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In Poland, a fairy-tale castle
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at the heart of a modern-day
treasure hunt.
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The world's media descended
on what brought them all here -
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00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:18,360
it was the promise of Nazi gold.
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00:00:21,080 --> 00:00:26,640
An American millionaire's mansion,
caught in a web of controversy.
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00:00:26,640 --> 00:00:30,920
We're talking about insurance
claims and alcoholism.
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00:00:30,920 --> 00:00:31,960
Murder.
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00:00:34,120 --> 00:00:38,280
A ghostly shell in Lebanon
with an influential past.
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00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:43,520
A group met here that would shape
the modern Middle East.
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00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:52,080
And an Irish country estate drawn
into a brutal fight for freedom.
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00:00:52,080 --> 00:00:54,960
Owned by one of the most
hated men in Ireland,
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some say that this house was cursed.
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Decaying relics...
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...ruins of lost worlds...
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...sights haunted by the past...
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...their secrets waiting
to be revealed.
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In southern Poland
is a commanding residence
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rumoured to harbour
a precious secret.
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Up on the hilltop,
kind of above the tree line,
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is this grand, majestic structure.
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Inside, that splendour continues.
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Red carpeted staircases
lead up to huge hallways
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with marble floors.
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Yet this opulent citadel
has hidden depths.
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Behind an ordinary-looking door
is a secret subterranean world.
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As your eyes adjust,
you start to get a sense of
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just how large this space is.
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It's like you're walking
through a railway tunnel.
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Some of the tunnels even
seem to have collapsed
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or have been deliberately destroyed,
perhaps to hide something.
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For decades, tales were told
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of a brutal regime's riches that
went missing in this exact area.
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In 2016, it appeared the truth
would finally be revealed.
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And everybody's waiting
for the moment
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when we finally get to see
the thing we're looking for -
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Nazi gold.
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There's been some sort of
fortification here
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since the late 1200s,
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but over time, it's been
destroyed and rebuilt.
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00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:09,600
In the early 1500s,
the Hoberg family took control,
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and their descendants owned it
right up into the 20th century.
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{\an8}But in 1941, the Nazi regime
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{\an8}confiscated the castle
from its owners.
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When the Germans invaded
and occupied Poland
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during the Second World War,
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they seized many lavish residences.
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This one is called Ksiaz Castle,
and it was intended to serve as
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the Fuhrer's imperial headquarters
in this region.
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They wanted to make it a palace
fit for Hitler himself, and in 1943,
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work began on remodelling
the interiors to fit his tastes.
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The Nazis are going to rip out
everything they think of
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as decadent or over-decorative.
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But it was below ground
that the biggest changes were made.
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To ensure his safety, a private
escape elevator was installed
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just opposite Hitler's bedroom door.
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The elevator led to a vast
underground network,
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excavated at great human cost
by inmates
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from a nearby concentration camp.
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The sheer scale of the tunnel system
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00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:28,560
suggests it was much more than
just a place for Hitler to hide.
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Germany is under immense stress,
by this point, in the war.
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Scarce war materials like concrete,
reinforcing bar, all of these things
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which could be used anywhere
in the German Reich,
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are being used here.
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What is it that justifies
their use in this place?
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Historians have theorised that
they could have been anything,
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from bomb proof underground
factories to chemical,
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or even nuclear research labs.
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00:05:02,880 --> 00:05:06,480
There is another theory that
might explain what these tunnels
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were used for.
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Ksiaz Castle has
long been linked to a legend
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forged in the dying days
of the Second World War.
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It began when the Soviet Red Army
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approached the Nazi-occupied city
of Breslau, 60 miles from here.
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It's said that during the chaos
of the evacuation,
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an armoured train was loaded up
with more than 330 tonnes of gold,
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a vast array of jewels, weaponry
and priceless works of art.
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So the train supposedly left
the city just before the attack
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and started heading down the line
nearby, that ran to the castle.
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The legend has it that this armoured
train rattled through one station,
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but never came to the next station.
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00:06:01,440 --> 00:06:05,480
But huge armoured trains
don't just disappear.
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00:06:05,480 --> 00:06:08,880
The story goes that
there was a railway line
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leading into these tunnel networks,
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and that once the train
had passed through,
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the entrance to the tunnel
was blown up,
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hiding the train inside.
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Piotr Koper is a treasure hunter
who has spent over a decade
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searching for Hitler's lost gold.
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He suspects the tunnels
below Ksiaz Castle
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were a secret underground train line,
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once connected to
the main railway line,
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only two miles from here.
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Is.
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In August 2015, Piotr
and his business partner
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made an exciting discovery
under an earthen embankment
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next to the main railway line.
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The fortune hunters used
ground-penetrating radar
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to build up an image of
what was hidden below ground.
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Pyotr applied for permission
to start digging,
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00:07:51,600 --> 00:07:55,200
and the next year,
access was granted,
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but the local authorities
gave him just seven days
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to complete his investigation,
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00:07:59,800 --> 00:08:03,440
because the train line
running next to the excavation site
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had to be shut down during this time.
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00:08:07,400 --> 00:08:10,920
On August 16th, 2016, work began.
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00:08:12,440 --> 00:08:15,120
The world's media descended.
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I mean, they were following
every moment.
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It's so exciting the idea
that at long last,
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00:08:23,880 --> 00:08:28,120
after decades of tales of Nazi gold,
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00:08:28,120 --> 00:08:31,080
we're finally going to find some.
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00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:35,160
There was a lot on the line
for Piotr and his partner.
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00:08:35,160 --> 00:08:41,360
Not only had they invested
a reported $131,000 in the dig,
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their reputations
were also at stake.
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00:09:01,880 --> 00:09:03,800
The clock was ticking.
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So after seven days of digging,
they found nothing.
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No tunnel, no gold, no train.
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00:09:38,560 --> 00:09:41,040
In the spotlight
of the world's media,
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00:09:41,040 --> 00:09:44,760
Pyotr and his team
were forced to give up.
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00:10:02,760 --> 00:10:07,360
Although Peter's hunt for the Nazi
gold train didn't go as planned,
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00:10:07,360 --> 00:10:10,600
the media attention did provide
an unexpected boost
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00:10:10,600 --> 00:10:12,920
to the region's economy.
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00:10:12,920 --> 00:10:16,280
An official from a nearby
town actually admitted
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00:10:16,280 --> 00:10:21,880
that during the year of the dig,
tourism was up 44%.
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And who knows, perhaps the
Nazi gold train is still out there
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waiting to be found.
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In Atlanta, Georgia,
is an extravagant home
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built from the riches
of one of the world's
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00:10:41,200 --> 00:10:43,440
most famous business empires.
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00:10:47,120 --> 00:10:52,160
We are in the leafy suburban
neighbourhood of Druid Hills,
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00:10:52,160 --> 00:10:55,840
and if you go about 500ft
back from the road,
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there is this enormous mansion.
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It sits on Briarcliff Road in
an area known as Briarcliff Village.
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00:11:04,320 --> 00:11:07,200
I'm guessing that Briarcliff
has something important
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00:11:07,200 --> 00:11:10,200
in the history of this region,
but what does it mean?
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00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:15,000
Inside are these huge rooms
with carved wood panelling,
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00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:17,840
a grand, like, Gothic ballroom,
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numerous bedrooms.
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00:11:20,160 --> 00:11:23,880
And on the top floor, there seems
to be a hidden door
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in one of the wall panels.
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00:11:27,120 --> 00:11:30,920
The curiosities of this mansion
can only be explained
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by the eccentricities of its owner,
the heir to a vast fortune.
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He was often at the centre of
a lot of different controversy.
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He did whatever he wanted
and he didn't care.
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This story's sort of like
a real life version of Succession.
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00:11:50,120 --> 00:11:54,680
I'm talking powerful people,
narcissism...
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Greed, sibling rivalry and abuses
of power, all of which left
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a permanent legacy
in the city of Atlanta.
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00:12:07,120 --> 00:12:11,000
I moved to Atlanta in 2000,
and I lived here for about 15 years
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before I read about this abandoned
mansion in the suburbs and thought,
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I've got to go out and see it.
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Sarah Butler is an author
and expert on the history
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of this century-old property.
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Her first visit inspired
a five-year journey of discovery.
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I found all of these stories
about the man who built it,
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and the stories were kind of wild.
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Everything in this house
was designed to impress.
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In order to understand the man,
you have to understand the house.
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This is the home of
Asa Griggs Candler Jr.
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{\an8}Or, as his friends and family
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{\an8}referred to him, as Buddy.
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He had a life of immense privilege,
given that he was the second son
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and namesake of Coca-Cola
founder Asa Griggs Candler.
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00:13:00,240 --> 00:13:04,960
But the journey that motivated Buddy
to build such a sprawling estate
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was not as simple as it might appear.
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As the story goes,
Buddy was a troubled kid.
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He was mischievous,
according to everyone.
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He was just really difficult
to discipline.
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Around the time that he turned eight
was when his father closed the deal
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to take full ownership of Coca-Cola
and really take it on.
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And that's where he needed
his attention to be.
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The only solution, they felt,
was to send him away
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to an all-girls school.
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The reason for that is,
Asa Sr, his sister, ran the school.
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{\an8}His status as the black sheep
of the family
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{\an8}only got worse as time went on.
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During college, Buddy moved in with
his older brother, Charles Howard.
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Buddy soon developed
a reputation for bad behaviour.
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He made so much trouble
that his brother,
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whose grades were great during his
freshman year, started going down,
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so he was kind of dragging
his brother down with him.
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His father wrote a letter that said,
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00:14:01,280 --> 00:14:02,800
"I don't know what
I'm going to do with Buddy,
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"but I got to find something
to do with him."
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And they shipped him off
to California for a year.
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Fresh out of college,
Buddy was given a shot
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at running the family business
on the West Coast,
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overseeing manufacturing,
orders and fulfilment.
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It didn't go well.
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00:14:21,160 --> 00:14:24,520
It probably didn't help
that he spent most of his time
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00:14:24,520 --> 00:14:26,960
drinking and partying.
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00:14:26,960 --> 00:14:29,840
Asa Candler Sr never let him
have a part of Coca-Cola
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00:14:29,840 --> 00:14:32,080
as a business ever again.
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His older brother was always
the son who did things right,
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00:14:36,440 --> 00:14:39,280
and Buddy was sort of the son
who did things wrong.
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00:14:39,280 --> 00:14:44,760
And that put Buddy in a position
of always trying to outshine him.
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00:14:44,760 --> 00:14:47,680
That motivation prompted Buddy
to build
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00:14:47,680 --> 00:14:52,520
an attention-grabbing property
just to compete with his brother.
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00:14:52,520 --> 00:14:55,320
But he'd made so many
failed investments
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that he didn't have the money
to buy the land
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00:14:58,560 --> 00:15:00,520
to build his new house on.
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00:15:00,520 --> 00:15:03,320
Yet Buddy always found a way.
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00:15:05,320 --> 00:15:08,440
So in 1911, a big fire
broke out in his garage
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00:15:08,440 --> 00:15:11,520
and destroyed all of
his very valuable cars,
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00:15:11,520 --> 00:15:14,680
all insured and conveniently,
within about a month,
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00:15:14,680 --> 00:15:16,920
he's moving his family
out to this property
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00:15:16,920 --> 00:15:20,440
that he couldn't quite afford
to close on until that moment.
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00:15:20,440 --> 00:15:24,680
Buddy may have owned the land,
but he still didn't have the funds
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00:15:24,680 --> 00:15:27,400
to build his dream house.
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00:15:27,400 --> 00:15:32,080
He would have to wait until the
Coca-Cola company was sold in 1919,
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00:15:32,080 --> 00:15:35,880
when each of the Candler
siblings was paid out handsomely.
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00:15:35,880 --> 00:15:39,880
Buddy finally got the cash he needed
to start building the house
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00:15:39,880 --> 00:15:43,200
that would put his siblings
in the shade.
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00:15:43,200 --> 00:15:46,200
It was called Briarcliff Mansion.
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00:15:46,200 --> 00:15:49,760
By 1922, when Buddy was 42 years old,
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00:15:49,760 --> 00:15:53,400
it was ready for he
and his family to move into.
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00:15:53,400 --> 00:15:54,840
One of the things that I love
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00:15:54,840 --> 00:15:57,160
is that his brother already
lived on this road.
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He built this house
and renamed the road,
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00:15:59,560 --> 00:16:02,840
so he renamed
his brother's address Briarcliff.
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00:16:02,840 --> 00:16:07,240
It was a nice little kind of...
finger to his brother.
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00:16:07,240 --> 00:16:10,840
The name Briarcliff
actually comes from
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00:16:10,840 --> 00:16:16,480
Buddy's most beloved sports
car, the Lozier Briarcliff.
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00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:20,440
This, surprisingly, was one
of the few cars to survive
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00:16:20,440 --> 00:16:23,400
the mysterious fire in his garage.
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00:16:23,400 --> 00:16:25,600
In 1925,
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00:16:25,600 --> 00:16:28,960
Buddy was still not content
with his home,
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00:16:28,960 --> 00:16:32,120
and so he decided
to build a music hall
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00:16:32,120 --> 00:16:34,320
that included an in-home organ.
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00:16:36,920 --> 00:16:39,720
The organ, for me, is a really key
part of the story
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00:16:39,720 --> 00:16:40,960
to understand Buddy.
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00:16:40,960 --> 00:16:43,560
It was a little bit bigger
than his brother's,
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00:16:43,560 --> 00:16:46,240
which was a little bit bigger
than their father's.
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00:16:46,240 --> 00:16:47,880
So I like to say, in this family,
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00:16:47,880 --> 00:16:49,680
there was an organ-measuring
contest,
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00:16:49,680 --> 00:16:52,320
but the organs were actually organs.
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00:16:53,480 --> 00:16:56,040
But Buddy was never
satisfied for long,
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00:16:56,040 --> 00:17:00,120
and always needed something
else to occupy his time.
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00:17:00,120 --> 00:17:03,240
One of the things that sort of
marked out Buddy's life
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00:17:03,240 --> 00:17:05,600
was his obsessions.
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00:17:05,600 --> 00:17:08,960
You know, he always had to have
the latest, shiniest toy.
242
00:17:08,960 --> 00:17:11,960
He always needed
an exciting new hobby,
243
00:17:11,960 --> 00:17:15,720
and in this case, that exciting
new hobby was magic.
244
00:17:16,800 --> 00:17:19,960
He filled a room with
his magic tricks,
245
00:17:19,960 --> 00:17:23,480
and he would regularly take
an aeroplane to New York City
246
00:17:23,480 --> 00:17:25,880
just to buy more.
247
00:17:25,880 --> 00:17:30,320
In one instance, instead of going to
the magic store in New York,
248
00:17:30,320 --> 00:17:33,640
he simply wrote out a $10,000 cheque
249
00:17:33,640 --> 00:17:37,480
and asked for one item
of everything in the catalogue.
250
00:17:39,320 --> 00:17:42,240
His devotion didn't stop there.
251
00:17:42,240 --> 00:17:44,600
On a family holiday
to the Philippines,
252
00:17:44,600 --> 00:17:48,640
he met a local magician
named Jose Cruz.
253
00:17:48,640 --> 00:17:50,040
Buddy was so impressed
254
00:17:50,040 --> 00:17:52,880
that he actually took him
back with him to America.
255
00:17:52,880 --> 00:17:57,360
Cruz was officially employed
as a butler, but his real job
256
00:17:57,360 --> 00:18:00,480
was as Buddy's personal magic tutor.
257
00:18:02,200 --> 00:18:06,760
But soon, a terrible scandal was
going to engulf Briarcliff Mansion,
258
00:18:06,760 --> 00:18:10,920
and Buddy's love of magic would be
the least of the casualties.
259
00:18:12,720 --> 00:18:15,280
On the 18th of January 1931,
260
00:18:15,280 --> 00:18:18,040
Buddy was woken with the news
261
00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:23,440
that Cruz had been found dead
on the grounds of his property.
262
00:18:23,440 --> 00:18:26,360
But this wasn't an ordinary death.
263
00:18:26,360 --> 00:18:31,160
Jose's body was found next
to a young woman named Gladys,
264
00:18:31,160 --> 00:18:33,440
and Gladys was also his lover,
265
00:18:33,440 --> 00:18:36,240
and at first, it appeared
that the two
266
00:18:36,240 --> 00:18:39,760
had died in what appeared
to be a double suicide.
267
00:18:41,360 --> 00:18:44,800
Gladys's parents disapproved
of the relationship
268
00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:47,600
because Cruz was Filipino.
269
00:18:47,600 --> 00:18:51,160
The suicide note suggested
that the couple felt death
270
00:18:51,160 --> 00:18:55,240
was the only way
they could be together forever.
271
00:18:55,240 --> 00:18:59,520
But things didn't quite add up.
272
00:18:59,520 --> 00:19:04,240
Ultimately, what was determined by
a jury pulled together very quickly
273
00:19:04,240 --> 00:19:06,160
was that it was a murder suicide.
274
00:19:06,160 --> 00:19:08,360
Jose Cruz was very troubled,
275
00:19:08,360 --> 00:19:11,240
and he killed her
and killed himself.
276
00:19:11,240 --> 00:19:13,720
It made national news.
277
00:19:13,720 --> 00:19:19,040
For Buddy, the press attention
was a major embarrassment.
278
00:19:19,040 --> 00:19:22,520
He went to great lengths
to try and bury the story,
279
00:19:22,520 --> 00:19:25,080
leveraging his many
family connections
280
00:19:25,080 --> 00:19:28,760
to try to make the story go away.
281
00:19:28,760 --> 00:19:33,080
The whole affair kind of left
a bitter taste in Buddy's mouth,
282
00:19:33,080 --> 00:19:36,080
so he gave up magic completely.
283
00:19:36,080 --> 00:19:39,480
The one thing, though,
he did not give up, was the bottle.
284
00:19:39,480 --> 00:19:43,400
It's even rumoured that the start
of his next adventure came
285
00:19:43,400 --> 00:19:47,240
because he was drunk
and at a circus in Europe,
286
00:19:47,240 --> 00:19:49,840
and bought a bunch of animals.
287
00:19:49,840 --> 00:19:54,080
In order to fund his newest hobby,
he began charging admission
288
00:19:54,080 --> 00:19:57,320
for people to come visit
his private zoo.
289
00:19:57,320 --> 00:20:01,240
We're not just talking elephants,
we're talking lions, tigers,
290
00:20:01,240 --> 00:20:05,760
black panthers, Shetland ponies,
a whole pack of bears.
291
00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:12,160
But like many of his other projects,
this one was doomed from the start.
292
00:20:14,040 --> 00:20:16,880
What he didn't anticipate was
how expensive it was
293
00:20:16,880 --> 00:20:18,560
to run a zoo on your own lawn.
294
00:20:18,560 --> 00:20:21,440
A dime a person was never
going to make him enough money
295
00:20:21,440 --> 00:20:22,920
to make this viable.
296
00:20:22,920 --> 00:20:26,680
So within a year, he was
already running in the red.
297
00:20:26,680 --> 00:20:30,440
Within two years, he was starting
to lose his temper with people -
298
00:20:30,440 --> 00:20:33,000
this was heavy
in the drinking years.
299
00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:36,920
Buddy was so disheartened,
he gave away many of the animals
300
00:20:36,920 --> 00:20:40,400
to what would later
become Atlanta City Zoo.
301
00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:43,080
His life was spiralling
out of control
302
00:20:43,080 --> 00:20:45,040
and something had to give.
303
00:20:46,320 --> 00:20:49,480
At some point,
late '30s, early 1940s,
304
00:20:49,480 --> 00:20:52,960
he has this realisation
that he is an alcoholic
305
00:20:52,960 --> 00:20:54,480
and he can't live like this anymore,
306
00:20:54,480 --> 00:20:56,160
and he decides to
get right with God.
307
00:20:56,160 --> 00:20:57,640
All evidence points to him
308
00:20:57,640 --> 00:21:00,080
successfully giving up
alcohol completely,
309
00:21:00,080 --> 00:21:04,320
so he spent that latter part
of his life completely sober.
310
00:21:04,320 --> 00:21:09,360
But by then, much of the damage
had already been done to his health
311
00:21:09,360 --> 00:21:11,160
and his finances.
312
00:21:12,760 --> 00:21:14,560
In 1947,
313
00:21:14,560 --> 00:21:17,640
he was, by his standards,
short of cash,
314
00:21:17,640 --> 00:21:21,320
and so he was forced
to sell off Briarcliff.
315
00:21:21,320 --> 00:21:24,680
Now, according to those who knew
him, it was a pretty crushing blow
316
00:21:24,680 --> 00:21:28,160
for him to give up
his beloved mansion.
317
00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:35,760
Six years later, in 1953, Buddy died
from liver cancer at the age of 72.
318
00:21:37,320 --> 00:21:40,960
He may not have left the legacy
that he hoped for,
319
00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:44,280
but he definitely left
his impact on the city.
320
00:21:45,960 --> 00:21:48,600
Nobody is black and white,
good or bad.
321
00:21:48,600 --> 00:21:50,320
He loved his family and friends.
322
00:21:50,320 --> 00:21:52,120
His family and friends loved him.
323
00:21:52,120 --> 00:21:54,600
He really did care about Atlanta,
324
00:21:54,600 --> 00:21:57,280
but he also cared
about himself more.
325
00:21:58,800 --> 00:22:03,400
The irony is that Buddy's mansion
ended up turning into
326
00:22:03,400 --> 00:22:07,160
Georgia's first alcohol addiction
treatment centre,
327
00:22:07,160 --> 00:22:11,000
and it functions in that capacity
through the 1980s.
328
00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:13,440
After that, it was abandoned.
329
00:22:18,720 --> 00:22:24,160
In 1998, Emory University
purchased the 42-acre estate
330
00:22:24,160 --> 00:22:28,840
that included Buddy's mansion
from the Atlanta government.
331
00:22:28,840 --> 00:22:34,480
Now, a multi-million dollar
renovation is in the works.
332
00:22:34,480 --> 00:22:38,240
Gary Hauk is
Emory University's historian.
333
00:22:40,320 --> 00:22:43,800
I'm sure Buddy would have
been heartbroken to see
334
00:22:43,800 --> 00:22:45,960
{\an8}what had been done to the building
335
00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:51,360
over the 100 years since
the building was finished.
336
00:22:51,360 --> 00:22:53,800
Given the importance of
the Candler family
337
00:22:53,800 --> 00:22:56,240
to the development
of modern Atlanta,
338
00:22:56,240 --> 00:23:00,640
I think it's really vital
to preserve the building as it is
339
00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:03,920
and to restore it,
perhaps as it once was.
340
00:23:10,280 --> 00:23:14,360
In County Limerick, Ireland,
stands a fallen symbol
341
00:23:14,360 --> 00:23:16,760
of the nation's troubled history.
342
00:23:22,080 --> 00:23:27,520
What we see is a patchwork
of fields with cattle grazing.
343
00:23:27,520 --> 00:23:33,120
It's quiet, idyllic, a picturesque
part of the Irish countryside.
344
00:23:33,120 --> 00:23:38,040
But right at the centre of it all
is an unusual, imposing structure.
345
00:23:38,040 --> 00:23:42,040
It could be a ruined Roman temple,
abandoned for 2000 years,
346
00:23:42,040 --> 00:23:44,640
but the Romans
never made it to Ireland.
347
00:23:44,640 --> 00:23:48,640
Whoever built this, at tremendous
expense by the look of it,
348
00:23:48,640 --> 00:23:52,520
didn't expect it to end up
in the middle of a cow pasture.
349
00:23:52,520 --> 00:23:58,080
Yet the sparse interiors retain
a glimmer of faded prosperity.
350
00:23:59,440 --> 00:24:04,600
You can still make out the outlines
of big baronial fireplaces,
351
00:24:04,600 --> 00:24:09,080
big heroic staircases
winding up to a second storey.
352
00:24:09,080 --> 00:24:13,320
It's got corridors and doorways
everywhere, with countless rooms
353
00:24:13,320 --> 00:24:14,680
and underground vaults.
354
00:24:14,680 --> 00:24:19,560
So this was clearly a stately home
of wealth and distinction.
355
00:24:19,560 --> 00:24:22,200
The actions of its influential owner
356
00:24:22,200 --> 00:24:25,760
made him one of the most hated
figures in Ireland.
357
00:24:25,760 --> 00:24:29,680
He did everything in his power
to prevent
358
00:24:29,680 --> 00:24:31,480
the emancipation of Catholics.
359
00:24:31,480 --> 00:24:34,640
Inside this building,
policies were formulated.
360
00:24:34,640 --> 00:24:37,560
Decisions were taken that would lead
to, you know,
361
00:24:37,560 --> 00:24:41,400
an absolute bloodletting
across the country of Ireland.
362
00:24:41,400 --> 00:24:45,360
Little did he know, but he would
end up sowing the seeds
363
00:24:45,360 --> 00:24:47,960
for the destruction of his own home.
364
00:24:53,840 --> 00:24:56,920
I visited this house
over ten years ago.
365
00:24:56,920 --> 00:24:59,160
It's in a derelict state
at the moment,
366
00:24:59,160 --> 00:25:03,160
and this has probably advanced
in the intervening years.
367
00:25:03,160 --> 00:25:06,760
David Hicks is an architectural
historian with a passion
368
00:25:06,760 --> 00:25:09,880
for large country homes
like this one.
369
00:25:09,880 --> 00:25:13,360
They were said to be 22 bedrooms,
five reception rooms,
370
00:25:13,360 --> 00:25:15,080
{\an8}a six-acre walled garden.
371
00:25:15,080 --> 00:25:19,120
And what is very interesting
is the people inside this house
372
00:25:19,120 --> 00:25:22,920
had a huge influence on the wider
community, a huge influence
373
00:25:22,920 --> 00:25:25,680
on the Catholic population
nationally.
374
00:25:27,320 --> 00:25:30,760
This is Mountshannon House.
375
00:25:30,760 --> 00:25:35,440
It was bought and expanded
in the 1760s by John Fitzgibbon,
376
00:25:35,440 --> 00:25:40,240
an affluent lawyer and politician
from nearby Limerick.
377
00:25:40,240 --> 00:25:44,240
The origin of his fortune dates
back to a time when Ireland
378
00:25:44,240 --> 00:25:46,880
was a country under siege.
379
00:25:46,880 --> 00:25:51,800
In the mid 1600s, the English leader
Oliver Cromwell
380
00:25:51,800 --> 00:25:56,120
led a brutal crackdown
on Catholics in Ireland
381
00:25:56,120 --> 00:25:58,360
after they had rebelled
382
00:25:58,360 --> 00:26:00,720
against the British crown.
383
00:26:00,720 --> 00:26:02,920
As punishment for the uprising,
384
00:26:02,920 --> 00:26:05,440
{\an8}vast tracts of land were confiscated
385
00:26:05,440 --> 00:26:09,080
{\an8}and given to British
Protestant settlers.
386
00:26:09,080 --> 00:26:13,840
It also ushered in an era of strong
penal laws against Catholics,
387
00:26:13,840 --> 00:26:18,040
{\an8}designed to maintain the power
of the Protestant elite.
388
00:26:18,040 --> 00:26:20,880
There was huge restriction
placed on Catholics
389
00:26:20,880 --> 00:26:24,080
in terms of land ownership,
education,
390
00:26:24,080 --> 00:26:26,760
even the type of career
they could pursue.
391
00:26:28,240 --> 00:26:30,560
John Fitzgibbon was raised Catholic,
392
00:26:30,560 --> 00:26:34,440
and the only way he could have owned
an estate of this size
393
00:26:34,440 --> 00:26:37,280
was by making a great sacrifice.
394
00:26:37,280 --> 00:26:41,160
John changed his religion in order
that he could pursue a law career
395
00:26:41,160 --> 00:26:43,880
and also practice in the courts,
as Catholics were banned
396
00:26:43,880 --> 00:26:46,240
from practising law
in the courts at that time.
397
00:26:46,240 --> 00:26:51,760
He was very successful and he died
a very wealthy man by 1780.
398
00:26:51,760 --> 00:26:55,640
He never forgot his roots, though,
and often defended Catholics
399
00:26:55,640 --> 00:26:58,200
for fighting the Penal Laws.
400
00:26:58,200 --> 00:27:02,400
But Fitzgibbon's son and heir,
also named John,
401
00:27:02,400 --> 00:27:05,360
was cut from a different cloth.
402
00:27:05,360 --> 00:27:09,640
Being born and raised in the elite
class of the Protestant Ascendancy
403
00:27:09,640 --> 00:27:12,160
seemed to go straight to his head.
404
00:27:12,160 --> 00:27:14,080
And curious thing about him,
405
00:27:14,080 --> 00:27:18,720
he saw the dilemmas his father
had wrestled with being a Catholic,
406
00:27:18,720 --> 00:27:21,880
and instead of that filling him
with a kind of compassion
407
00:27:21,880 --> 00:27:25,120
and understanding for the plight
of Catholics in their own land,
408
00:27:25,120 --> 00:27:28,400
it made him even more bigoted,
even more oppressive
409
00:27:28,400 --> 00:27:30,640
than the English themselves.
410
00:27:30,640 --> 00:27:34,440
Fitzgibbon Jr rose to become
a powerful politician
411
00:27:34,440 --> 00:27:38,120
and enforced his beliefs
without mercy.
412
00:27:38,120 --> 00:27:41,720
He did everything he could to ally
himself to the Crown,
413
00:27:41,720 --> 00:27:45,280
always desperate to fit in
with the English aristocracy,
414
00:27:45,280 --> 00:27:48,720
and spent his life
opposing Catholic emancipation.
415
00:27:48,720 --> 00:27:53,200
By the late 1700s,
trouble was brewing.
416
00:27:53,200 --> 00:27:57,120
Irish Catholics, increasingly
frustrated by the injustice
417
00:27:57,120 --> 00:28:00,960
of the Penal Laws,
were beginning to organise.
418
00:28:00,960 --> 00:28:05,760
There's Irish nationalist groups
like the Society For United Irishmen
419
00:28:05,760 --> 00:28:09,040
who form and say, look,
we need to, like, unite together
420
00:28:09,040 --> 00:28:13,760
and take our land back
from these British interlopers.
421
00:28:13,760 --> 00:28:16,960
Unsurprisingly, Fitzgibbon threw
everything he could at them,
422
00:28:16,960 --> 00:28:20,440
outlawing the group and forcing
its members underground.
423
00:28:20,440 --> 00:28:24,280
The United Irishmen
didn't give up so easily.
424
00:28:24,280 --> 00:28:28,880
Inspired by the successes of the
American and French revolutions,
425
00:28:28,880 --> 00:28:33,280
they resorted to an armed rebellion
across Ireland in 1798.
426
00:28:34,800 --> 00:28:38,680
But after a few months, British
troops had defeated the rebels
427
00:28:38,680 --> 00:28:41,200
in battles around the country.
428
00:28:41,200 --> 00:28:46,640
Fitzgibbon authorised the arrest
and imprisonment of the Irish
429
00:28:46,640 --> 00:28:50,760
without trial, and resorted
to the most brutal torture
430
00:28:50,760 --> 00:28:52,920
as forms of intimidation.
431
00:28:52,920 --> 00:28:57,360
Hundreds were executed
and many deported to Australia.
432
00:28:57,360 --> 00:29:01,080
Fitzgibbon's greatest betrayal
of his fellow countrymen
433
00:29:01,080 --> 00:29:03,360
was still to come.
434
00:29:03,360 --> 00:29:07,440
The rebellion prompted the Prime
Minister to pass the Act Of Union,
435
00:29:07,440 --> 00:29:10,160
which formally incorporated Ireland
436
00:29:10,160 --> 00:29:13,760
into the Union Of
Great Britain And Ireland.
437
00:29:15,240 --> 00:29:18,520
Under the terms of the act,
Ireland's parliament
438
00:29:18,520 --> 00:29:20,520
was to be abolished.
439
00:29:20,520 --> 00:29:24,400
Yet many British politicians felt
the time had come to grant
440
00:29:24,400 --> 00:29:26,840
Irish Catholics more freedom.
441
00:29:28,120 --> 00:29:31,640
But fearing that more Catholic
power would ruin the country,
442
00:29:31,640 --> 00:29:34,600
Fitzgibbon convinced
King George III
443
00:29:34,600 --> 00:29:38,880
not to give his royal assent, saying
it would violate his coronation oath
444
00:29:38,880 --> 00:29:41,520
to maintain Protestantism.
445
00:29:41,520 --> 00:29:45,120
And he is famous for saying
that the Act Of Union
446
00:29:45,120 --> 00:29:48,440
would make Ireland
as tame as a mutilated cat.
447
00:29:49,640 --> 00:29:53,560
The bitter irony was that
Fitzgibbon's fanaticism would lead
448
00:29:53,560 --> 00:29:56,280
to his own downfall.
449
00:29:56,280 --> 00:29:59,760
His rule in Ireland was so harsh
that he alienated even the British,
450
00:29:59,760 --> 00:30:02,360
who said, you know,
this is no way to knit together
451
00:30:02,360 --> 00:30:05,000
Ireland and the United Kingdom,
with these kind of policies.
452
00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:06,960
So he wasn't kept on
in the government.
453
00:30:06,960 --> 00:30:10,840
He returned to Mountshannon
deeply depressed.
454
00:30:10,840 --> 00:30:12,400
Call it karma,
455
00:30:12,400 --> 00:30:15,480
but the next year he died
after falling off his horse
456
00:30:15,480 --> 00:30:18,240
when he was riding
around his estate.
457
00:30:18,240 --> 00:30:22,000
The people of Limerick thought it
would be a suitable memorial to him
458
00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:25,480
to deposit a number of dead cats,
not only on his coffin
459
00:30:25,480 --> 00:30:26,560
but on his grave.
460
00:30:26,560 --> 00:30:29,920
And this, I think, illustrates
how much this man was disliked
461
00:30:29,920 --> 00:30:31,920
in the locality.
462
00:30:31,920 --> 00:30:36,560
Over the next century, the Irish
nationalist movement gathered pace,
463
00:30:36,560 --> 00:30:41,360
fuelled in part by the actions
of men like John Fitzgibbon.
464
00:30:41,360 --> 00:30:46,000
But ultimately, it would take
a global conflict to pave the road
465
00:30:46,000 --> 00:30:49,120
for lasting change in Ireland.
466
00:30:49,120 --> 00:30:52,800
The First World War halted
the passage of a new law
467
00:30:52,800 --> 00:30:58,280
known as Home Rule, which was meant
to give Ireland more local control.
468
00:30:58,280 --> 00:31:03,840
In 1916, militant republicans
staged an uprising in Dublin.
469
00:31:03,840 --> 00:31:09,040
It became known as the Easter
Rebellion or the Easter Uprising.
470
00:31:09,040 --> 00:31:11,960
The rebels were surrounded
and bombarded.
471
00:31:11,960 --> 00:31:14,760
Thousands were sent to
internment camps
472
00:31:14,760 --> 00:31:17,520
and 16 of their leaders
were executed.
473
00:31:17,520 --> 00:31:21,520
With this violent repression,
mainstream Irish opinion
474
00:31:21,520 --> 00:31:24,320
turned strongly against the British.
475
00:31:24,320 --> 00:31:29,200
In 1919, the War of Independence
broke out.
476
00:31:29,200 --> 00:31:33,640
The Irish forces united under the
banner of the Irish Republican Army,
477
00:31:33,640 --> 00:31:36,920
more commonly known
by its initials, the IRA.
478
00:31:39,080 --> 00:31:42,960
The IRA only had a few thousand men
and limited supplies,
479
00:31:42,960 --> 00:31:45,680
so were forced to fight
a guerrilla campaign.
480
00:31:45,680 --> 00:31:49,080
Their tactics included
ambush, bombings,
481
00:31:49,080 --> 00:31:51,240
espionage, and assassinations.
482
00:31:52,400 --> 00:31:54,720
The Irish feel that they've been
kept down for centuries
483
00:31:54,720 --> 00:31:57,920
by the English, so it becomes
a really nasty war.
484
00:31:57,920 --> 00:32:02,040
The southwestern city of Limerick
was an IRA stronghold,
485
00:32:02,040 --> 00:32:05,760
which made it a target
for British forces.
486
00:32:05,760 --> 00:32:09,520
Mountshannon house would be
caught in the crossfire.
487
00:32:12,880 --> 00:32:14,640
The one thing to understand
488
00:32:14,640 --> 00:32:18,520
in the political upheaval of Ireland
in the 1920s
489
00:32:18,520 --> 00:32:22,040
was that a house like this
could be used as a barracks.
490
00:32:22,040 --> 00:32:25,040
It sat within a demesne of
900 acres,
491
00:32:25,040 --> 00:32:28,720
so therefore from the surrounding
area, if anyone was approaching,
492
00:32:28,720 --> 00:32:30,880
it could easily be defended.
493
00:32:30,880 --> 00:32:33,080
As well as seen as being
an asset to some,
494
00:32:33,080 --> 00:32:37,160
it was also seen as a threat
if your enemy took control of it.
495
00:32:37,160 --> 00:32:40,520
With forewarning that thousands
of British troops
496
00:32:40,520 --> 00:32:42,400
were about to arrive in Ireland,
497
00:32:42,400 --> 00:32:45,880
The IRA set out on a campaign
to destroy structures
498
00:32:45,880 --> 00:32:49,040
that might be used as barracks
to house these troops.
499
00:32:49,040 --> 00:32:54,520
On the 14th of June, 1920,
John Fitzgibbon's once lavish estate
500
00:32:54,520 --> 00:32:56,960
was razed to the ground.
501
00:32:56,960 --> 00:33:00,720
A band of IRA volunteers
snuck into Mountshannon.
502
00:33:00,720 --> 00:33:04,840
They planted paper and hay
around the building
503
00:33:04,840 --> 00:33:06,800
and covered it in oil.
504
00:33:06,800 --> 00:33:10,520
The house burned for three days,
and a massive fire
505
00:33:10,520 --> 00:33:12,560
could be seen from Limerick.
506
00:33:12,560 --> 00:33:15,760
There's a real circular aspect
to the story,
507
00:33:15,760 --> 00:33:19,160
because Mountshannon House
is burned to the ground
508
00:33:19,160 --> 00:33:23,280
by the very Irish nationalists
that are basically fanned into life
509
00:33:23,280 --> 00:33:26,480
by the repressive policies
of this guy Fitzgibbon
510
00:33:26,480 --> 00:33:28,760
back in the early 19th century.
511
00:33:34,680 --> 00:33:39,440
In 1921, a year after
Mountshannon was destroyed,
512
00:33:39,440 --> 00:33:42,520
a peace treaty was agreed.
513
00:33:42,520 --> 00:33:45,640
The terms of the deal divided
the country into Ireland,
514
00:33:45,640 --> 00:33:48,520
which was independent,
and Northern Ireland,
515
00:33:48,520 --> 00:33:51,600
which remained part of
the United Kingdom.
516
00:33:51,600 --> 00:33:55,960
Mountshannon stands
as a haunting symbol
517
00:33:55,960 --> 00:33:58,240
of the turbulent history of Ireland
518
00:33:58,240 --> 00:34:01,560
and its long struggle
to achieve autonomy.
519
00:34:01,560 --> 00:34:05,200
I think this house needs
to be opened up, conserved,
520
00:34:05,200 --> 00:34:08,240
studied and just another
element of our history
521
00:34:08,240 --> 00:34:11,600
that maybe we need to
become more familiar with.
522
00:34:16,080 --> 00:34:19,840
In the mountainous region
of Sofar, Lebanon,
523
00:34:19,840 --> 00:34:22,760
an eerie ruin dominates
the landscape.
524
00:34:29,080 --> 00:34:31,520
Up here, there's a blizzard raging.
525
00:34:31,520 --> 00:34:33,800
As you make your way up the road,
526
00:34:33,800 --> 00:34:37,320
the outline of this palatial
building comes into focus.
527
00:34:38,680 --> 00:34:40,480
The roof is entirely missing
528
00:34:40,480 --> 00:34:43,360
and snow is just piling up
on the top floor.
529
00:34:44,480 --> 00:34:46,160
You can see how well built it is,
530
00:34:46,160 --> 00:34:51,200
that even though it's been empty
for many decades, it still stands.
531
00:34:52,360 --> 00:34:57,320
Inside, little remains of
the structure's glorious past.
532
00:34:58,800 --> 00:35:02,840
In one room, there's a plush,
red sofa and a mirrored table.
533
00:35:02,840 --> 00:35:06,720
There's no doubt,
this was a room for entertaining.
534
00:35:06,720 --> 00:35:11,080
In this lobby, you see these
two grand, curving staircases.
535
00:35:11,080 --> 00:35:15,160
Clearly in its day, it was a place
to make an entrance.
536
00:35:15,160 --> 00:35:19,880
In the beginning, this was a beacon
for the rich and famous.
537
00:35:19,880 --> 00:35:23,800
In the end, it became a tragic
victim of circumstance.
538
00:35:24,840 --> 00:35:27,080
The history here wasn't all happy.
539
00:35:27,080 --> 00:35:30,960
These holes in the walls
look a lot like bullet holes.
540
00:35:34,840 --> 00:35:38,800
Carlos Haber's family
has been the caretakers of this site
541
00:35:38,800 --> 00:35:40,920
for almost a century.
542
00:35:40,920 --> 00:35:44,440
Today, he continues that legacy.
543
00:35:55,480 --> 00:35:58,880
The family that Carlos
and his ancestors worked for
544
00:35:58,880 --> 00:36:01,680
were one of the wealthiest
in Lebanon.
545
00:36:01,680 --> 00:36:05,600
The Sursocks are
a Greek Orthodox Christian family
546
00:36:05,600 --> 00:36:08,520
that have lived in Beirut
since the 18th century.
547
00:36:08,520 --> 00:36:12,880
They became powerful bankers,
traders, importers,
548
00:36:12,880 --> 00:36:14,640
all sorts of businesses,
549
00:36:14,640 --> 00:36:16,880
{\an8}and of course, along the way,
550
00:36:16,880 --> 00:36:20,120
{\an8}they acquired a great amount of
power and influence
551
00:36:20,120 --> 00:36:21,960
{\an8}in the political system.
552
00:36:21,960 --> 00:36:25,120
But this was not the Sursocks
private home.
553
00:36:25,120 --> 00:36:27,840
It was an ambitious business venture,
554
00:36:27,840 --> 00:36:31,200
intended to serve
society's upper echelons.
555
00:36:33,560 --> 00:36:37,840
This is the Grand Sofar Hotel.
556
00:36:37,840 --> 00:36:42,000
It first welcomed guests in 1892.
557
00:36:42,000 --> 00:36:43,640
{\an8}Alfred and Michel Sursock
558
00:36:43,640 --> 00:36:45,800
{\an8}had a vision for a lavish getaway
559
00:36:45,800 --> 00:36:48,600
{\an8}catering to the rich and famous
of the Arab world.
560
00:36:48,600 --> 00:36:51,640
Their timing could not
have been better.
561
00:36:51,640 --> 00:36:54,040
A few years after the hotel opened,
562
00:36:54,040 --> 00:36:57,560
the first railroad running
from the coast in Beirut
563
00:36:57,560 --> 00:37:00,560
to Damascus in Syria opened.
564
00:37:00,560 --> 00:37:04,360
Passengers could step right off the
train and through the doors
565
00:37:04,360 --> 00:37:08,760
of one of the most luxurious
destinations in the Middle East.
566
00:37:27,920 --> 00:37:30,200
You know, you think of
the Middle East as being
567
00:37:30,200 --> 00:37:33,200
quite culturally conservative,
and much of it, of course, was.
568
00:37:33,200 --> 00:37:35,600
But Lebanon was always different,
569
00:37:35,600 --> 00:37:37,760
and this hotel
really exemplified it.
570
00:37:37,760 --> 00:37:40,360
You had gambling, you had drinking.
571
00:37:40,360 --> 00:37:44,560
Lord knows what else was
going on behind those walls.
572
00:37:44,560 --> 00:37:48,240
The hedonistic mountain retreat
became the place to be
573
00:37:48,240 --> 00:37:50,840
for fun-loving celebrities.
574
00:37:50,840 --> 00:37:55,280
The hotel was a destination for big
names across the Arab world,
575
00:37:55,280 --> 00:38:00,400
including the actor Omar Sharif
and the Lebanese singer Sabah.
576
00:38:00,400 --> 00:38:05,360
The hotel wasn't just
a place for nightlife
577
00:38:05,360 --> 00:38:09,280
and for the rich and famous
to blow off steam.
578
00:38:09,280 --> 00:38:13,760
It was also a meeting place
for political leaders.
579
00:38:13,760 --> 00:38:18,280
In the late 1940s, the luxury
resort hosted a gathering
580
00:38:18,280 --> 00:38:20,000
of presidents and kings.
581
00:38:21,080 --> 00:38:24,800
The powerful group would come
to shape the modern Middle East
582
00:38:24,800 --> 00:38:28,440
and trigger a series of events
that led to disaster
583
00:38:28,440 --> 00:38:30,720
at the Grand Sofar Hotel.
584
00:38:32,840 --> 00:38:37,120
After World War II, the whole world
was, in a way reorganising itself.
585
00:38:37,120 --> 00:38:40,000
Borders that had been established
by European powers
586
00:38:40,000 --> 00:38:41,840
were being renegotiated.
587
00:38:41,840 --> 00:38:45,280
This was especially true
in the Middle East.
588
00:38:45,280 --> 00:38:50,120
The Arab League was formed in 1945
as a way for the Arab states
589
00:38:50,120 --> 00:38:55,280
to develop their economies
and coordinate their political aims.
590
00:38:55,280 --> 00:39:00,760
In October 1947, leaders
from Syria, Jerusalem, Lebanon
591
00:39:00,760 --> 00:39:05,480
and Saudi Arabia all met here
at the Grand Sofar Hotel.
592
00:39:05,480 --> 00:39:07,440
There was a lot happening
in the region
593
00:39:07,440 --> 00:39:09,160
that concerned them greatly.
594
00:39:09,160 --> 00:39:13,600
In particular, there was the move
to create the State Of Israel
595
00:39:13,600 --> 00:39:15,480
in a portion of Palestine.
596
00:39:16,640 --> 00:39:19,000
In the smoky rooms of the hotel,
597
00:39:19,000 --> 00:39:22,280
they drafted an agreement
for an Arab army,
598
00:39:22,280 --> 00:39:24,600
discussed a United Arab currency,
599
00:39:24,600 --> 00:39:28,200
and, most importantly,
pledged support for Palestine.
600
00:39:29,400 --> 00:39:32,440
In 1948, Israel declared
its independence.
601
00:39:34,080 --> 00:39:36,840
In response, the
Arab League countries
602
00:39:36,840 --> 00:39:39,720
launched a synchronised attack.
603
00:39:39,720 --> 00:39:45,040
After almost a year of fighting,
a fragile armistice was reached.
604
00:39:45,040 --> 00:39:51,040
But over the next 25 years, hundreds
of thousands of Palestinian refugees
605
00:39:51,040 --> 00:39:53,600
sought shelter in Lebanon.
606
00:39:53,600 --> 00:39:57,600
Tension between the Muslim
and Christian populations grew
607
00:39:57,600 --> 00:40:00,440
until it finally boiled over.
608
00:40:00,440 --> 00:40:03,440
When the civil war erupted
in the 1970s,
609
00:40:03,440 --> 00:40:07,000
every aspect of life in Lebanon
was upended.
610
00:40:07,000 --> 00:40:08,600
Even here in Sofar,
611
00:40:08,600 --> 00:40:11,760
warring militias battled
throughout the town.
612
00:40:11,760 --> 00:40:14,680
As the casualties mounted,
they needed somewhere
613
00:40:14,680 --> 00:40:16,360
to house their wounded.
614
00:40:49,040 --> 00:40:51,160
But the Grand Sofar Hotel
615
00:40:51,160 --> 00:40:55,440
would soon be taken over
by another invading force.
616
00:40:55,440 --> 00:41:00,240
In 1976, Syrian leader Hafez al-Assad
617
00:41:00,240 --> 00:41:03,520
ordered his army to move in
to neighbouring Lebanon
618
00:41:03,520 --> 00:41:07,360
in a supposed Arab League effort
to try to restore order.
619
00:41:09,120 --> 00:41:10,920
The Syrians set up
their headquarters
620
00:41:10,920 --> 00:41:14,840
in the abandoned hotel,
and as troops so often do,
621
00:41:14,840 --> 00:41:16,520
they wrecked the place.
622
00:41:24,000 --> 00:41:28,520
They even stripped tiles to line
and reinforce their trenches.
623
00:41:28,520 --> 00:41:32,800
The Lebanese Civil War
raged on until 1990.
624
00:41:34,160 --> 00:41:39,160
Syria didn't withdraw their troops
from the country until 2005.
625
00:41:40,240 --> 00:41:44,320
By that time, the Grand Sofar Hotel
had been destroyed
626
00:41:44,320 --> 00:41:46,000
beyond all recognition.
627
00:41:53,920 --> 00:41:57,160
The hotel is still in the hands
of the Sursock family.
628
00:41:57,160 --> 00:41:59,880
Of course, it's a magnificent ruin,
629
00:41:59,880 --> 00:42:02,960
but a grandson of the family,
in recent years,
630
00:42:02,960 --> 00:42:10,320
has tried to restore it
as a site for artistic exhibitions.
631
00:42:10,320 --> 00:42:15,000
Carlos is optimistic
about what the future holds.
632
00:42:53,240 --> 00:42:56,240
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