --> 00:07:54,200
with the invasion of
manchuria in 1931.
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00:07:54,240 --> 00:08:00,200
Japan really conducted itself
like Great Britain at its prime.
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00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:02,280
They had a powerful Navy,
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00:08:02,320 --> 00:08:05,360
they set up colonies,
they took over territory.
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00:08:05,400 --> 00:08:08,480
And wherever they went, they
wanted to extract resources,
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00:08:08,520 --> 00:08:11,480
they wanted to
accumulate wealth.
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00:08:11,520 --> 00:08:14,040
The Taiwanese people
here in of jinguashih
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00:08:14,080 --> 00:08:16,760
would enjoy little
of this wealth.
118
00:08:17,960 --> 00:08:22,640
They exploited most of the gold
when it was under Japanese rule.
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00:08:22,680 --> 00:08:26,720
They sent all of it to Japan
for their national celebrations.
120
00:08:28,960 --> 00:08:32,960
The exploitation extended
into all aspects of life.
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00:08:34,200 --> 00:08:36,680
Since we were ruled
by the Japanese,
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00:08:36,720 --> 00:08:40,120
we became second-class citizens.
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00:08:40,160 --> 00:08:41,960
It became much tougher.
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00:08:44,600 --> 00:08:47,920
Even with schools, there
were different schools
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00:08:47,960 --> 00:08:49,880
for the Japanese and the locals.
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00:08:50,960 --> 00:08:53,160
We were segregated.
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00:08:54,760 --> 00:08:59,880
By the time mr Cheng arrived
here as a young man in 1943,
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00:08:59,920 --> 00:09:02,800
the pacific war was raging.
129
00:09:02,840 --> 00:09:06,040
Japan's desire to
dominate the pacific
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00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:08,320
had bought them into
direct conflict with america.
131
00:09:08,360 --> 00:09:13,680
And that meant a new labour
force was arriving on the island.
132
00:09:14,800 --> 00:09:19,120
Prisoners of war caught by the
Japanese were sent to this mine.
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00:09:19,160 --> 00:09:22,640
Now, the biggest copper
mine in the Japanese empire.
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00:09:22,680 --> 00:09:25,960
And they were predominantly
British and American soldiers.
135
00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:32,280
In total, 1,100 allied prisoners
of war served time here.
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00:09:32,320 --> 00:09:37,480
Many bought in on hell ships
from Singapore and the Philippines.
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00:09:37,520 --> 00:09:40,760
Most were forced to work
here for almost three years
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00:09:40,800 --> 00:09:44,800
and face conditions
as bad - if not worse -
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00:09:44,840 --> 00:09:47,320
than on the railway
of death in Burma
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00:09:47,360 --> 00:09:50,600
made famous by movies
like 'bridge on the river kwai'.
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00:09:51,680 --> 00:09:58,200
Many died of disease and a prisoner
of war memorial erected here in 1997
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pays homage to their memory.
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00:10:03,840 --> 00:10:06,560
The Japanese
surrendered and left in 1945.
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00:10:06,600 --> 00:10:09,720
So, who was behind
the mammoth pipelines
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that extend out of the facility?
146
00:10:13,400 --> 00:10:15,520
After the country's restoration,
147
00:10:15,560 --> 00:10:19,720
the Taiwan gold and copper
mining bureau was established.
148
00:10:19,760 --> 00:10:23,000
But it soon faced
new challenges.
149
00:10:23,040 --> 00:10:25,040
With gold deposits depleted,
150
00:10:25,080 --> 00:10:30,640
the focus was on copper
refining and then purification.
151
00:10:32,200 --> 00:10:36,000
They started
purification in 1965.
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00:10:38,960 --> 00:10:42,480
There was a 65m-high chimney,
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00:10:42,520 --> 00:10:45,640
but it was really
close to the factory.
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00:10:45,680 --> 00:10:47,960
The sulphate levels were high
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00:10:50,600 --> 00:10:55,000
and the residents and
workers couldn't take it.
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00:10:56,600 --> 00:10:59,920
Safely disposing of
these toxic emissions
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00:10:59,960 --> 00:11:02,760
required a marvel
of engineering.
158
00:11:02,800 --> 00:11:07,000
What they ended up doing
was building a massive chimney
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00:11:07,040 --> 00:11:11,320
or flue system to take the gases
up and away out of the valley
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00:11:11,360 --> 00:11:13,960
and over the Ridge
of the mountain.
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00:11:14,000 --> 00:11:18,440
It's actually, they say it's
the longest concrete pipeline
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00:11:18,480 --> 00:11:20,120
ventilation system in the world.
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00:11:22,080 --> 00:11:24,840
Despite this, with
dwindling profits
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00:11:24,880 --> 00:11:27,880
and compensation claims
hanging over their heads,
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00:11:27,920 --> 00:11:31,120
the company soon
shut down operations.
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00:11:37,520 --> 00:11:41,600
The Japanese shrine still
looks over this dramatic scene,
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00:11:41,640 --> 00:11:45,840
a remnant of an empire that
emerged at an extraordinary pace
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00:11:45,880 --> 00:11:49,000
and crumbled away even faster.
169
00:11:49,040 --> 00:11:54,240
Yet today, in 2020, some in Taiwan
are still fighting for independence.
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00:11:54,280 --> 00:11:56,200
This time, from China.
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00:12:00,480 --> 00:12:03,720
Out in rural champagne
county, Illinois,
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00:12:03,760 --> 00:12:07,320
lie a group of massive
abandoned warehouses.
173
00:12:07,360 --> 00:12:08,920
But they're not alone.
174
00:12:13,720 --> 00:12:18,920
It's a huge area with buildings
that look in fairly good condition.
175
00:12:18,960 --> 00:12:22,800
It looks sort of like its
own self-contained town.
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00:12:22,840 --> 00:12:26,840
Fire station, warehouses,
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00:12:26,880 --> 00:12:30,600
housing stores,
it's all shut down.
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00:12:30,640 --> 00:12:32,600
Everything's overgrown.
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00:12:32,640 --> 00:12:36,720
The focal point is these three
huge, hanger-like structures.
180
00:12:36,760 --> 00:12:40,560
Quite clearly, the hangars
tells you what this site was.
181
00:12:40,600 --> 00:12:42,800
But yet, when you look
at the other elements,
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00:12:42,840 --> 00:12:44,560
there's something
else going on here.
183
00:12:46,160 --> 00:12:50,320
Clues inside suggest these
hangars weren't just for storage,
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00:12:50,360 --> 00:12:52,720
but for something
rather different.
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00:12:52,760 --> 00:12:54,480
The large hangars
186
00:12:54,520 --> 00:12:59,440
give you the impression that
when this place was operating,
187
00:12:59,480 --> 00:13:02,880
it must have been
filled with machines,
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00:13:02,920 --> 00:13:05,320
aircraft equipment and people.
189
00:13:08,840 --> 00:13:12,920
Something that really
makes it feel rather ghostly
190
00:13:12,960 --> 00:13:15,400
is its vastness
and its emptiness
191
00:13:15,440 --> 00:13:21,920
and a sense of something having
just gone away almost inexplicably.
192
00:13:23,200 --> 00:13:25,560
You have a sense that
the answer to this place
193
00:13:25,600 --> 00:13:26,736
lies at the bottom
of the stairs.
194
00:13:26,760 --> 00:13:29,520
Here is where you're finally
going to understand what this is for.
195
00:13:29,560 --> 00:13:32,840
But, in fact, what you're
confronted with is a lake of water.
196
00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:35,480
It's entirely unpassable.
You can go no further.
197
00:13:37,120 --> 00:13:40,040
In its day, this place
was at the forefront
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00:13:40,080 --> 00:13:41,960
of technological change.
199
00:13:42,000 --> 00:13:43,240
But it was also at the heart
200
00:13:43,280 --> 00:13:47,160
of a ground-breaking
social transformation.
201
00:13:47,200 --> 00:13:50,360
The war department
authorised the formation
202
00:13:50,400 --> 00:13:52,440
of the 99th pursuit squadron,
203
00:13:52,480 --> 00:13:54,920
which was the first
all-black squadron.
204
00:13:54,960 --> 00:13:58,080
This vast site would
become the birthplace of an
205
00:13:58,120 --> 00:14:02,640
African-American air squadron who
went on to become world-renowned.
206
00:14:06,160 --> 00:14:09,440
The clue to the origins
of this site in rural Illinois
207
00:14:09,480 --> 00:14:12,560
are found outside
- the airstrip.
208
00:14:12,600 --> 00:14:17,160
The first one built here was
completed in the early 1900s.
209
00:14:17,880 --> 00:14:21,520
Aviation in the early 20th
century was an incredibly exciting
210
00:14:21,560 --> 00:14:25,960
new adventure. This was all about
boundaries and how to break them.
211
00:14:26,960 --> 00:14:31,120
John Pratt worked at
this site for 22 years.
212
00:14:31,160 --> 00:14:33,560
I probably would
have retired here.
213
00:14:33,600 --> 00:14:35,120
I was that close to it.
214
00:14:35,160 --> 00:14:38,680
But to walk around
now is very painful.
215
00:14:38,720 --> 00:14:42,000
It's hard to see this. It
was a beautiful installation.
216
00:14:42,040 --> 00:14:45,360
This place was
vital to the protection
217
00:14:45,400 --> 00:14:47,440
of the United States.
218
00:14:48,240 --> 00:14:50,320
At the time of the
site's inception,
219
00:14:50,360 --> 00:14:53,040
the us military was
facing a problem.
220
00:14:53,080 --> 00:14:57,920
Even though aviation was really
sort of born in the United States,
221
00:14:57,960 --> 00:15:03,000
the United States was sort of
slow to take advantage of that ability.
222
00:15:03,040 --> 00:15:07,400
The Wright brothers may
have started it all, but by 1917,
223
00:15:07,440 --> 00:15:10,880
the Americans had fallen behind
in terms of aviation technology.
224
00:15:10,920 --> 00:15:14,560
So, this place was specifically
created to remedy that.
225
00:15:15,800 --> 00:15:19,600
There was a vast
amount of money.
226
00:15:19,640 --> 00:15:25,600
Over $600 million appropriated
by the congress in 1917,
227
00:15:25,640 --> 00:15:30,080
solely for building up the
us aviation infrastructure.
228
00:15:31,320 --> 00:15:35,040
A suitable site had to be chosen
for the us to develop their air power.
229
00:15:36,160 --> 00:15:38,400
It was an isolated situation.
230
00:15:38,440 --> 00:15:43,160
There's flatlands out here
and it was a good flying place.
231
00:15:43,200 --> 00:15:45,400
It was centrally located
in the United States.
232
00:15:47,440 --> 00:15:50,960
Testing aircraft
was only the start,
233
00:15:51,000 --> 00:15:56,000
as the site soon became a
vital cog in the us war machine.
234
00:15:57,320 --> 00:15:59,360
When you think of
aeroplanes, you think of pilots.
235
00:15:59,400 --> 00:16:01,376
But actually, that's only
a small part of the story.
236
00:16:01,400 --> 00:16:03,560
What it takes to keep
aeroplanes in the air
237
00:16:03,600 --> 00:16:08,160
is a vast number of different
skills - ground crew, engineers.
238
00:16:08,200 --> 00:16:12,880
It's absolutely critical that
people are trained in various
239
00:16:12,920 --> 00:16:17,200
aspects of maintaining the
planes and so, it's really about
240
00:16:17,240 --> 00:16:21,120
building and training a crew
in all aspects of maintenance.
241
00:16:24,280 --> 00:16:28,200
This is the chanute
air force base.
242
00:16:28,240 --> 00:16:32,320
Chanute field, as it was first
known, was used for technical training
243
00:16:32,360 --> 00:16:36,840
and to instruct cadets in the
rigours of flying warplanes.
244
00:16:38,720 --> 00:16:40,960
The first real
challenge for this place
245
00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:44,680
came with the outbreak
of the second world war.
246
00:16:44,720 --> 00:16:47,760
Everything changed for the
United States with Pearl harbor.
247
00:16:47,800 --> 00:16:49,520
After that attack,
248
00:16:49,560 --> 00:16:51,856
america was on a war footing
and knew it was about to engage.
249
00:16:51,880 --> 00:16:56,200
And so, this place became
absolutely key to the air effort.
250
00:16:57,320 --> 00:17:04,800
Us army air core expands
from perhaps 20,000 in 1939
251
00:17:04,840 --> 00:17:08,680
to several million by 1943/44.
252
00:17:08,720 --> 00:17:13,720
Now, this expansion requires
a training infrastructure
253
00:17:13,760 --> 00:17:16,040
that is enormous.
254
00:17:17,800 --> 00:17:20,720
Oh, this place is huge.
255
00:17:20,760 --> 00:17:22,760
It's bigger even
when it's empty.
256
00:17:22,800 --> 00:17:24,920
It was all kinds of training
that went on in here
257
00:17:24,960 --> 00:17:29,480
and all kinds of
activity from wall to wall.
258
00:17:29,520 --> 00:17:32,480
There would be planes
and activity and classes
259
00:17:32,520 --> 00:17:34,280
going on, all the
way through here.
260
00:17:35,400 --> 00:17:37,360
Let's take a b-17 bomber.
261
00:17:37,400 --> 00:17:40,520
A b-17 bomber
carried a flight engineer
262
00:17:40,560 --> 00:17:43,920
who would have been
trained here at chanute field.
263
00:17:43,960 --> 00:17:48,160
The b-17 also
carried the radiomen.
264
00:17:48,200 --> 00:17:51,680
They had radio courses
and radio repair courses,
265
00:17:51,720 --> 00:17:55,280
radio specialist courses
here at chanute field.
266
00:17:56,840 --> 00:18:00,080
There were four
places similar to this
267
00:18:00,120 --> 00:18:03,360
and they were filled
with activity every day.
268
00:18:03,400 --> 00:18:06,120
There were students
coming and going all the time.
269
00:18:08,320 --> 00:18:11,200
But it wasn't just the kind
of training taking place
270
00:18:11,240 --> 00:18:13,080
here that was groundbreaking.
271
00:18:13,120 --> 00:18:16,640
It was also who
was being trained.
272
00:18:16,680 --> 00:18:18,960
At the beginning
of world war ii,
273
00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:23,120
the society in the United
States is thoroughly segregated.
274
00:18:24,680 --> 00:18:27,120
In 1940, the us census recorded
275
00:18:27,160 --> 00:18:30,800
only 140 African American
pilots across the nation.
276
00:18:30,840 --> 00:18:33,920
But this would soon change.
277
00:18:33,960 --> 00:18:35,760
There were black
airmen that came here
278
00:18:35,800 --> 00:18:37,600
and they were
trained as mechanics.
279
00:18:37,640 --> 00:18:41,480
But some of them had
prior flying experience
280
00:18:41,520 --> 00:18:44,280
and they were doing
exceptionally well in the classes
281
00:18:44,320 --> 00:18:47,360
and so some of the
people on the base decided
282
00:18:47,400 --> 00:18:50,400
that they would make
them into actual pilots.
283
00:18:52,840 --> 00:18:57,160
Fighting a war against a fascist
and racist regime in Europe,
284
00:18:57,200 --> 00:19:01,840
suddenly, the United States'
own policies were under scrutiny.
285
00:19:01,880 --> 00:19:06,080
So, it's a moment that United States
realises that having this squadron,
286
00:19:06,120 --> 00:19:08,600
this 99 squadron,
training these black pilots,
287
00:19:08,640 --> 00:19:12,000
is a way to indicate an opening,
288
00:19:12,040 --> 00:19:16,240
a commitment to democracy,
a commitment against racism.
289
00:19:16,280 --> 00:19:18,840
Unlike some other peers
in the army, for example,
290
00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:20,320
they're being trained equally.
291
00:19:20,360 --> 00:19:22,680
And so, this is a
breakdown of segregation
292
00:19:22,720 --> 00:19:23,920
in the United States military.
293
00:19:25,680 --> 00:19:28,840
That unit would evolve
into the tuskegee airmen,
294
00:19:28,880 --> 00:19:31,840
who would become world-famous.
295
00:19:31,880 --> 00:19:35,640
And so, the 99 pursuit squadron
became the tuskegee airmen,
296
00:19:35,680 --> 00:19:37,760
and they moved them
to tuskegee, Alabama,
297
00:19:37,800 --> 00:19:40,160
from here and became pilots.
298
00:19:40,200 --> 00:19:42,600
So they were trained,
initially, at chanute.
299
00:19:42,640 --> 00:19:44,200
The forming of the
tuskegee airmen
300
00:19:44,240 --> 00:19:46,360
was a very important
part of chanute's history.
301
00:19:46,400 --> 00:19:52,040
These first black military aviators
had a really critical role to play.
302
00:19:52,080 --> 00:19:56,240
They flew over 15,000
individual sorties
303
00:19:56,280 --> 00:19:58,960
over north Africa and Europe.
304
00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:03,880
So, they really had a wide-ranging
impact and sphere of influence.
305
00:20:03,920 --> 00:20:08,200
And for their skill and
bravery and commitment,
306
00:20:08,240 --> 00:20:12,400
they received 150
distinguished flying crosses,
307
00:20:12,440 --> 00:20:14,240
which is a very
significant record.
308
00:20:18,240 --> 00:20:21,360
Whilst the work being
done here during world war ii
309
00:20:21,400 --> 00:20:26,880
was vital to the us war effort,
much of what remains lies empty.
310
00:20:28,320 --> 00:20:32,360
Yet, the interior of one hangar
suggests the site still had
311
00:20:32,400 --> 00:20:37,000
a crucial role to play
later in the nuclear age.
312
00:20:39,560 --> 00:20:43,640
We're talking about a very
powerful aggressive totalitarian
313
00:20:43,680 --> 00:20:48,120
Soviet union on one side with a
vast number of nuclear weapons.
314
00:20:49,280 --> 00:20:52,520
There was a new type of aerial
warfare during the cold war,
315
00:20:52,560 --> 00:20:56,840
during this nuclear age, and
chanute was at the forefront of offering
316
00:20:56,880 --> 00:21:01,400
this training in a situation where
mistakes could cost American lives.
317
00:21:02,680 --> 00:21:07,200
These new weapons were titan
intercontinental ballistic missiles.
318
00:21:07,240 --> 00:21:09,440
Some of the largest
ever deployed.
319
00:21:09,480 --> 00:21:13,560
With that spirit and legacy
of innovation and training
320
00:21:13,600 --> 00:21:18,520
and reliability, when the time
came for the titan missile programme,
321
00:21:18,560 --> 00:21:20,880
chanute was the
obvious place to host it.
322
00:21:22,200 --> 00:21:25,320
Well, the 1950s,
it was decided that
323
00:21:25,360 --> 00:21:30,360
all seven different missile
programmes would move here
324
00:21:30,400 --> 00:21:33,280
to chanute and the
training was conducted here.
325
00:21:33,320 --> 00:21:36,000
This was the
primary training facility
326
00:21:36,040 --> 00:21:40,320
for especially missile launch
and missile maintenance.
327
00:21:40,360 --> 00:21:44,800
The titan missile housed a nine
mega-tonne nuclear warhead,
328
00:21:44,840 --> 00:21:48,680
making it america's single
most powerful nuclear weapon.
329
00:21:48,720 --> 00:21:53,640
And at chanute, the titan missile
silo was housed inside a vast hangar,
330
00:21:53,680 --> 00:21:57,920
so missilers could train in the
latest deployment techniques.
331
00:21:57,960 --> 00:22:00,680
They were fully prepared
to go out into the field
332
00:22:00,720 --> 00:22:04,760
and take the order, if
necessary, to fire a missile.
333
00:22:06,320 --> 00:22:09,080
The crews trained at
chanute through the years
334
00:22:09,120 --> 00:22:12,720
had to be vigilant and alert for
whatever threats were coming.
335
00:22:12,760 --> 00:22:17,760
So, chanute is
one of the pillars
336
00:22:17,800 --> 00:22:23,360
of the success of western power
in the cold war and we're free today
337
00:22:23,400 --> 00:22:27,000
because chanute did a very
good job in training its people.
338
00:22:28,880 --> 00:22:33,120
Chanute provided training for
thousands of us air force airmen.
339
00:22:34,200 --> 00:22:36,840
Until the government
downsized the armed forces
340
00:22:36,880 --> 00:22:40,000
and it was closed in 1993.
341
00:22:43,480 --> 00:22:46,720
The slightly melancholy
aspect to places like this,
342
00:22:46,760 --> 00:22:50,720
the sad reality is
that whilst war is live,
343
00:22:50,760 --> 00:22:53,480
places like this are of
a supreme importance.
344
00:22:53,520 --> 00:22:56,720
But when the war is over,
there's no real need for it,
345
00:22:56,760 --> 00:23:00,600
and their legacy is one that is so
powerful, but so quickly forgotten.
346
00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:02,320
This was like a family.
347
00:23:02,360 --> 00:23:05,840
I mean, there were a lot of people
here just really enjoyed working
348
00:23:05,880 --> 00:23:09,600
with each other and they enjoyed
their jobs and they really enjoyed
349
00:23:09,640 --> 00:23:13,840
what they were doing, it gave
your life a meaning to work here.
350
00:23:13,880 --> 00:23:17,000
And at least for me, that
was a very important thing.
351
00:23:23,400 --> 00:23:25,680
In a remote region
of western Ukraine
352
00:23:25,720 --> 00:23:29,240
stands an imposing building
with an unusual charm.
353
00:23:35,320 --> 00:23:41,680
You're out in this rural area and
here's a hulking massive castle.
354
00:23:41,720 --> 00:23:44,160
It looks almost like an
English manor house
355
00:23:44,200 --> 00:23:46,080
out of a Tim Burton movie.
356
00:23:46,120 --> 00:23:51,520
On examining this palace, you
know, you're struck by its grandeur,
357
00:23:51,560 --> 00:23:55,440
its magnificence and yet, something
really bad has happened to it.
358
00:23:56,320 --> 00:23:57,840
It's brooding.
359
00:23:57,880 --> 00:24:01,920
Every one of those windows
looks like it ought to have
360
00:24:01,960 --> 00:24:04,640
a ghost hiding in the draperies.
361
00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:10,200
You could see how people could
find this kind of spooky and unsettling.
362
00:24:10,240 --> 00:24:15,720
All across this grand building
are confusing design aspects.
363
00:24:17,160 --> 00:24:19,760
This has kind of
a split personality.
364
00:24:19,800 --> 00:24:24,760
On the one hand, it looks like a
sprawling English country estate
365
00:24:24,800 --> 00:24:26,960
with grand windows
and ballrooms.
366
00:24:27,000 --> 00:24:29,920
On the other hand, it
has a military quality.
367
00:24:29,960 --> 00:24:33,560
It's got a moat and
emplacements for canons.
368
00:24:35,240 --> 00:24:39,200
Throughout its life, this building
went through so much turmoil.
369
00:24:39,240 --> 00:24:42,000
But what finally
struck this place down
370
00:24:42,040 --> 00:24:46,000
was a bizarre and
unexpected twist to its story.
371
00:24:50,520 --> 00:24:54,720
The foundations of this castle
are buried in the 17th century,
372
00:24:54,760 --> 00:24:58,920
when this area was a part of the
Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth.
373
00:24:58,960 --> 00:25:03,520
A territory that stretched
over 400,000 square miles
374
00:25:03,560 --> 00:25:04,920
in Eastern Europe.
375
00:25:05,920 --> 00:25:10,040
The palace was built by a guy
named stanisław poniatowski,
376
00:25:10,080 --> 00:25:14,480
who was a grand hetman -
meaning a senior advisor to the king -
377
00:25:14,520 --> 00:25:18,040
and a guy that, you know,
exercised a lot of power
378
00:25:18,080 --> 00:25:23,040
and wanted to build a palace
that reflected his personal role
379
00:25:23,080 --> 00:25:25,320
in this Polish-Lithuanian
commonwealth.
380
00:25:26,720 --> 00:25:31,080
Historian Ivan dudych has
explored every room in this building.
381
00:25:32,920 --> 00:25:38,600
Hidden behind the fortress walls,
there is a real royal luxury inside.
382
00:25:38,640 --> 00:25:41,000
There are bright, grand
rooms that display wealth.
383
00:25:41,040 --> 00:25:43,760
There were balls and
thematic evenings here,
384
00:25:43,800 --> 00:25:45,720
both theatrical and poetic.
385
00:25:45,760 --> 00:25:47,880
There were also
musical performances.
386
00:25:47,920 --> 00:25:50,360
Life raged within these walls.
387
00:25:51,480 --> 00:25:55,480
But this building doesn't only
feel like a luxurious palace.
388
00:25:55,520 --> 00:26:00,240
The parties came later, something
else was going on here before.
389
00:26:01,720 --> 00:26:06,760
It's not exactly a palace
for a aristocrat to enjoy
390
00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:09,880
all the pleasures of life, because
it has some real military features.
391
00:26:09,920 --> 00:26:12,000
It's up on this hill. It
has a moat around it.
392
00:26:12,040 --> 00:26:16,600
It has a couple of fortified
bastions on it to repel attackers.
393
00:26:17,480 --> 00:26:19,400
When you look at
this place from the air,
394
00:26:19,440 --> 00:26:25,480
you see the long, pointy corners
of what's called the trace italienne,
395
00:26:25,520 --> 00:26:27,800
the Italian shape of fortresses.
396
00:26:27,840 --> 00:26:31,680
And this is designed
to repel Cannon fire.
397
00:26:31,720 --> 00:26:36,600
To the extent that poniatowski
built a military structure -
398
00:26:36,640 --> 00:26:38,360
one that could be defended -
399
00:26:38,400 --> 00:26:43,240
that turned out to be smart
because, in fact, this palace
400
00:26:43,280 --> 00:26:48,040
was the focal point of a number of
battles and attacks over the years.
401
00:26:49,640 --> 00:26:52,600
Reflecting the violent
times it was built in,
402
00:26:52,640 --> 00:26:55,520
the result was a
unique hybrid design,
403
00:26:55,560 --> 00:26:58,520
an opulent grandiosity
on the inside,
404
00:26:58,560 --> 00:27:02,960
but a brutally efficient military
structure on the outside.
405
00:27:03,000 --> 00:27:06,200
This is pidhirtsi castle.
406
00:27:11,040 --> 00:27:15,480
What were the defensive
advantages of this type of castle?
407
00:27:15,520 --> 00:27:19,080
At close range, it was easy to
fire effectively from the castle,
408
00:27:19,120 --> 00:27:20,960
and the fact that
it had a bastion
409
00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:24,520
and Pentagon towers
made it hard to breach.
410
00:27:25,560 --> 00:27:28,640
Here is a strategically
important valley.
411
00:27:28,680 --> 00:27:31,480
If you come
charging up this valley
412
00:27:31,520 --> 00:27:34,040
and if you can get
up there with impunity,
413
00:27:34,080 --> 00:27:40,480
then you can make inroads against
the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth.
414
00:27:41,480 --> 00:27:45,040
Across the first 150
years of its existence,
415
00:27:45,080 --> 00:27:48,880
the castle saw
battle after battle.
416
00:27:48,920 --> 00:27:51,320
But the warring
wouldn't last forever.
417
00:27:51,360 --> 00:27:55,160
It suddenly arrives in an era of
peace from the 1770s onward,
418
00:27:55,200 --> 00:27:57,120
because of the
partitions of Poland.
419
00:27:57,160 --> 00:28:00,280
So, now, this is a
golden age for the castle
420
00:28:00,320 --> 00:28:03,480
because now, it's in a region
that's characterised by peace.
421
00:28:03,520 --> 00:28:06,080
They can develop all
of its economic assets.
422
00:28:06,800 --> 00:28:12,400
As the austro-Hungarian
empire starts to exert control over
423
00:28:12,440 --> 00:28:17,080
galicia, this part of the world,
it becomes a lot more peaceful.
424
00:28:17,120 --> 00:28:22,720
And as austro-Hungarian
empire policies
425
00:28:22,760 --> 00:28:26,000
start to make this place wealthy
426
00:28:26,040 --> 00:28:31,960
this fortress becomes a
Jewel of a country house.
427
00:28:32,840 --> 00:28:35,760
Designed with opulence in mind,
428
00:28:35,800 --> 00:28:40,800
pidhirtsi castle now reverted
to its original purpose.
429
00:28:40,840 --> 00:28:44,440
The second floor was
occupied by the royal rooms.
430
00:28:44,480 --> 00:28:46,160
There were several halls.
431
00:28:46,200 --> 00:28:49,760
Crimson hall, yellow hall,
and the European throne room.
432
00:28:49,800 --> 00:28:52,280
They all helped influence
the decorative style
433
00:28:52,320 --> 00:28:55,160
of other palaces and
castles in the region.
434
00:28:55,200 --> 00:28:58,880
There were highly artistic
parquet floors, marble windowsills
435
00:28:58,920 --> 00:29:02,320
and all the walls were
covered with precious tapestries.
436
00:29:03,160 --> 00:29:07,680
This castle becomes
a place of ostentation.
437
00:29:07,720 --> 00:29:11,040
It becomes a place
to show off wealth.
438
00:29:12,720 --> 00:29:15,360
But for all its glamour,
there was something troubling
439
00:29:15,400 --> 00:29:18,240
lingering in the background.
440
00:29:18,280 --> 00:29:20,600
A gruesome tale
that still haunts
441
00:29:20,640 --> 00:29:24,600
the castle's empty
rooms and dark corridors.
442
00:29:26,480 --> 00:29:29,280
We're currently standing in
the dungeons of the castle.
443
00:29:29,320 --> 00:29:32,680
This place gives you the
shivers. It's cold and damp.
444
00:29:32,720 --> 00:29:35,880
The 18th century was
a strange, bizarre epoch
445
00:29:35,920 --> 00:29:39,840
and there was no better place than
the basement to hide your secrets.
446
00:29:42,040 --> 00:29:46,120
The second owner of the
castle was waclaw rzewuski,
447
00:29:46,160 --> 00:29:48,760
and dark legends surround him.
448
00:29:51,720 --> 00:29:54,120
His fiancee Maria rzewuski,
449
00:29:54,160 --> 00:29:58,240
a beautiful 16-year-old girl
who constantly cheated on him.
450
00:29:58,280 --> 00:30:01,240
Rumour has it that driven
by suspicion and jealousy,
451
00:30:01,280 --> 00:30:02,360
he murdered her.
452
00:30:02,400 --> 00:30:04,160
Her body has never
been discovered.
453
00:30:04,200 --> 00:30:06,480
It's believed that her
spirit never found peace
454
00:30:06,520 --> 00:30:10,200
and she is buried
somewhere within these walls.
455
00:30:11,120 --> 00:30:14,480
Maria's spirit, however,
wouldn't be the only one
456
00:30:14,520 --> 00:30:17,520
to haunt the castle's corridors.
457
00:30:17,560 --> 00:30:20,280
For, in time, a different
use for this place
458
00:30:20,320 --> 00:30:24,920
would soon see other
lost souls join her.
459
00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:28,960
By the mid-20th
century, war had returned.
460
00:30:29,000 --> 00:30:34,600
First, the Nazis, and then
the Soviets invaded this land.
461
00:30:34,640 --> 00:30:39,240
Not wanting to take any chances
as the rampaging forces approached,
462
00:30:39,280 --> 00:30:43,680
the castle's owner removed the
last of the treasures and fled to Brazil.
463
00:30:43,720 --> 00:30:47,640
The castle stripped bare
is what we see here today.
464
00:30:47,680 --> 00:30:51,880
When the Russians took control
of this territory late in world war ii,
465
00:30:51,920 --> 00:30:55,160
they didn't care about the
opulent past of the castle.
466
00:30:55,200 --> 00:30:59,240
They turned it into a hospital
for tuberculosis patients.
467
00:30:59,280 --> 00:31:03,680
They divided all the halls into
narrow corridors and tiny hospital
468
00:31:03,720 --> 00:31:07,920
wards, which significantly changed
the layout of the interior space.
469
00:31:07,960 --> 00:31:11,920
As the second world
war ended, finally,
470
00:31:11,960 --> 00:31:15,280
there was hope for peace
and calm again at pidhirtsi.
471
00:31:15,320 --> 00:31:19,520
But in 1956, a final
blow was struck.
472
00:31:19,560 --> 00:31:25,240
And just when the palace had
emerged from centuries of war
473
00:31:25,280 --> 00:31:28,240
and looked like it was
going to reclaim its old lustre,
474
00:31:28,280 --> 00:31:31,160
somebody was working up
in the roof with a blowtorch,
475
00:31:31,200 --> 00:31:33,680
doing some
repairs, started a fire.
476
00:31:33,720 --> 00:31:36,720
So, a lot of the damage to
the palace that we can see
477
00:31:36,760 --> 00:31:40,320
with a naked eye today, you
know, stems from that big fire.
478
00:31:40,360 --> 00:31:43,960
This place that was
so strong for so long,
479
00:31:44,000 --> 00:31:48,600
this fortress that existed
for hundreds of years,
480
00:31:48,640 --> 00:31:56,360
built to last, was so absurdly
destroyed by a simple house fire.
481
00:32:01,160 --> 00:32:05,280
And plans are now afoot
for the next stage of its life.
482
00:32:07,160 --> 00:32:10,280
The actual goal is
to rebuild this place
483
00:32:10,320 --> 00:32:12,720
and open a museum
about pidhirtsi castle.
484
00:32:12,760 --> 00:32:15,960
We are hopeful that this
castle will attract visitors
485
00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:18,800
and will have another
chance to shine.
486
00:32:19,920 --> 00:32:24,840
In spite of everything that was
thrown at this place for centuries,
487
00:32:24,880 --> 00:32:27,760
the walls are still there,
488
00:32:27,800 --> 00:32:30,640
the new roof is up,
489
00:32:30,680 --> 00:32:34,360
and maybe this place
has got the staying power
490
00:32:34,400 --> 00:32:39,440
to continue to dominate this
valley for a long time to come.
491
00:32:46,200 --> 00:32:48,840
In the mountains of Slovenia,
492
00:32:48,880 --> 00:32:53,880
a set of crumbling ruins perch
above a precipitous gorge.
493
00:32:57,960 --> 00:33:02,480
You might think of this, at a
distance, as an old monastery.
494
00:33:02,520 --> 00:33:06,840
The thing that strikes you is,
it's a very calm, tranquil place.
495
00:33:06,880 --> 00:33:09,320
But scars on the mountainside
496
00:33:09,360 --> 00:33:13,080
hint that the Serenity
is not what it seems.
497
00:33:13,120 --> 00:33:16,120
There's a whole series of
stone walls tunnelling through
498
00:33:16,160 --> 00:33:18,680
the earth and something
about it doesn't feel quite right.
499
00:33:21,120 --> 00:33:23,880
Structures scattered
around this whole area
500
00:33:23,920 --> 00:33:26,800
point to a history of conflict.
501
00:33:27,200 --> 00:33:30,400
Somebody went to enormous effort
502
00:33:30,440 --> 00:33:37,120
to actually cut through rock
and excavate trench systems.
503
00:33:37,160 --> 00:33:39,800
This building
hasn't just decayed.
504
00:33:39,840 --> 00:33:43,040
Massive damage
was inflicted upon it.
505
00:33:43,080 --> 00:33:45,480
Whole walls have
been bought down.
506
00:33:46,720 --> 00:33:52,120
And on the plains below this place,
half a million men were slaughtered.
507
00:33:52,160 --> 00:33:58,280
This site saw one of the
most futile and deadly battles
508
00:33:58,320 --> 00:34:01,200
in one of history's most
catastrophic conflicts.
509
00:34:04,360 --> 00:34:09,360
At the turn of the 20th century
this region lay under Austrian rule
510
00:34:09,400 --> 00:34:12,200
at the edge of the
austro-Hungarian empire,
511
00:34:12,240 --> 00:34:15,280
on the border with
a newly unified Italy.
512
00:34:16,080 --> 00:34:20,720
Italy wanted the austro-Hungarian
land just across its border
513
00:34:20,760 --> 00:34:23,680
in the Julian alps in
what was, at the time,
514
00:34:23,720 --> 00:34:25,160
austro-Hungarian territory.
515
00:34:26,160 --> 00:34:28,600
With the threat of war looming,
516
00:34:28,640 --> 00:34:33,880
in 1900 the Austrians finished
building this - fort hermann.
517
00:34:33,920 --> 00:34:37,800
The purpose of fort hermann
is to mount heavy guns
518
00:34:37,840 --> 00:34:42,000
that will control the
valley and the pass below.
519
00:34:42,040 --> 00:34:45,880
At every key pass and valley,
520
00:34:45,920 --> 00:34:51,760
there are military fortifications
that are very, very tough to take.
521
00:34:52,440 --> 00:34:56,320
Local historian and tour
guide Vladimir lipovec
522
00:34:56,360 --> 00:35:00,680
is an expert in the Austrian
border defence system.
523
00:35:00,720 --> 00:35:03,320
They made 92 fortresses
524
00:35:03,360 --> 00:35:08,800
all along the border between
Austria-Hungary and Italy.
525
00:35:08,840 --> 00:35:12,400
This position was
chosen because from here,
526
00:35:12,440 --> 00:35:16,520
you can see the Italians
coming from the west.
527
00:35:16,560 --> 00:35:20,000
From this window,
you can see the enemy
528
00:35:20,040 --> 00:35:22,200
and you can shoot the enemy.
529
00:35:22,240 --> 00:35:26,320
Fort hermann really
commanded this valley region
530
00:35:26,360 --> 00:35:28,400
with particularly
good viewpoints.
531
00:35:28,440 --> 00:35:31,440
And you can imagine this fort
perched on this mountainside
532
00:35:31,480 --> 00:35:35,000
and glaring down at
troops marching towards it.
533
00:35:36,880 --> 00:35:41,040
But no amount of mountain
defences would prevent the carnage
534
00:35:41,080 --> 00:35:44,240
that was about to play
out in the valley below.
535
00:35:44,280 --> 00:35:46,680
Across the border,
the Italians believed
536
00:35:46,720 --> 00:35:49,720
this land to be
rightfully theirs.
537
00:35:50,680 --> 00:35:55,200
When world war I started, Italy
should have sided with Germany
538
00:35:55,240 --> 00:35:58,400
and Austria-Hungary. But, in
fact, Italy decided to be neutral.
539
00:35:58,440 --> 00:36:00,880
That meant that it was
courted by both sides
540
00:36:00,920 --> 00:36:04,200
and, ultimately, it was the
allies who were able to offer Italy
541
00:36:04,240 --> 00:36:06,600
the greatest
prospect of success.
542
00:36:08,160 --> 00:36:12,040
The allies promised Italy the
prize of these disputed lands.
543
00:36:12,080 --> 00:36:15,200
And in 1915, the
Italians joined the war
544
00:36:15,240 --> 00:36:18,680
led by the notorious
general Luigi cadorna.
545
00:36:18,720 --> 00:36:22,560
One commentator described
him as an old Roman
546
00:36:22,600 --> 00:36:25,280
cast in the big, simple
mould of antiquity.
547
00:36:25,560 --> 00:36:28,440
Cadorna, as the
Italian chief of staff,
548
00:36:28,480 --> 00:36:34,960
is the picture of the officer
who has a headquarters 17 miles
549
00:36:35,000 --> 00:36:40,040
far behind the front, almost
out of hearing of any artillery fire.
550
00:36:41,240 --> 00:36:43,800
He was an authoritarian.
He was old-fashioned.
551
00:36:43,840 --> 00:36:46,040
He was a strict disciplinarian.
552
00:36:46,080 --> 00:36:47,840
He ran the army like a dictator.
553
00:36:49,520 --> 00:36:54,320
One of the first prizes in
cadorna's sights was fort hermann.
554
00:36:54,360 --> 00:36:57,840
In anticipation of this,
the Austrian's reinforced
555
00:36:57,880 --> 00:37:03,440
their defences on the plains below,
an area known as the bovec basin.
556
00:37:03,960 --> 00:37:06,600
There's a whole
series of stone walls
557
00:37:06,640 --> 00:37:08,240
snaking across the mountainside.
558
00:37:08,280 --> 00:37:10,561
And as you look, it becomes
apparent these are trenches.
559
00:37:11,360 --> 00:37:13,920
This is battery chello,
560
00:37:13,960 --> 00:37:19,520
a nearly 200m-long trench
connecting two artillery positions.
561
00:37:19,560 --> 00:37:24,480
They prepared some positions
to stop the Italian attack.
562
00:37:24,520 --> 00:37:31,760
The Cannon was fixed here and
you can move it for maybe 60 degrees.
563
00:37:33,120 --> 00:37:36,560
The Austrian defences
continued below ground,
564
00:37:36,600 --> 00:37:39,960
where shored-up caves
would act as bunkers.
565
00:37:40,000 --> 00:37:44,560
To hide against
heavy artillery fire,
566
00:37:44,600 --> 00:37:46,600
they made a lot of caverns.
567
00:37:46,640 --> 00:37:53,040
And this small division near bovec,
there's approximately 500 caverns.
568
00:37:53,960 --> 00:37:58,960
On 29 may, just six days
after the Italians joined the war,
569
00:37:59,000 --> 00:38:03,680
Luigi cadorna gave the
order for his troops to attack.
570
00:38:03,720 --> 00:38:08,680
This splinter is a part of Italian
grenade, which were launched
571
00:38:08,720 --> 00:38:13,680
across this mountain over
there, which is 2,200m high.
572
00:38:13,720 --> 00:38:17,240
All these grenades were
launched across the mountain.
573
00:38:17,280 --> 00:38:21,440
Approximately 200 grenades
were falling around there.
574
00:38:21,480 --> 00:38:25,600
All these grenades were
producing strong noise,
575
00:38:25,640 --> 00:38:29,040
which causes shellshock.
576
00:38:30,080 --> 00:38:35,120
Fort hermann held its own, but
Luigi cadorna was far from done.
577
00:38:35,160 --> 00:38:41,160
He throws away large numbers
of troops in pointless attacks
578
00:38:41,200 --> 00:38:45,400
and then criticises his commanders
who have had their units decimated
579
00:38:45,440 --> 00:38:49,640
by Austrian artillery
and machine guns.
580
00:38:49,680 --> 00:38:55,640
And for minimal gains, keeps doing
the same thing over and over again.
581
00:38:55,680 --> 00:38:59,800
The Italian attack on fort
hermann heralded the start
582
00:38:59,840 --> 00:39:05,120
of cadorna's ill-fated campaign
along the infamous isonzo front,
583
00:39:05,160 --> 00:39:07,720
which ran south
from fort hermann.
584
00:39:07,760 --> 00:39:10,480
Here, some of the
bloodiest battles
585
00:39:10,520 --> 00:39:13,560
of the first world war
were to be waged.
586
00:39:13,600 --> 00:39:18,600
This is a front
of only 60 miles.
587
00:39:18,640 --> 00:39:23,880
On a 60-mile front, we
have 300,000 dead Italians
588
00:39:23,920 --> 00:39:27,080
in the course of the war,
200,000 dead Austrians.
589
00:39:27,120 --> 00:39:33,240
This is one of the bloodiest
battlefields anywhere.
590
00:39:34,320 --> 00:39:38,200
This is the place where everything
ended with just one battle,
591
00:39:38,240 --> 00:39:41,840
but not before half a million
men had lost their lives.
592
00:39:43,120 --> 00:39:49,480
Eventually, in 1917, cadorna's
men were nearing the bovec basin
593
00:39:49,520 --> 00:39:53,320
and the mountain
town of caporetto.
594
00:39:53,360 --> 00:39:56,880
The frontline went
through this, bovec basin,
595
00:39:56,920 --> 00:40:01,080
across those two
mountains or hills.
596
00:40:01,120 --> 00:40:05,200
The Italian positions were on
the other side, a little further,
597
00:40:05,240 --> 00:40:06,720
and the Austrians were here.
598
00:40:06,760 --> 00:40:11,280
And this was the beginning
of the battle of caporetto,
599
00:40:11,320 --> 00:40:13,920
but began here in
the bovec region.
600
00:40:14,840 --> 00:40:18,400
Instead of defending,
the Austrians called in help
601
00:40:18,440 --> 00:40:21,120
from a specialist
German military unit.
602
00:40:21,160 --> 00:40:24,600
They came armed with
a controversial weapon.
603
00:40:24,640 --> 00:40:27,720
They bought a special weapon -
604
00:40:27,760 --> 00:40:32,000
gas - and this was
very poisonous gas
605
00:40:32,040 --> 00:40:37,760
and it was launched down
there, from this direction,
606
00:40:37,800 --> 00:40:41,440
to Italian positions
approximately a mile away.
607
00:40:41,480 --> 00:40:46,640
In a few seconds, approximately
500 Italian soldiers were dead.
608
00:40:48,200 --> 00:40:55,600
The Italians, taken by
surprise, break very rapidly
609
00:40:55,640 --> 00:41:01,680
and the entire front
collapses in a two-week period.
610
00:41:01,720 --> 00:41:05,520
The Italian loss at
the battle of caporetto
611
00:41:05,560 --> 00:41:09,760
is one of the most comprehensive
defeats in Italian military history.
612
00:41:09,800 --> 00:41:13,280
General Luigi cadorna
was finally sacked.
613
00:41:13,320 --> 00:41:15,600
Despite their
victory at caporetto,
614
00:41:15,640 --> 00:41:18,280
the Austrian-German
alliance lost the war
615
00:41:18,320 --> 00:41:22,000
and the vast austro-Hungarian
empire collapsed.
616
00:41:22,040 --> 00:41:28,040
And at the end of the war
Italy gets this piece of land
617
00:41:28,080 --> 00:41:32,080
that they had wanted, but
it's certainly not worth the price
618
00:41:32,120 --> 00:41:36,000
of several 100,000 dead
and the virtual rumination
619
00:41:36,040 --> 00:41:37,560
of the Italian economy.
620
00:41:41,920 --> 00:41:46,160
Today, the crumbling structures
that litter the bovec basin
621
00:41:46,200 --> 00:41:49,960
are all that's left
of a bitter conflict.
622
00:41:51,520 --> 00:41:56,680
Now, the region is known for the
beauty of the landscape and hiking.
623
00:41:56,720 --> 00:42:00,080
There's even a path
of peace created
624
00:42:00,120 --> 00:42:03,320
that connects the forts
and the old trench system.
625
00:42:14,840 --> 00:42:18,360
Now, they are
abandoned, crumbling ruins.
626
00:42:18,400 --> 00:42:21,880
Many remind us of dark times,
627
00:42:21,920 --> 00:42:25,920
but some were once
beacons of hope and progress,
628
00:42:25,960 --> 00:42:32,520
lasting testimonies to human
imagination, enterprise and spirit.
629
00:42:36,960 --> 00:42:39,960
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