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These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated: 1 00:00:04,600 --> 00:00:07,160 NARRATOR: A derelict compound in Texas, 2 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:10,600 once the epicentre of a violent revolution. 3 00:00:10,640 --> 00:00:12,800 It was exciting, but it was also dangerous. 4 00:00:12,840 --> 00:00:15,440 Bullets were flying, artillery shells were going off. 5 00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:19,800 They had front row seats to this amazing battle. 6 00:00:19,840 --> 00:00:25,120 A top secret facility outside Berlin used by a ruthless dictator 7 00:00:25,160 --> 00:00:27,040 to escape justice. 8 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:28,960 This place should have lost all relevance, 9 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:32,640 but it had one final dramatic mission to carry out. 10 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:39,920 An aristocratic party palace that became an IRA stronghold. 11 00:00:39,960 --> 00:00:42,160 The women would use these statues, 12 00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:46,480 these symbols of colonial oppression, as target practice. 13 00:00:49,040 --> 00:00:54,440 And in Spain, a medieval fortress town abandoned under duress. 14 00:00:54,480 --> 00:00:58,480 MAN:Events beyond the perimeter of the walls finally overcame 15 00:00:58,520 --> 00:01:02,400 these defences and left behind a tragic legacy. 16 00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:14,360 NARRATOR: In downtown El Paso, Texas, 17 00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:18,200 a hollow construction holds a revolutionary history. 18 00:01:25,640 --> 00:01:28,800 MAN:It's a very attractive, stately old building, 19 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:30,440 but once you go inside, 20 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:33,040 it's a pretty sad state of affairs. 21 00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:35,000 MAN:There's wires hanging out of the ceiling. 22 00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:38,320 Windows are taken out of their frames and stacked up. 23 00:01:38,360 --> 00:01:42,840 Nearby, right next to the freeway, which straddles the border, 24 00:01:42,880 --> 00:01:45,400 a second abandoned building was embroiled 25 00:01:45,440 --> 00:01:47,760 in the same dramatic struggle. 26 00:01:48,840 --> 00:01:52,160 WOMAN:It's a huge warehouse-style building. 27 00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:55,160 It looks like it might have once been a small industrial operation 28 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:56,360 of some kind. 29 00:01:56,400 --> 00:02:00,480 The rooftop is a prime vantage point to look right across the border 30 00:02:00,520 --> 00:02:03,640 into the neighbouring Mexican city of Juarez. 31 00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:08,600 And if you look closely, you'll see that there's damage on the walls. 32 00:02:08,640 --> 00:02:11,760 Pivotal in the birth of the Mexican state, 33 00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:16,320 these bullet holes are remnants of a time when El Paso was caught 34 00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:18,640 in violent crossfire. 35 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:21,520 So the question is, how are these two buildings, 36 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:24,320 this one here on the border, this one here in the city, 37 00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:25,560 how are they connected? 38 00:02:25,600 --> 00:02:28,280 These buildings might look a little forlorn today, 39 00:02:28,320 --> 00:02:30,560 but there was a time when this town was a hotbed 40 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:32,200 of international intrigue. 41 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:37,160 From here, a revolution was planned and a war was launched, 42 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:40,120 while citizens watched from the rooftops. 43 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:45,840 El Paso was once Spanish territory, 44 00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:48,440 but it became part of the United States 45 00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:52,120 when America annexed Texas in 1845. 46 00:02:52,160 --> 00:02:57,080 It began as a trading post and became one of the most important 47 00:02:57,120 --> 00:03:01,120 points of contact between the US and Mexico. 48 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:05,800 Between 1890 and 1910, the population of El Paso quadruples. 49 00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:08,760 You see this explosive growth as kind of a window 50 00:03:08,800 --> 00:03:12,880 on America's southern border, and an outlet and an inlet for trade. 51 00:03:12,920 --> 00:03:18,240 This, once ornate, structure was born during that early prosperity. 52 00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:20,880 Richard Caples was a former mayor of El Paso 53 00:03:20,920 --> 00:03:22,720 and, kind of, a local big shot. 54 00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:26,240 He had big plans for the city and wanted to help it grow. 55 00:03:26,280 --> 00:03:29,960 Construction began on this building in 1909. 56 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:32,320 It was planned as a five-storey office building 57 00:03:32,360 --> 00:03:34,240 with retail on the ground floor. 58 00:03:34,280 --> 00:03:38,360 It was built at tremendous cost, $135,000 at the time, 59 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:42,440 which works out to be $4.5 or $5 million today. 60 00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:46,880 This is the Caples Building, named after its owner. 61 00:03:48,440 --> 00:03:51,840 It was still under construction when the abandoned warehouse, 62 00:03:51,880 --> 00:03:56,120 half a mile away, hosted an iconic meeting of presidents. 63 00:03:56,160 --> 00:03:59,520 The gathering took place in front of the El Paso Laundry, 64 00:03:59,560 --> 00:04:02,400 which sits right on the border. 65 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:06,800 There was an historic international meeting between Mexican President, 66 00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:11,120 Porfirio Diaz, and American President, William Taft. 67 00:04:11,160 --> 00:04:15,880 This was an important turning point in Mexican American relations. 68 00:04:15,920 --> 00:04:18,960 People crowded around this street, 69 00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:22,320 so much so, that the American soldiers 70 00:04:22,360 --> 00:04:24,760 had to push back the crowds 71 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:29,640 when they saw the carriage of President Diaz come along. 72 00:04:29,680 --> 00:04:35,120 And when he came, there was a 21-gun salute, first by the American army, 73 00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:38,760 and then it echoed towards the Mexican side of the river. 74 00:04:38,800 --> 00:04:42,160 And then, the Mexicans also did a 21-gun salute. 75 00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:49,000 David Dorado Romo understands the subtext of this event. 76 00:04:49,040 --> 00:04:53,160 There seemed to be a lot of agreement and harmony, 77 00:04:53,200 --> 00:04:56,000 but that was just for public show. 78 00:04:57,800 --> 00:05:02,880 Diaz was really the archetype of a corrupt dictator. 79 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:05,720 He maintained his power by crushing dissent, 80 00:05:05,760 --> 00:05:09,920 not really allowing a free press, favouring certain elites. 81 00:05:09,960 --> 00:05:15,920 He was also known to be in the pocket of big American businesses. 82 00:05:15,960 --> 00:05:19,480 In El Paso, Diaz was seeking to further cement 83 00:05:19,520 --> 00:05:24,640 American support along the border in the run-up to a crucial election, 84 00:05:24,680 --> 00:05:28,560 one that had already been mired in controversy. 85 00:05:28,600 --> 00:05:32,120 A couple of years earlier, Diaz had said that he'd be ready to step down 86 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:35,040 and the country could have free elections really for the first time, 87 00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:37,760 and he would walk quietly off into the sunset. 88 00:05:37,800 --> 00:05:41,840 But when that day came, Diaz decided to run for president, 89 00:05:41,880 --> 00:05:44,880 and he didn't exactly play fair. 90 00:05:44,920 --> 00:05:49,880 Diaz had thrown his main political opponent, a formidable man 91 00:05:49,920 --> 00:05:54,480 by the name of Francisco Madero, in jail during the proceedings. 92 00:05:54,520 --> 00:05:59,480 This was clearly not a free and open election. 93 00:05:59,520 --> 00:06:00,800 And it was Madero 94 00:06:00,840 --> 00:06:05,680 who became the face of the Mexican people's burning resentment. 95 00:06:05,720 --> 00:06:08,880 Madero actually managed to escape from prison, and he headed 96 00:06:08,920 --> 00:06:11,320 across the border to El Paso. 97 00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:14,280 At that time, that wasn't a major division. 98 00:06:14,320 --> 00:06:16,560 There was no barbed wire. There was no fence. 99 00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:18,600 Mexicans could cross freely. 100 00:06:19,800 --> 00:06:24,280 So Madero snuck into El Paso disguised as a labourer, 101 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:27,160 and took up residence on the top two floors 102 00:06:27,200 --> 00:06:29,840 of the newly completed Caples Building. 103 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:34,000 He made it the epicentre of his endeavours, 104 00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:36,560 and he really only had one goal, 105 00:06:36,600 --> 00:06:40,920 and that was to violently overthrow the Diaz regime. 106 00:06:40,960 --> 00:06:45,280 So, on this floor, the international headquarters 107 00:06:45,320 --> 00:06:50,680 of the Mexican Revolution was situated in early 1911. 108 00:06:50,720 --> 00:06:54,840 So this was a place that would have served for diplomatic, 109 00:06:54,880 --> 00:06:58,440 administrative, but also arms smuggling 110 00:06:58,480 --> 00:07:00,600 and of course, recruitment. 111 00:07:00,640 --> 00:07:04,640 Madero even managed to gain the support 112 00:07:04,680 --> 00:07:08,880 of legendary Mexican revolutionary, Pancho Villa, 113 00:07:08,920 --> 00:07:12,560 which earned him some significant clout. 114 00:07:14,360 --> 00:07:15,600 With an open border, 115 00:07:15,640 --> 00:07:20,280 these headquarters were at the heart of an explosion of activity. 116 00:07:21,360 --> 00:07:26,080 El Paso then really became this hub of different revolutionary groups 117 00:07:26,120 --> 00:07:31,560 who all set up shop in different bars, restaurants and buildings 118 00:07:31,600 --> 00:07:33,040 throughout the city. 119 00:07:34,520 --> 00:07:36,760 Throughout the revolutionary period, 120 00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:40,440 the American government would change their allegiance. 121 00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:42,920 Despite Madero advocating democracy, 122 00:07:42,960 --> 00:07:47,360 the US eventually issued a warrant for his arrest. 123 00:07:47,400 --> 00:07:51,000 During my research, I found more than 80 buildings, 124 00:07:51,040 --> 00:07:53,800 that are still standing here in El Paso, that have connections 125 00:07:53,840 --> 00:07:55,320 to the Mexican Revolution. 126 00:07:55,360 --> 00:07:59,400 There were probably hundreds, if not thousands of spies. 127 00:07:59,440 --> 00:08:01,520 Every little nook and cranny, 128 00:08:01,560 --> 00:08:05,520 you're gonna find people plotting revolution or counter-revolution 129 00:08:05,560 --> 00:08:08,000 or even counter-counter-revolution. 130 00:08:09,360 --> 00:08:13,920 A lot of people have compared El Paso to East and West Berlin 131 00:08:13,960 --> 00:08:15,200 during the Cold War. 132 00:08:15,240 --> 00:08:18,320 You had Madero and his associates 133 00:08:18,360 --> 00:08:21,600 plotting, raising money, building support. 134 00:08:21,640 --> 00:08:24,520 Diaz had his spies gathering information. 135 00:08:24,560 --> 00:08:28,520 No one really knew who was on what side or who you could trust. 136 00:08:28,560 --> 00:08:32,280 And it was all building to a truly violent conflict. 137 00:08:33,760 --> 00:08:38,560 On the 7th of April, 1911, Madero made his move against Diaz 138 00:08:38,600 --> 00:08:39,960 and his troops. 139 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:44,160 A rebel offensive known as the Battle of Ciudad Juarez. 140 00:08:44,200 --> 00:08:48,280 Madero had put together a force of 2500 men, 141 00:08:48,320 --> 00:08:52,600 but Juarez was well-defended by 700 Mexican federal troops 142 00:08:52,640 --> 00:08:55,640 who were in a very good defensive position. 143 00:08:55,680 --> 00:08:58,160 They had artillery. They had plenty of weapons. 144 00:08:58,200 --> 00:09:03,000 Madero was happy to just call it a stalemate and start negotiating. 145 00:09:03,040 --> 00:09:08,280 But one notorious gunslinger in the rebel's ranks had come for a fight. 146 00:09:08,320 --> 00:09:10,600 The time for talking was over. 147 00:09:13,240 --> 00:09:17,520 While Madero sought to negotiate a surrender, 148 00:09:17,560 --> 00:09:22,520 the more aggressive Pancho Villa disobeyed orders. 149 00:09:22,560 --> 00:09:26,840 He went ahead and led his troops on the attack, 150 00:09:26,880 --> 00:09:29,280 and a raging battle commenced. 151 00:09:29,320 --> 00:09:33,040 In the city of El Paso this was very exciting. 152 00:09:33,080 --> 00:09:34,680 They were right on the border. 153 00:09:34,720 --> 00:09:37,480 People climbed to the rooftop of the laundry building 154 00:09:37,520 --> 00:09:41,240 where they had front-row seats to this amazing battle. 155 00:09:41,280 --> 00:09:44,480 So, this was one of many rooftops in El Paso 156 00:09:44,520 --> 00:09:46,880 where people would stand on top. 157 00:09:46,920 --> 00:09:51,320 There were some where you would have to pay a quarter to a dollar 158 00:09:51,360 --> 00:09:53,920 to watch the revolutionary scenes. 159 00:09:53,960 --> 00:09:58,360 They were treated to a spectacle straight out of the Wild West. 160 00:09:58,400 --> 00:09:59,920 One story is that in one moment, 161 00:09:59,960 --> 00:10:02,640 one of the federal soldiers dropped his gun, 162 00:10:02,680 --> 00:10:06,880 and one of the revolutionaries got out his lariat and lassoed the guy. 163 00:10:06,920 --> 00:10:10,240 He is able to, like a Mexican cowboy, 164 00:10:10,280 --> 00:10:12,640 bring him in together with his gun. 165 00:10:12,680 --> 00:10:15,080 And people on the rooftops started applauding, 166 00:10:15,120 --> 00:10:17,480 just like if it were some kind of ringside seat. 167 00:10:17,520 --> 00:10:22,360 But it ended up becoming a much more deadly spectator sport. 168 00:10:22,400 --> 00:10:26,320 These citizens didn't realise how close they were to the danger, 169 00:10:26,360 --> 00:10:30,600 and five were killed and 18 wounded in El Paso 170 00:10:30,640 --> 00:10:34,320 from fighting that was taking place in Juarez. 171 00:10:34,360 --> 00:10:38,280 Today we just let the newscasters take that danger. 172 00:10:38,320 --> 00:10:41,160 Back then, everybody wanted to be part of the act. 173 00:10:41,200 --> 00:10:44,760 So, these bullet holes actually have a lot more significance 174 00:10:44,800 --> 00:10:46,240 than meets the eyes. 175 00:10:46,280 --> 00:10:50,360 They were part of the story of the Mexican Revolution. 176 00:10:51,360 --> 00:10:54,880 Eventually, after two days of intense fighting, 177 00:10:54,920 --> 00:10:58,040 the Juarez garrison was forced to surrender. 178 00:10:59,120 --> 00:11:03,920 This Battle of Juarez became the decisive battle of the Revolution. 179 00:11:03,960 --> 00:11:06,280 It was enough to show that the forces loyal to Diaz 180 00:11:06,320 --> 00:11:09,640 could not control the revolutionary troops. 181 00:11:09,680 --> 00:11:14,160 Diaz fled Mexico, leaving its leadership up for grabs. 182 00:11:15,240 --> 00:11:19,080 Madero eventually came to power in late 1911, 183 00:11:19,120 --> 00:11:22,120 but he proved to be too moderate. 184 00:11:22,160 --> 00:11:29,800 By 1913, another Mexican general led a US-backed coup, and unfortunately, 185 00:11:29,840 --> 00:11:32,560 Madero died in the resulting conflict. 186 00:11:34,040 --> 00:11:37,960 What initially was a relatively bloodless revolution 187 00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:42,640 is going to become ten years of incredible civil strife, 188 00:11:42,680 --> 00:11:46,840 and you're gonna have hundreds of thousands of Mexican refugees 189 00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:49,320 crossing to the United States. 190 00:11:49,360 --> 00:11:56,440 My grandparents came to Ciudad Juarez and then later to El Paso, 191 00:11:56,480 --> 00:12:01,360 fleeing the violence during this period after the Madero revolution. 192 00:12:02,600 --> 00:12:06,200 One of my great aunts had been kidnapped, literally 193 00:12:06,240 --> 00:12:09,360 kidnapped by one of the federal officers. 194 00:12:09,400 --> 00:12:13,240 America's role in the revolution was a sign of things to come 195 00:12:13,280 --> 00:12:14,760 across the continent. 196 00:12:15,880 --> 00:12:18,920 That's a story that's going to repeat itself 197 00:12:18,960 --> 00:12:23,800 for decades in Latin America, where you have US military intervention 198 00:12:23,840 --> 00:12:29,200 or you have the CIA overthrow democratically-elected governments. 199 00:12:29,240 --> 00:12:32,280 And as a result, you're gonna have social chaos, 200 00:12:32,320 --> 00:12:34,800 people fleeing into the United States. 201 00:12:36,240 --> 00:12:40,120 While the laundry would continue to operate for many more years, 202 00:12:40,160 --> 00:12:43,480 the Caples Building endured long periods of vacancy 203 00:12:43,520 --> 00:12:46,120 before both were eventually abandoned. 204 00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:52,600 These structures are symbolic of tensions that remain 205 00:12:52,640 --> 00:12:55,040 along the border to this day. 206 00:12:55,080 --> 00:12:58,600 But a developer has purchased both properties with hopes 207 00:12:58,640 --> 00:13:02,200 of transforming them into apartment buildings. 208 00:13:02,240 --> 00:13:05,200 If that happens, the future residents can certainly claim 209 00:13:05,240 --> 00:13:08,800 that they live in a location of historic intrigue. 210 00:13:10,560 --> 00:13:14,640 In eastern Germany, just 25 miles from Berlin, 211 00:13:14,680 --> 00:13:18,160 a secretive complex lies hidden in the woods. 212 00:13:25,800 --> 00:13:31,880 HE SPEAKS GERMAN 213 00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:39,080 WOMAN:Looking at the security around this place, 214 00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:43,600 this must have been one of the most closely guarded places 215 00:13:43,640 --> 00:13:45,760 in all of East Germany. 216 00:13:51,000 --> 00:13:54,160 It's only when you go deep into the heart of the site 217 00:13:54,200 --> 00:13:57,040 that its scale becomes apparent. 218 00:13:57,080 --> 00:14:00,880 We can see here that nature has reclaimed something 219 00:14:00,920 --> 00:14:04,320 and it has reclaimed something big. 220 00:14:04,360 --> 00:14:07,320 You see a collection of buildings that could house 221 00:14:07,360 --> 00:14:09,000 a city of thousands. 222 00:14:09,040 --> 00:14:12,200 But as with any ghost town, you have to ask yourself, 223 00:14:12,240 --> 00:14:14,160 "What happened to all the people?" 224 00:14:14,200 --> 00:14:18,160 You go inside - cobwebs, trash, crumbling masonry, 225 00:14:18,240 --> 00:14:23,160 tumbledown structures that are fading or flecked or graffitied. 226 00:14:23,200 --> 00:14:27,160 But through the thick foliage, a different style of structure 227 00:14:27,200 --> 00:14:29,280 begins to emerge. 228 00:14:29,320 --> 00:14:30,840 We've got something. 229 00:14:30,880 --> 00:14:34,640 It's boarded up, and yet, you can tell what it is. 230 00:14:34,680 --> 00:14:36,240 This is a control tower. 231 00:14:36,280 --> 00:14:37,720 This is an airfield. 232 00:14:39,160 --> 00:14:43,000 There's one massive building, near the runways, 233 00:14:43,040 --> 00:14:45,120 clearly an aircraft hangar. 234 00:14:45,160 --> 00:14:48,000 This facility would provide an escape route 235 00:14:48,040 --> 00:14:51,640 for a ruthless dictator desperately fleeing justice. 236 00:14:57,760 --> 00:15:00,640 Sven-Uwe Storm grew up nearby, 237 00:15:00,680 --> 00:15:03,960 eager to understand why this site was out of bounds. 238 00:15:13,160 --> 00:15:15,040 And access is still forbidden, 239 00:15:15,080 --> 00:15:18,520 due to the high risk of unexploded ordnance. 240 00:15:18,560 --> 00:15:23,280 That's because this location has a long history as a weapons test site, 241 00:15:23,320 --> 00:15:25,880 which began in the late 1800s. 242 00:15:39,200 --> 00:15:44,800 This was a place where they tested rifles, artillery, rockets, 243 00:15:44,840 --> 00:15:48,000 and this was a place where Wernher von Braun, 244 00:15:48,040 --> 00:15:53,400 the father of German rocketry, came to test his missiles. 245 00:15:53,440 --> 00:15:58,840 They even conducted experiments on uranium for a German atomic bomb. 246 00:15:58,880 --> 00:16:03,600 But in April 1945, Soviet troops were rapidly approaching 247 00:16:03,640 --> 00:16:08,080 through these thick forests, as the allies closed in on Berlin. 248 00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:14,800 In the aftermath of the Second World War, this complex was incorporated 249 00:16:14,840 --> 00:16:17,120 into Soviet territory. 250 00:16:17,160 --> 00:16:20,560 Germany was carved up among the victorious allies, 251 00:16:20,600 --> 00:16:23,440 with the Soviets occupying East Germany. 252 00:16:24,520 --> 00:16:26,400 They split Germany with the Western powers, 253 00:16:26,440 --> 00:16:28,640 but they also split the city of Berlin, 254 00:16:28,680 --> 00:16:30,440 which is inside the Soviet zone. 255 00:16:30,480 --> 00:16:32,960 Initially just a line drawn on a map, 256 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:35,800 in time it would become a physical wall, 257 00:16:35,840 --> 00:16:39,400 as the two camps polarised along ideological lines. 258 00:16:40,720 --> 00:16:45,200 The formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, or NATO, 259 00:16:45,240 --> 00:16:49,840 in 1949, was seen by the Soviets as a hostile act. 260 00:16:51,480 --> 00:16:54,200 West Germany joined NATO in 1955, 261 00:16:54,240 --> 00:16:58,080 and Khrushchev formed the Warsaw Pact in response. 262 00:16:58,120 --> 00:17:02,880 So, now you have these two opposing alliances, one western, one eastern, 263 00:17:02,920 --> 00:17:05,320 and it feels like things are hotting up. 264 00:17:05,360 --> 00:17:09,000 And for the Soviets, this is the front line in the clash 265 00:17:09,040 --> 00:17:11,840 with the Western powers in the Cold War. 266 00:17:11,880 --> 00:17:15,600 With a thousand miles separating Moscow from Berlin, 267 00:17:15,640 --> 00:17:20,200 this location was earmarked to supply that front line. 268 00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:24,160 This is Sperenberg airfield, the key link between East Germany 269 00:17:24,200 --> 00:17:26,320 and the Soviet Union. 270 00:17:26,360 --> 00:17:30,160 In 1958, the first phase of construction was rolled out, 271 00:17:30,200 --> 00:17:33,360 as the site was converted into a military airfield, 272 00:17:33,400 --> 00:17:36,160 capable of handling huge transport planes. 273 00:17:38,360 --> 00:17:42,480 Anything that the Soviets were bringing into Germany, 274 00:17:42,520 --> 00:17:48,800 to prepare to fight against NATO, came into this airport. 275 00:17:48,840 --> 00:17:52,560 In the 1960s, the boundary dividing Berlin 276 00:17:52,600 --> 00:17:56,240 was fortified by the East German government. 277 00:17:56,280 --> 00:18:00,360 Desperate to prevent its citizens from fleeing into West Germany, 278 00:18:00,400 --> 00:18:02,240 they installed guard towers 279 00:18:02,280 --> 00:18:06,320 and ordered any escapees to be shot and killed. 280 00:18:06,360 --> 00:18:09,440 Overseeing its construction was Erich Honecker, 281 00:18:09,480 --> 00:18:13,320 and he soon turned his attention to Sperenberg Airbase. 282 00:18:14,520 --> 00:18:20,840 Honecker was one of the key people in building the Berlin Wall. 283 00:18:20,880 --> 00:18:26,800 A ruthless dictator who subjected all of East Germany 284 00:18:26,840 --> 00:18:29,800 to his unquestioned rule. 285 00:18:29,840 --> 00:18:34,440 Honecker and the Soviet army began the new phase of construction 286 00:18:34,480 --> 00:18:38,200 at Sperenberg, turning it into a military airbase 287 00:18:38,240 --> 00:18:40,480 of unparalleled proportions. 288 00:18:43,240 --> 00:18:47,600 The real expansion is in the 1970s, when you see Soviet bombers, 289 00:18:47,640 --> 00:18:50,560 Soviet fighters, Soviet combat helicopters 290 00:18:50,600 --> 00:18:53,720 and lots of Soviet civilian airliners 291 00:18:53,760 --> 00:18:56,160 that are shuttling personnel. 292 00:18:56,200 --> 00:19:01,440 It was the fastest and most direct link between Moscow and Berlin, 293 00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:03,280 and the only Red Army airport 294 00:19:03,320 --> 00:19:06,040 that also had a civilian terminal building 295 00:19:06,080 --> 00:19:08,760 for use by families, as well as musicians 296 00:19:08,800 --> 00:19:12,000 brought in for troop entertainment. 297 00:19:21,920 --> 00:19:26,480 Sperenberg base became the most valuable military airfield 298 00:19:26,520 --> 00:19:29,240 in East Germany. There's no doubt about that. 299 00:19:29,280 --> 00:19:33,040 But just as Sperenberg had gone through a major upgrade, 300 00:19:33,080 --> 00:19:37,440 the Soviets' iron grip on East Germany began to loosen. 301 00:19:37,480 --> 00:19:42,600 Numerous pro-independence groups began to form as people demanded 302 00:19:42,640 --> 00:19:46,360 things like democratic elections, freedom of speech 303 00:19:46,400 --> 00:19:49,800 and the withdrawal of Soviet troops. 304 00:19:49,840 --> 00:19:52,120 Honecker refused to shift his ground at all 305 00:19:52,160 --> 00:19:55,520 and kept insisting that using the security service, the Stasi, 306 00:19:55,560 --> 00:19:58,840 which had informers everywhere and thousands of agents, 307 00:19:58,880 --> 00:20:02,440 that he would just repress all dissent in East Germany. 308 00:20:02,480 --> 00:20:04,320 And he nearly pulled it off. 309 00:20:04,360 --> 00:20:08,120 The East Germans were one of the last Warsaw Pact nations to rebel. 310 00:20:08,160 --> 00:20:14,360 The Berlin Wall was being ripped down by Berliners East and West. 311 00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:20,120 As the Soviet Union began the mammoth task of withdrawing 312 00:20:20,160 --> 00:20:25,560 360,000 troops and their families from across Eastern Europe, 313 00:20:25,600 --> 00:20:29,320 the new government brought charges against Honecker. 314 00:20:30,360 --> 00:20:35,160 As East Germany frees itself from the one-party control, 315 00:20:35,200 --> 00:20:38,800 a hunt is on for these creatures of the communist regime, 316 00:20:38,840 --> 00:20:40,880 chief among them Honecker. 317 00:20:40,920 --> 00:20:46,400 Everybody knew that Honecker had approved orders 318 00:20:46,440 --> 00:20:51,720 for East German border guards to shoot to kill 319 00:20:51,760 --> 00:20:55,680 if anybody tried to escape East Germany. 320 00:20:55,720 --> 00:21:01,880 That meant that Honecker had a noose around his neck. 321 00:21:03,040 --> 00:21:06,480 On the run, and desperate to avoid a show trial, 322 00:21:06,520 --> 00:21:09,360 Honecker turned to his overlords in Moscow. 323 00:21:10,760 --> 00:21:15,440 The last thing anybody needs is a trial with Erich Honecker 324 00:21:15,480 --> 00:21:21,800 talking about the truth of the East German communist regime. 325 00:21:21,840 --> 00:21:25,160 So, Sperenberg, throughout this period, is in Soviet hands 326 00:21:25,200 --> 00:21:27,600 as they shuttle people home using this air base. 327 00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:31,120 You know, hundreds of thousands of Soviet troops and, and family 328 00:21:31,160 --> 00:21:32,880 that were housed in East Germany. 329 00:21:32,920 --> 00:21:38,480 So, in March 1991, Soviet communists see an opportunity to spirit 330 00:21:38,520 --> 00:21:41,080 Honecker out of East Germany. 331 00:21:41,120 --> 00:21:43,000 Under the cover of darkness, 332 00:21:43,040 --> 00:21:46,120 he was brought to Sperenberg by Soviet troops. 333 00:22:06,120 --> 00:22:09,000 The couple then boarded a plane on the airstrip, 334 00:22:09,040 --> 00:22:13,160 right beside the building, destined for Moscow. 335 00:22:13,200 --> 00:22:18,040 Honecker was later extradited from Russia to stand trial in Berlin, 336 00:22:18,080 --> 00:22:21,080 appearing in court in November 1992. 337 00:22:23,280 --> 00:22:25,040 Honecker was defiant until the end, 338 00:22:25,080 --> 00:22:27,640 claiming that the Berlin Wall had saved lives, 339 00:22:27,680 --> 00:22:31,800 that it prevented World War Three, which would have killed millions. 340 00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:37,520 The trial was quickly abandoned due to his deteriorating health, 341 00:22:37,560 --> 00:22:39,560 and he died two years later. 342 00:22:40,680 --> 00:22:46,240 At that point in 1994, the last of the Soviet equipment and people 343 00:22:46,280 --> 00:22:49,440 were still being moved out of Sperenberg, 344 00:22:49,480 --> 00:22:54,520 but since then the site has remained abandoned and largely untouched. 345 00:22:59,440 --> 00:23:03,520 Local residents have formed a Museum Association, 346 00:23:03,560 --> 00:23:08,280 offering guided tours and are pushing for the 2000-acre complex 347 00:23:08,320 --> 00:23:10,840 to become a Unesco World Heritage Site. 348 00:23:15,960 --> 00:23:21,160 In the Republic of Ireland, lie the remains of a doomed vanity project. 349 00:23:28,080 --> 00:23:31,400 We're in County Carlow, an hour south of Dublin, 350 00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:34,160 in a wet and windy Irish countryside. 351 00:23:34,200 --> 00:23:39,080 One structure casts a long shadow over the surrounding landscape. 352 00:23:40,600 --> 00:23:42,360 WOMAN:When you first see the building, 353 00:23:42,400 --> 00:23:44,840 you almost can't believe it's still standing. 354 00:23:44,880 --> 00:23:48,680 The place has been hollowed out, but the walls are still intact. 355 00:23:48,720 --> 00:23:52,400 It's got the parapets and battlements of a medieval castle. 356 00:23:52,440 --> 00:23:54,520 MAN:Anybody looking up at this tower 357 00:23:54,560 --> 00:23:57,120 would realise that these people were in charge... 358 00:23:57,160 --> 00:24:00,720 ..in charge of their lives, and in charge of their destiny. 359 00:24:00,760 --> 00:24:05,960 But the owners of this house felt the ground shifting under their feet. 360 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:09,800 The building once housed a powerful and influential family. 361 00:24:09,840 --> 00:24:12,360 But a tide of change was coming to Ireland, 362 00:24:12,400 --> 00:24:14,960 and this place was caught in the middle of it. 363 00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:20,960 It went from an aristocratic party palace to an IRA stronghold. 364 00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:24,200 But one organisation took up residence here, 365 00:24:24,240 --> 00:24:28,480 whose role in Irish independence has been almost entirely forgotten. 366 00:24:31,520 --> 00:24:35,040 It's really a privilege to have this at our doorstep, 367 00:24:35,080 --> 00:24:38,720 and lots of people in Carlow don't actually know that it's here. 368 00:24:38,760 --> 00:24:43,280 Danny McDaid has dedicated much of his time to researching this site 369 00:24:43,320 --> 00:24:47,400 and dispelling the many myths that surround it. 370 00:24:47,440 --> 00:24:51,080 When you look upon this house now you see a ruin, 371 00:24:51,120 --> 00:24:54,440 a Gothic mansion which has suffered horrendous damage. 372 00:24:54,480 --> 00:24:57,480 But for me, looking upon it, I see life. 373 00:24:57,520 --> 00:24:59,040 I see what it was. 374 00:24:59,080 --> 00:25:03,960 This is Duckett's Grove, historical home of the Duckett family. 375 00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:07,440 The Duckett's were married into the Protestant elites 376 00:25:07,480 --> 00:25:11,600 and moved to Ireland during the years of English plantation 377 00:25:11,640 --> 00:25:12,840 and colonisation. 378 00:25:12,880 --> 00:25:16,840 With the marriages that they made and the money that they made, 379 00:25:16,880 --> 00:25:22,560 they built the Georgian-style house, a very square basic house. 380 00:25:22,600 --> 00:25:28,240 But then in the 1820s, the Duckett family starts to massively expand it 381 00:25:28,280 --> 00:25:31,840 and makes it into this gothic dreamland castle. 382 00:25:33,280 --> 00:25:36,360 This was all about impressing their rich friends. 383 00:25:36,400 --> 00:25:39,400 So, their rich friends would come around the corner. 384 00:25:39,440 --> 00:25:41,760 They would look up at this structure. 385 00:25:42,840 --> 00:25:44,760 You have this magnificent tower, 386 00:25:44,800 --> 00:25:48,840 and even today, almost 200 years later, 387 00:25:48,880 --> 00:25:53,320 you can see how impressive it still is. 388 00:25:56,920 --> 00:26:00,520 Duckett's Grove was not just architecturally impressive, 389 00:26:00,560 --> 00:26:02,800 it was also ahead of its time. 390 00:26:02,840 --> 00:26:08,280 The technological achievements of the Ducketts was quite amazing. 391 00:26:08,320 --> 00:26:12,240 What you had was pipes leading into a boiler house 392 00:26:12,280 --> 00:26:13,760 just around the corner. 393 00:26:13,800 --> 00:26:17,240 So they were able to temperature regulate greenhouses 394 00:26:17,280 --> 00:26:21,920 in the 18th century, and from that they were able to grow exotic fruits 395 00:26:21,960 --> 00:26:24,800 like melons and strawberries and tomatoes 396 00:26:24,840 --> 00:26:27,960 and, quite amazingly, pineapples. 397 00:26:29,000 --> 00:26:32,240 This would have seemed like the lap of luxury to the tenant farmers 398 00:26:32,280 --> 00:26:35,720 who are just living in absolute poverty in the area around. 399 00:26:35,760 --> 00:26:39,360 The family had a reputation that matched the extravagance 400 00:26:39,400 --> 00:26:42,240 of the building and surrounding grounds. 401 00:26:42,280 --> 00:26:45,160 The last of the Duckett line was a man named William Duckett, 402 00:26:45,200 --> 00:26:48,600 and he was known as quite the eccentric, quite a philanderer. 403 00:26:48,640 --> 00:26:51,680 He married a much, much younger woman. 404 00:26:51,720 --> 00:26:57,600 Maria Duckett and William Duckett, liked nothing more than to party. 405 00:26:57,640 --> 00:27:00,720 They loved a good party. And then William Duckett 406 00:27:00,760 --> 00:27:05,880 would have ran downstairs to play the organ to welcome the people in. 407 00:27:05,920 --> 00:27:09,280 Some of the parties would have lasted for days. 408 00:27:11,440 --> 00:27:14,960 During the Irish Famine, Protestant William Duckett 409 00:27:15,000 --> 00:27:18,360 extended his generosity to residents across the county, 410 00:27:18,400 --> 00:27:21,000 regardless of their faith. 411 00:27:21,040 --> 00:27:24,480 He was generally well liked for a British landlord. 412 00:27:24,520 --> 00:27:28,600 He provided food for the workhouses and paid good wages. 413 00:27:28,640 --> 00:27:31,320 Here in Carlow, the death rate during the famine 414 00:27:31,360 --> 00:27:35,920 was less than in other counties, in part due to Mr Duckett. 415 00:27:35,960 --> 00:27:39,400 But while he offered charity to his Catholic neighbours, 416 00:27:39,440 --> 00:27:44,080 his wife Maria, a staunch Protestant, held a different attitude, 417 00:27:44,120 --> 00:27:46,400 one born of bigotry and paranoia. 418 00:27:47,720 --> 00:27:51,240 She felt that she was way above everybody else. 419 00:27:51,280 --> 00:27:55,800 She had almost a disdain for local people. 420 00:27:55,840 --> 00:27:59,920 She had a big distrust and probably a big fear of Catholics. 421 00:27:59,960 --> 00:28:03,800 She was always looking over her shoulder at her Catholic staff 422 00:28:03,840 --> 00:28:05,320 and the grounds workers. 423 00:28:05,360 --> 00:28:09,760 Anti-British and anti-Protestant sentiment was sweeping Ireland, 424 00:28:09,800 --> 00:28:12,040 stoking Maria's fears. 425 00:28:12,080 --> 00:28:16,680 And that was soon compounded by the death of her husband. 426 00:28:16,720 --> 00:28:20,640 William Duckett died in 1908. 427 00:28:20,680 --> 00:28:25,160 But when he died, this house died with him. 428 00:28:25,200 --> 00:28:27,480 Maria Duckett stopped all the parties. 429 00:28:27,520 --> 00:28:29,680 She fell out with some of her neighbours. 430 00:28:29,720 --> 00:28:35,160 So, for eight years, Maria Duckett led a very solitary life. 431 00:28:35,200 --> 00:28:38,680 And her worst fears were soon realised. 432 00:28:38,720 --> 00:28:43,880 In April of 1916, Irish Republicans launched an armed insurrection 433 00:28:43,920 --> 00:28:48,280 against British rule, known as the Easter Rising. 434 00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:52,120 You can only imagine, if she was paranoid before, 435 00:28:52,160 --> 00:28:54,280 this must have felt like the end of the world. 436 00:28:54,320 --> 00:28:57,160 She believed that she'd be rounded up and be killed. 437 00:28:57,240 --> 00:29:00,160 So she packed it all in, abandons Duckett's Grove 438 00:29:00,200 --> 00:29:01,600 and leaves for England. 439 00:29:01,640 --> 00:29:04,080 The house became a sitting duck 440 00:29:04,120 --> 00:29:09,840 as the newly-formed Irish Republican Army prowled the countryside. 441 00:29:09,880 --> 00:29:12,760 The IRA targeted big houses like this 442 00:29:12,800 --> 00:29:15,880 as a symbol of British colonial oppression 443 00:29:15,920 --> 00:29:18,240 in their fight for independence. 444 00:29:19,520 --> 00:29:24,200 Between just 1919 and 1923, the IRA looted and burned 445 00:29:24,240 --> 00:29:28,640 almost 300 of these country mansions across Ireland. 446 00:29:28,680 --> 00:29:32,040 But William Duckett's lasting reputation in the county 447 00:29:32,080 --> 00:29:35,960 ensured a different fate for his grand house. 448 00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:39,800 Because they had supplied food into Carlow during the famine 449 00:29:39,840 --> 00:29:44,920 and because they had kept employment high, the local people asked the IRA 450 00:29:44,960 --> 00:29:48,040 not to burn Duckett's Grove. 451 00:29:48,080 --> 00:29:52,320 Instead, the army devised a use for the sprawling mansion 452 00:29:52,360 --> 00:29:55,240 that would grant it a new life. 453 00:29:55,280 --> 00:29:57,800 It's practically already a fortress. 454 00:29:57,840 --> 00:30:00,880 You've got these walled gardens where you can garrison troops. 455 00:30:00,920 --> 00:30:04,120 There's this giant tower where you can see everywhere 456 00:30:04,160 --> 00:30:06,000 from over 100 miles. 457 00:30:06,040 --> 00:30:09,880 The property was turned into an IRA training centre. 458 00:30:09,920 --> 00:30:14,840 Soon three new arrivals would make their mark on the mansion. 459 00:30:14,880 --> 00:30:16,800 During the Irish War for independence, 460 00:30:16,840 --> 00:30:21,040 three women were locked up in the Mountjoy Prison in Dublin, 461 00:30:21,080 --> 00:30:23,800 Mae Bourke, Eithne Coyle and Linda Kearns. 462 00:30:23,840 --> 00:30:27,480 They were imprisoned for various Republican activities. 463 00:30:27,520 --> 00:30:30,760 Trading guns, possessing seditious materials, 464 00:30:30,800 --> 00:30:33,080 generally aiding the revolution. 465 00:30:33,120 --> 00:30:36,520 What happened next made international headlines. 466 00:30:38,440 --> 00:30:42,680 And a story straight out of the great escapes from World War II. 467 00:30:42,720 --> 00:30:46,560 They fastened ropes and ladders, and they escaped. 468 00:30:46,600 --> 00:30:49,760 When they broke out of Mountjoy Jail in Dublin, 469 00:30:49,800 --> 00:30:55,160 they stole bicycles and they cycled from Dublin to Duckett's Grove. 470 00:30:55,200 --> 00:30:58,640 The escape plan was orchestrated by Michael Collins, 471 00:30:58,680 --> 00:31:01,760 the IRA's Director of Intelligence. 472 00:31:01,800 --> 00:31:04,280 Three of the women cycled the 50 miles 473 00:31:04,320 --> 00:31:08,400 to find the previously abandoned mansion transformed. 474 00:31:08,440 --> 00:31:14,400 It was now a fully-fledged IRA base occupied by 400 men. 475 00:31:15,400 --> 00:31:18,800 The women quickly set about getting the camp in order. 476 00:31:18,840 --> 00:31:22,560 They set up an officer's mess, nursed the wounded back to health, 477 00:31:22,600 --> 00:31:25,360 and even organised concerts to keep up morale. 478 00:31:25,400 --> 00:31:29,080 But they weren't here just to support the troops. 479 00:31:29,120 --> 00:31:32,080 They were part of what was known as Cumann na mBan. 480 00:31:32,120 --> 00:31:35,480 Cumann na mBan was the Irish Republicans Women's Association. 481 00:31:35,520 --> 00:31:38,440 They were at the heart of the rebellion in Ireland. 482 00:31:38,480 --> 00:31:39,920 They ran guns. 483 00:31:39,960 --> 00:31:41,400 They supplied intelligence. 484 00:31:41,440 --> 00:31:44,880 They worked in Dublin Castle, supplying Michael Collins 485 00:31:44,920 --> 00:31:46,120 with information. 486 00:31:46,160 --> 00:31:49,360 They used Duckett's Grove as a command control centre 487 00:31:49,400 --> 00:31:51,920 for operations against the British. 488 00:31:54,920 --> 00:31:59,080 You might see in old paintings that there were statues once covering 489 00:31:59,120 --> 00:32:02,600 the grounds of Duckett's Grove, but most of them are gone now. 490 00:32:02,640 --> 00:32:04,960 The women would use these statues, 491 00:32:05,000 --> 00:32:07,520 these symbols of colonial oppression, 492 00:32:07,560 --> 00:32:10,880 as target practice, blowing them to smithereens. 493 00:32:10,920 --> 00:32:14,840 One particular photo of the women survives, rifles in hand, 494 00:32:14,880 --> 00:32:17,720 standing triumphantly in the door of the house, 495 00:32:17,760 --> 00:32:21,040 with the Union Jack firmly under their boots. 496 00:32:21,080 --> 00:32:27,000 In December 1921, the Anglo-Irish treaty was signed by Michael Collins. 497 00:32:27,040 --> 00:32:30,240 And the IRA training grounds were dissolved. 498 00:32:30,280 --> 00:32:33,000 But the treaty partitioned the island 499 00:32:33,040 --> 00:32:35,040 into the largely Protestant north 500 00:32:35,080 --> 00:32:37,640 and the predominantly Catholic South, 501 00:32:37,680 --> 00:32:40,600 which would be named the Irish Free State. 502 00:32:40,640 --> 00:32:44,520 Its status was somewhere between a province of the British Empire 503 00:32:44,560 --> 00:32:46,240 and an independent republic. 504 00:32:47,960 --> 00:32:52,320 Collins knew this was a compromise many of his comrades wouldn't abide, 505 00:32:52,360 --> 00:32:57,200 and reportedly said, "I may have just signed my actual death warrant." 506 00:32:58,800 --> 00:33:03,960 This prophecy came true just months later as the IRA split in two 507 00:33:04,000 --> 00:33:07,760 and he was assassinated by Anti-Treaty forces. 508 00:33:07,800 --> 00:33:11,280 Ireland was plunged into a terrible civil war. 509 00:33:11,320 --> 00:33:13,360 Brother against brother. 510 00:33:13,400 --> 00:33:17,040 After that, the fledgling Irish state needed money, 511 00:33:17,080 --> 00:33:20,440 so they were selling off lands belonging to these big houses 512 00:33:20,480 --> 00:33:22,080 all across Ireland. 513 00:33:22,120 --> 00:33:24,560 And Duckett's Grove was no different. 514 00:33:24,600 --> 00:33:29,200 The mansion was sold and its contents auctioned off. 515 00:33:29,240 --> 00:33:31,440 Stripped of its original grandeur, 516 00:33:31,480 --> 00:33:35,800 it then suffered further humiliation when it was consumed by fire. 517 00:33:35,840 --> 00:33:40,400 I believe the cause of the fire was financial, 518 00:33:40,440 --> 00:33:42,880 either insurance or taxes. 519 00:33:42,920 --> 00:33:46,520 Because the bigger the house, the more taxes people had to pay. 520 00:33:46,560 --> 00:33:49,960 And if a house didn't have a roof, you didn't pay taxes. 521 00:33:50,000 --> 00:33:54,960 But this magnificent house was left in ruins... 522 00:33:55,000 --> 00:33:56,520 ..in 1933. 523 00:34:00,120 --> 00:34:03,480 Many big houses in Ireland remain derelict, 524 00:34:03,520 --> 00:34:06,440 but the work of volunteers like Danny, 525 00:34:06,480 --> 00:34:09,880 has opened Duckett's Grove up to the public. 526 00:34:09,920 --> 00:34:13,760 The building is wonderful, but it's the story behind the building. 527 00:34:13,800 --> 00:34:16,440 It's the people that truly bring it to life. 528 00:34:16,480 --> 00:34:20,680 The role of the Women's Army is becoming more widely acknowledged, 529 00:34:20,720 --> 00:34:24,880 but the full scope of their activities may never be known. 530 00:34:24,920 --> 00:34:25,920 As they grew older, 531 00:34:25,960 --> 00:34:29,120 the women who had participated in revolutionary activities 532 00:34:29,160 --> 00:34:31,960 were very secretive and silent about their role. 533 00:34:32,000 --> 00:34:36,440 So sadly, because no one documented what women did cos of patriarchy, 534 00:34:36,480 --> 00:34:39,520 we'll probably never know the full extent of their role 535 00:34:39,560 --> 00:34:40,840 in the revolution. 536 00:34:43,640 --> 00:34:46,600 In a secluded region of western Spain, 537 00:34:46,640 --> 00:34:50,560 a peninsula juts out over a vast, shimmering lake. 538 00:34:57,120 --> 00:35:00,640 WOMAN:We're about 180 miles west of Madrid. 539 00:35:00,680 --> 00:35:04,400 It's a beautiful area, a glorious green landscape. 540 00:35:04,440 --> 00:35:06,680 MAN:It's picturesque. It's peaceful. 541 00:35:06,720 --> 00:35:08,320 It's like something out of a fairy tale. 542 00:35:08,360 --> 00:35:12,560 Except that, there's not a single soul to be seen. 543 00:35:12,600 --> 00:35:16,520 This imposing ghost town displays all the hallmarks 544 00:35:16,560 --> 00:35:18,960 of an ancient stronghold. 545 00:35:19,000 --> 00:35:22,640 WOMAN:The whole town is protected by this high stone wall, 546 00:35:22,680 --> 00:35:25,640 and it's even got its own kind of castle tower 547 00:35:25,680 --> 00:35:27,720 near the gates guarding it. 548 00:35:27,760 --> 00:35:31,800 Within the walls, the town is laid out around a large central plaza, 549 00:35:31,840 --> 00:35:35,480 which is bounded by grand townhouses and civic buildings. 550 00:35:35,520 --> 00:35:38,640 You can imagine that this place was once bustling with life, 551 00:35:38,680 --> 00:35:39,840 but not any more. 552 00:35:39,880 --> 00:35:42,400 It's a classic frozen-in-time scenario. 553 00:35:42,440 --> 00:35:45,360 Everyone just up and vanished. 554 00:35:45,400 --> 00:35:50,400 And there's general decay, but no big obvious clue 555 00:35:50,440 --> 00:35:52,920 as to what caused this abandonment. 556 00:35:55,760 --> 00:35:57,360 Not many people are left 557 00:35:57,400 --> 00:36:00,440 to keep alive the story of what happened here. 558 00:36:00,480 --> 00:36:05,240 But sisters Vicenta and Rosario, are some of the last 559 00:36:05,280 --> 00:36:07,480 and recall a vibrant community. 560 00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:10,920 SHE SPEAKS IN SPANISH 561 00:36:19,440 --> 00:36:23,280 The square has been a focal point since medieval times, 562 00:36:23,320 --> 00:36:26,840 when the town adopted its name, Granadilla. 563 00:36:27,920 --> 00:36:30,360 The walls went up in the 12th century. 564 00:36:30,400 --> 00:36:34,920 A couple of hundred years later, the imposing castle was added. 565 00:36:34,960 --> 00:36:40,080 By the 20th century, this town was home to over a thousand inhabitants. 566 00:36:40,120 --> 00:36:44,200 It had evolved over more than a millennium into a bustling town 567 00:36:44,240 --> 00:36:46,360 with 300 family homes. 568 00:36:53,880 --> 00:36:58,560 Though she was young, Vicenta still fondly recalls family life 569 00:36:58,600 --> 00:37:00,240 in her now ruined home. 570 00:37:13,240 --> 00:37:16,640 Life here was rooted in agriculture and farming. 571 00:37:35,800 --> 00:37:40,760 But in 1955, Vicenta's childhood was shattered. 572 00:37:40,800 --> 00:37:45,880 This ancient town was about to have the life sucked out of it, 573 00:37:45,920 --> 00:37:50,640 thanks to a dictator who came to prominence in the 1930s. 574 00:37:54,840 --> 00:37:59,920 The Civil War was brutal, a bloody and violent conflict that claimed 575 00:37:59,960 --> 00:38:03,120 hundreds of thousands of lives. 576 00:38:03,160 --> 00:38:08,960 General Francisco Franco, aided by his fascist allies, Adolf Hitler 577 00:38:09,000 --> 00:38:14,000 and Benito Mussolini, emerged as leader in 1939. 578 00:38:14,040 --> 00:38:17,680 But the country had torn itself apart. 579 00:38:20,080 --> 00:38:26,200 Poverty, poor housing, disease, drought and famine were rife. 580 00:38:26,240 --> 00:38:30,880 The challenges that Spain faced must have seemed insurmountable. 581 00:38:30,920 --> 00:38:33,480 Essentially, Franco needed to turn around 582 00:38:33,520 --> 00:38:36,440 the battle-scarred country's fortunes. 583 00:38:36,480 --> 00:38:39,960 So, one of the approaches that General Franco took 584 00:38:40,000 --> 00:38:43,880 was to back these vast civil engineering projects. 585 00:38:43,920 --> 00:38:47,480 Central to this plan was advances in irrigation. 586 00:38:47,520 --> 00:38:53,240 Over 600 dams were built between 1939 and 1975. 587 00:38:53,280 --> 00:38:56,760 This was construction on an immense scale. 588 00:38:57,800 --> 00:39:03,160 The largest of these hydroelectric dams was to be in the Alagon River, 589 00:39:03,200 --> 00:39:07,080 just 24 miles from Granadilla. 590 00:39:07,120 --> 00:39:11,840 In 1955, officials declared the town a flood zone 591 00:39:11,880 --> 00:39:14,720 and ordered its inhabitants to evacuate. 592 00:39:26,880 --> 00:39:31,000 Some began leaving, but to force the remainder out, 593 00:39:31,040 --> 00:39:33,360 the government declared that the land, 594 00:39:33,400 --> 00:39:37,600 including the town and the farms, would become state property 595 00:39:37,640 --> 00:39:42,000 and insisted that not even a chair be left behind. 596 00:40:00,160 --> 00:40:02,440 Can you imagine what that must have felt like? 597 00:40:02,480 --> 00:40:04,360 Just to be told to get up and leave 598 00:40:04,400 --> 00:40:07,080 what had been your family's home for generations? 599 00:40:07,120 --> 00:40:09,760 It must have been absolutely devastating. 600 00:40:09,800 --> 00:40:13,640 The situation here was far from unique. The same approach 601 00:40:13,680 --> 00:40:17,520 was being taken to towns and villages right across Spain, 602 00:40:17,560 --> 00:40:21,040 to make way for these grand infrastructure projects. 603 00:40:21,080 --> 00:40:27,640 In 1963, the dam was complete and the floodgates opened on Granadilla. 604 00:40:43,080 --> 00:40:45,960 It completely altered the surrounding landscape. 605 00:40:46,000 --> 00:40:49,160 These roads that used to lead into this town 606 00:40:49,200 --> 00:40:51,440 kind of slip beneath the rising tide. 607 00:40:58,480 --> 00:41:01,760 But there would be a cruel twist to this tale. 608 00:41:02,960 --> 00:41:06,440 The rising waters turned the hill on which the town sat, 609 00:41:06,480 --> 00:41:10,560 into a kind of peninsula, but that's as high as the water got. 610 00:41:10,600 --> 00:41:13,200 The town was completely cut off. 611 00:41:13,240 --> 00:41:19,320 It was surrounded, but the town itself never actually flooded. 612 00:41:19,360 --> 00:41:21,360 This was the plan all along, 613 00:41:21,400 --> 00:41:24,120 and engineers would have known that the town wouldn't flood. 614 00:41:24,160 --> 00:41:27,240 In the end, it was either bureaucratic blunder 615 00:41:27,280 --> 00:41:29,400 or bureaucratic deception. 616 00:41:29,440 --> 00:41:34,920 Either way, for the people there, what happened was unforgivable. 617 00:41:53,200 --> 00:41:57,480 The key question here is, why hasn't anyone come back. 618 00:42:06,640 --> 00:42:10,720 In order to prevent the residents from ever returning to Granadilla, 619 00:42:10,760 --> 00:42:14,040 the flood zone status is still in effect, 620 00:42:14,080 --> 00:42:17,720 ensuring that no one can live here permanently. 621 00:42:17,760 --> 00:42:20,360 The town is now a tourist site 622 00:42:20,400 --> 00:42:23,680 and a monument to the many communities across Spain 623 00:42:23,720 --> 00:42:27,720 that suffered a similar fate at the hands of the dictatorship. 624 00:42:29,800 --> 00:42:31,880 Subtitles by Red Bee Media 55139

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