1 00:00:01,700 --> 00:00:04,500 [narrator] In Poland, a fairy tale castle 2 00:00:04,500 --> 00:00:07,867 at the heart of a modern day treasure hunt. 3 00:00:07,867 --> 00:00:10,166 The world's media descended, 4 00:00:10,166 --> 00:00:11,567 and what brought them all here 5 00:00:11,567 --> 00:00:12,767 was the promise 6 00:00:12,767 --> 00:00:14,233 of Nazi gold. 7 00:00:16,700 --> 00:00:19,400 [narrator] In Georgia, the millionaire's mansion 8 00:00:19,400 --> 00:00:22,667 caught in a web of controversy. 9 00:00:22,667 --> 00:00:25,300 We're talking about insurance claims 10 00:00:25,300 --> 00:00:26,867 and alcoholism, 11 00:00:26,867 --> 00:00:28,033 murder. 12 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:32,367 [narrator] And an Irish country estate 13 00:00:32,367 --> 00:00:35,500 drawn into a brutal fight for freedom. 14 00:00:36,300 --> 00:00:39,100 Owned by one of the most hated men in Ireland, 15 00:00:39,100 --> 00:00:41,433 some say that this house was cursed. 16 00:00:47,567 --> 00:00:48,734 [narrator] Decaying relics... 17 00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:53,400 Ruins of lost worlds... 18 00:00:54,600 --> 00:00:57,400 Sites haunted by the past... 19 00:00:59,166 --> 00:01:01,800 Their secrets waiting... 20 00:01:01,800 --> 00:01:02,800 to be revealed. 21 00:01:11,667 --> 00:01:15,266 In southern Poland is a commanding residence 22 00:01:15,266 --> 00:01:18,200 rumored to harbor a precious secret. 23 00:01:23,066 --> 00:01:24,767 [birds chirping] 24 00:01:24,767 --> 00:01:28,000 [Alexis Pedrick] Up on the hilltop kind of above the tree line 25 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:31,400 is this grand, majestic structure. 26 00:01:32,266 --> 00:01:35,000 [Rob Bell] Inside, that splendor continues. 27 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:36,800 Red carpeted staircases 28 00:01:36,800 --> 00:01:40,433 lead up to huge hallways with marble floors. 29 00:01:41,600 --> 00:01:44,166 [narrator] Yet this opulent citadel 30 00:01:44,166 --> 00:01:46,400 contains hidden depths. 31 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:48,600 Behind an ordinary-looking door 32 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:51,500 is a secret subterranean world. 33 00:01:52,300 --> 00:01:53,867 [Bell] As your eyes adjust, 34 00:01:53,867 --> 00:01:55,400 you start to get a sense 35 00:01:55,400 --> 00:01:58,867 of just how large this space is. 36 00:01:58,867 --> 00:02:01,200 It's like you're walking through a railway tunnel. 37 00:02:02,066 --> 00:02:03,467 [Pedrick] Some of the tunnels even 38 00:02:03,467 --> 00:02:07,066 seem to have collapsed or have been 39 00:02:07,066 --> 00:02:08,400 deliberately destroyed. 40 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:10,133 Perhaps to hide something. 41 00:02:11,166 --> 00:02:13,667 [narrator] For decades, tales were told 42 00:02:13,667 --> 00:02:15,667 of a brutal regime's riches 43 00:02:15,667 --> 00:02:18,533 that went missing in this exact area. 44 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:20,867 In 2016, 45 00:02:20,867 --> 00:02:22,100 it appeared the truth 46 00:02:22,100 --> 00:02:25,000 would finally be revealed. 47 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:28,600 And everybody's waiting for the moment 48 00:02:28,600 --> 00:02:31,600 when we finally get to see 49 00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:33,734 the thing we're looking for. 50 00:02:34,266 --> 00:02:36,033 Nazi gold. 51 00:02:40,867 --> 00:02:41,967 [Pedrick] There's been some 52 00:02:41,967 --> 00:02:45,300 sort of fortification here since the late 1200s. 53 00:02:45,300 --> 00:02:47,867 But over time it's been destroyed 54 00:02:47,867 --> 00:02:49,333 and rebuilt. 55 00:02:50,066 --> 00:02:53,667 [Bell] In the early 1500s, the Hoberg family took control 56 00:02:53,667 --> 00:02:55,266 and their descendants owned it 57 00:02:55,266 --> 00:02:57,700 right up into the 20th century. 58 00:02:58,166 --> 00:03:00,166 But in 1941, 59 00:03:00,166 --> 00:03:03,233 the Nazi regime confiscated the castle from its owners. 60 00:03:04,367 --> 00:03:06,066 [narrator] When the Germans invaded 61 00:03:06,066 --> 00:03:09,066 and occupied Poland during the Second World War, 62 00:03:09,066 --> 00:03:12,133 they seized many lavish residences. 63 00:03:13,266 --> 00:03:16,567 This one is called Ksiaz Castle, 64 00:03:16,567 --> 00:03:21,400 and it served as the Fuhrer's imperial headquarters in this region. 65 00:03:22,700 --> 00:03:24,567 [Bell] They wanted to make it a palace 66 00:03:24,567 --> 00:03:26,900 fit for Hitler himself, 67 00:03:26,900 --> 00:03:28,900 and in 1943, work began 68 00:03:28,900 --> 00:03:33,100 on remodeling the interiors to fit his tastes. 69 00:03:33,100 --> 00:03:35,467 [Dr. Lynette Nusbacher] The Nazis are going to rip out 70 00:03:35,467 --> 00:03:37,900 everything they think of as 71 00:03:37,900 --> 00:03:41,567 decadent or overdecorative. 72 00:03:41,567 --> 00:03:43,467 [narrator] But it was below ground 73 00:03:43,467 --> 00:03:45,700 the biggest changes were made. 74 00:03:46,300 --> 00:03:47,867 [Bell] To ensure his safety, 75 00:03:47,867 --> 00:03:50,867 a private escape elevator was installed 76 00:03:50,867 --> 00:03:53,500 just opposite Hitler's bedroom door. 77 00:03:54,200 --> 00:03:55,500 [narrator] The elevator led to 78 00:03:55,500 --> 00:03:58,266 a vast underground network. 79 00:03:58,266 --> 00:04:00,400 Excavated at great human cost 80 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:03,133 by inmates from a nearby concentration camp. 81 00:04:04,166 --> 00:04:06,367 The sheer scale of the tunnel system 82 00:04:06,367 --> 00:04:09,500 suggests it was much more than just a place 83 00:04:09,500 --> 00:04:11,567 for Hitler to hide. 84 00:04:11,567 --> 00:04:16,066 [Dr. Nusbacher] Germany is under immense stress by this point in the war. 85 00:04:16,066 --> 00:04:19,066 Scarce war materials like concrete, 86 00:04:19,066 --> 00:04:21,767 reinforcing bar, all of these things 87 00:04:21,767 --> 00:04:25,100 which could be used anywhere in the German Reich 88 00:04:25,100 --> 00:04:28,266 are being used here. 89 00:04:28,266 --> 00:04:31,734 What is it that justifies their use... 90 00:04:32,100 --> 00:04:34,266 in this place? 91 00:04:34,266 --> 00:04:37,400 [Bell] Historians have theorized that they could have been anything 92 00:04:37,400 --> 00:04:40,100 from bombproof underground factories 93 00:04:40,100 --> 00:04:43,033 to chemical or even nuclear research labs. 94 00:04:45,567 --> 00:04:48,400 [narrator] There is another theory that might explain 95 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:50,433 what these tunnels were used for. 96 00:04:52,266 --> 00:04:53,600 Ksiaz Castle... 97 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:55,767 has long been linked to a legend 98 00:04:55,767 --> 00:04:58,834 forged in the dying days of the Second World War. 99 00:04:59,600 --> 00:05:02,166 It began when the Soviet Red Army 100 00:05:02,166 --> 00:05:05,033 approached the Nazi-occupied city of Breslau, 101 00:05:05,767 --> 00:05:07,500 sixty miles from here. 102 00:05:08,367 --> 00:05:11,266 It's said that during the chaos of the evacuation, 103 00:05:11,266 --> 00:05:14,000 an armored train was loaded up 104 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:16,700 with more than 330 tons of gold, 105 00:05:16,700 --> 00:05:18,767 a vast array of jewels, 106 00:05:18,767 --> 00:05:22,800 weaponry, and priceless works of art. 107 00:05:23,767 --> 00:05:26,400 So the train supposedly left the city 108 00:05:26,400 --> 00:05:28,200 just before the attack 109 00:05:28,200 --> 00:05:30,867 and started heading down the line nearby 110 00:05:30,867 --> 00:05:33,266 that ran to the castle. 111 00:05:33,266 --> 00:05:36,767 [Dr. Nusbacher] The legend has it that this armored train 112 00:05:36,767 --> 00:05:39,300 rattled through one station, 113 00:05:39,300 --> 00:05:42,300 but never came to the next station. 114 00:05:44,066 --> 00:05:48,100 [Bell] But huge armored trains don't just disappear. 115 00:05:48,100 --> 00:05:51,166 The story goes that there was a railway line 116 00:05:51,166 --> 00:05:54,200 leading into these tunnel networks. 117 00:05:54,200 --> 00:05:57,000 And that once the train had passed through, 118 00:05:57,000 --> 00:05:59,133 the entrance to the tunnel was blown up, 119 00:05:59,667 --> 00:06:01,300 hiding the train inside. 120 00:06:02,700 --> 00:06:05,100 [narrator] Piotr Koper is a treasure hunter 121 00:06:05,100 --> 00:06:07,100 who has spent over a decade 122 00:06:07,100 --> 00:06:10,100 searching for Hitler's lost gold. 123 00:06:10,100 --> 00:06:13,667 He suspects the tunnels below Ksiaz Castle 124 00:06:13,667 --> 00:06:16,100 were a secret underground train line 125 00:06:16,100 --> 00:06:19,200 once connected to the main railway line, 126 00:06:19,200 --> 00:06:21,000 only two miles from here. 127 00:06:22,100 --> 00:06:24,500 This connection is not a matter of faith, 128 00:06:24,800 --> 00:06:26,333 or just a story. 129 00:06:26,333 --> 00:06:31,100 Hitler's headquarters had to be connected directly to the railway line. 130 00:06:31,100 --> 00:06:33,100 We believe that the train is waiting for us 131 00:06:33,100 --> 00:06:36,433 in one of the tunnels linked to Ksiaz Castle. 132 00:06:38,700 --> 00:06:41,000 [narrator] In August 2015, 133 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:44,467 Piotr and his business partner made an exciting discovery 134 00:06:44,467 --> 00:06:46,400 under an earthen embankment, 135 00:06:46,400 --> 00:06:48,734 adjacent to the main railway line. 136 00:06:50,967 --> 00:06:53,567 We started our investigations here 137 00:06:53,567 --> 00:06:56,700 because of the testimonies of witnesses who said 138 00:06:56,700 --> 00:06:59,600 that they saw a tunnel entrance in this area. 139 00:07:01,767 --> 00:07:05,867 [narrator] The fortune hunters used ground-penetrating radar 140 00:07:05,867 --> 00:07:09,600 to build up an image of what was hidden below ground. 141 00:07:12,100 --> 00:07:15,500 The result showed clear railway composition. 142 00:07:18,066 --> 00:07:21,066 It was hard to say because there's a lot of pipes 143 00:07:21,066 --> 00:07:22,367 and iron here. 144 00:07:22,367 --> 00:07:25,200 But it also showed train carriages lined up 145 00:07:25,200 --> 00:07:26,467 one after the other. 146 00:07:29,266 --> 00:07:33,367 [Dr. Nusbacher] It's so exciting the idea that at long last, 147 00:07:33,367 --> 00:07:37,900 after decades of tales of Nazi gold, 148 00:07:37,900 --> 00:07:40,600 we're finally gonna find some. 149 00:07:45,567 --> 00:07:49,367 [narrator] For decades, the tunnel network below Ksiaz Castle 150 00:07:49,367 --> 00:07:53,500 has been linked to the legend of a buried Nazi gold train. 151 00:07:54,100 --> 00:07:55,867 In 2016, 152 00:07:55,867 --> 00:07:59,000 Piotr Koper believed he had found it, 153 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:02,400 entombed at a spot two miles away from the castle. 154 00:08:03,900 --> 00:08:06,900 Local authorities gave him just seven days 155 00:08:06,900 --> 00:08:08,667 to complete his investigation. 156 00:08:08,667 --> 00:08:11,767 Because the train line running next to the excavation site 157 00:08:11,767 --> 00:08:14,100 had to be shut down during this time. 158 00:08:14,867 --> 00:08:17,333 On August 16th, the dig began. 159 00:08:19,166 --> 00:08:22,166 [Pedrick] The world's media descended. I mean, 160 00:08:22,166 --> 00:08:24,700 they were following every moment. 161 00:08:26,100 --> 00:08:27,367 [Bell] There was a lot on the line 162 00:08:27,367 --> 00:08:29,000 for Piotr and his partner. 163 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:30,467 Not only had they invested 164 00:08:30,467 --> 00:08:34,867 a reported $131,000 in the dig, 165 00:08:34,867 --> 00:08:37,000 their reputations were also at stake. 166 00:08:41,367 --> 00:08:43,500 After about 20 feet, 167 00:08:43,500 --> 00:08:45,834 we hit an unbreakable rock. 168 00:08:46,667 --> 00:08:48,800 We tried another three trenches. 169 00:08:49,266 --> 00:08:51,100 But always at the same depth, 170 00:08:51,100 --> 00:08:52,800 it was completely solid. 171 00:08:55,567 --> 00:08:57,400 [narrator] The clock was ticking. 172 00:09:00,467 --> 00:09:03,567 We prepared the drilling rig for the next day. 173 00:09:03,567 --> 00:09:05,133 But it was raining heavily. 174 00:09:07,800 --> 00:09:10,600 The drill operator said that it was impossible to drill 175 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:12,600 until the ground had hardened. 176 00:09:14,066 --> 00:09:16,467 But we just didn't have time, 177 00:09:16,467 --> 00:09:18,900 as that was the last day of our permission. 178 00:09:22,700 --> 00:09:26,100 [Pedrick] So after seven days of digging, 179 00:09:26,100 --> 00:09:28,567 they found... nothing. 180 00:09:28,567 --> 00:09:31,333 No tunnel, no gold, no train. 181 00:09:32,266 --> 00:09:34,800 [narrator] In the spotlight of the world's media, 182 00:09:34,800 --> 00:09:38,200 Piotr and his team were forced to give up. 183 00:09:40,767 --> 00:09:42,700 [Koper] As the Polish saying goes, 184 00:09:42,700 --> 00:09:44,800 "Success has many fathers, 185 00:09:44,800 --> 00:09:46,700 and failure is an orphan." 186 00:09:46,700 --> 00:09:49,800 Unfortunately, the second one has happened to us. 187 00:09:56,367 --> 00:09:59,166 [narrator] Although Piotr's hunt for the Nazi gold train 188 00:09:59,166 --> 00:10:01,000 didn't go as planned, 189 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:04,266 the media attention did provide an unexpected boost 190 00:10:04,266 --> 00:10:05,900 to the region's economy. 191 00:10:06,667 --> 00:10:08,800 An official from a nearby town 192 00:10:08,800 --> 00:10:11,900 actually admitted that during the year of the dig, 193 00:10:11,900 --> 00:10:14,934 tourism was up 44%. 194 00:10:15,567 --> 00:10:16,667 And who knows? 195 00:10:16,667 --> 00:10:18,500 Perhaps the Nazi gold train 196 00:10:18,500 --> 00:10:20,400 is still out there. 197 00:10:20,400 --> 00:10:22,133 Waiting to be found. 198 00:10:28,900 --> 00:10:32,400 [narrator] In Atlanta, Georgia, is an extravagant abode, 199 00:10:32,400 --> 00:10:34,667 built from the riches of one of the world's 200 00:10:34,667 --> 00:10:37,133 most famous business empires. 201 00:10:40,767 --> 00:10:43,000 [Gutierrez-Romine] We are in the leafy 202 00:10:43,000 --> 00:10:45,800 suburban neighborhood of Druid Hills. 203 00:10:45,800 --> 00:10:48,567 And if you go about 500 feet back 204 00:10:48,567 --> 00:10:52,600 from the road, there is this enormous mansion. 205 00:10:53,567 --> 00:10:55,400 [Sascha] It sits on Briarcliff Road, 206 00:10:55,400 --> 00:10:58,600 in an area known as Briarcliff Village. 207 00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:00,700 I'm guessing that Briarcliff has something important 208 00:11:00,700 --> 00:11:02,000 in the history of this region. 209 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:04,000 But what does it mean? 210 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:07,900 Inside are these huge rooms with carved wood paneling. 211 00:11:08,900 --> 00:11:11,266 A grand, like, Gothic ballroom, 212 00:11:11,266 --> 00:11:13,100 numerous bedrooms. 213 00:11:14,166 --> 00:11:15,400 And on the top floor, 214 00:11:15,400 --> 00:11:17,467 there seems to be a hidden door 215 00:11:17,467 --> 00:11:19,000 in one of the wall panels. 216 00:11:20,767 --> 00:11:22,967 [narrator] The curiosities of this mansion 217 00:11:22,967 --> 00:11:24,667 can only be explained 218 00:11:24,667 --> 00:11:27,300 by the eccentricities of its owner, 219 00:11:27,300 --> 00:11:29,700 the heir to a vast fortune. 220 00:11:30,900 --> 00:11:33,000 He was often at the center 221 00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:35,567 of a lot of different controversy. 222 00:11:35,567 --> 00:11:37,000 He did whatever he wanted, 223 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:39,500 and he didn't care. 224 00:11:39,500 --> 00:11:43,667 This story's sort of like a real-life version of Succession. 225 00:11:43,667 --> 00:11:45,066 I'm talking... 226 00:11:45,066 --> 00:11:47,834 powerful people, narcissism. 227 00:11:48,467 --> 00:11:50,667 Greed, sibling rivalry 228 00:11:50,667 --> 00:11:52,266 and abuses of power. 229 00:11:52,266 --> 00:11:54,166 All of which left a permanent legacy 230 00:11:54,166 --> 00:11:55,500 in the city of Atlanta. 231 00:12:00,867 --> 00:12:02,967 [Sara Butler] I moved to Atlanta in 2000, 232 00:12:02,967 --> 00:12:04,500 and I lived here for about 15 years 233 00:12:04,500 --> 00:12:07,066 before I read about this abandoned mansion in the suburbs 234 00:12:07,066 --> 00:12:08,900 and thought I gotta go out and see it. 235 00:12:10,066 --> 00:12:13,000 [narrator] Sara Butler is an author and expert 236 00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:16,000 on the history of this century old property. 237 00:12:16,467 --> 00:12:18,667 Her first visit inspired 238 00:12:18,667 --> 00:12:21,800 a five-year journey of discovery. 239 00:12:21,800 --> 00:12:24,667 [Butler] I found all of these stories about the man who built it. 240 00:12:24,667 --> 00:12:26,567 And the stories were kind of wild. 241 00:12:26,567 --> 00:12:28,867 Everything in this house was designed to impress. 242 00:12:28,867 --> 00:12:30,300 In order to understand the man, 243 00:12:30,300 --> 00:12:31,734 you have to understand the house. 244 00:12:32,567 --> 00:12:34,166 This is the home of 245 00:12:34,166 --> 00:12:37,467 Asa Griggs Candler, Jr. 246 00:12:37,467 --> 00:12:39,266 Or, as his friends and family 247 00:12:39,266 --> 00:12:41,800 referred to him as Buddy. 248 00:12:41,800 --> 00:12:44,600 He had a life of immense privilege, 249 00:12:44,600 --> 00:12:47,166 given that he was the second son 250 00:12:47,166 --> 00:12:49,567 and namesake of Coca-Cola founder, 251 00:12:49,567 --> 00:12:51,900 Asa Griggs Candler. 252 00:12:53,667 --> 00:12:55,800 [narrator] But the journey that motivated Buddy 253 00:12:55,800 --> 00:12:58,266 to build such a sprawling estate 254 00:12:58,266 --> 00:13:00,700 was not as simple as it might appear. 255 00:13:02,467 --> 00:13:05,400 [Pedrick] As the story goes, Buddy was a troubled kid. 256 00:13:05,400 --> 00:13:07,100 He was mischievous. 257 00:13:07,100 --> 00:13:10,734 According to everyone, he was just really difficult to discipline. 258 00:13:12,066 --> 00:13:14,000 [Butler] Around the time that he turned eight 259 00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:16,166 was when his father closed the deal 260 00:13:16,166 --> 00:13:19,667 to take full ownership of Coca-Cola and really take it on. 261 00:13:19,667 --> 00:13:22,166 And that's where he needed his attention to be. 262 00:13:22,166 --> 00:13:25,100 The only solution they felt was to send him away 263 00:13:25,100 --> 00:13:26,500 to an all-girls school. 264 00:13:27,100 --> 00:13:29,367 The reason for that is Asa, Sr., 265 00:13:29,367 --> 00:13:31,867 his sister, ran the school. 266 00:13:31,867 --> 00:13:34,000 His status as the black sheep of the family 267 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:36,166 only got worse as time went on. 268 00:13:36,166 --> 00:13:37,867 [narrator] During college, Buddy moved in 269 00:13:37,867 --> 00:13:40,166 with his older brother, Charles Howard. 270 00:13:40,166 --> 00:13:42,000 The younger sibling soon developed 271 00:13:42,000 --> 00:13:44,367 a reputation for bad behavior. 272 00:13:44,367 --> 00:13:46,000 [Butler] He made so much trouble 273 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:49,266 that his brother, whose grades were great during his freshman year, 274 00:13:49,266 --> 00:13:50,400 started going down. 275 00:13:50,400 --> 00:13:53,166 So he was kind of dragging his brother down with him. 276 00:13:53,166 --> 00:13:54,800 His father wrote a letter that said, 277 00:13:54,800 --> 00:13:56,467 "I don't know what I'm going to do with Buddy, 278 00:13:56,467 --> 00:13:58,166 but I gotta find something to do with him." 279 00:13:58,166 --> 00:14:00,400 And they shipped him off to California for a year. 280 00:14:01,767 --> 00:14:03,266 [narrator] Fresh out of college, 281 00:14:03,266 --> 00:14:05,166 Buddy was given a shot at running 282 00:14:05,166 --> 00:14:07,500 the family business on the West Coast, 283 00:14:07,500 --> 00:14:10,567 overseeing manufacturing, orders, 284 00:14:10,567 --> 00:14:11,700 and fulfillment. 285 00:14:12,567 --> 00:14:14,867 It didn't go well. 286 00:14:14,867 --> 00:14:16,567 [Gutierrez-Romine] It probably didn't help that 287 00:14:16,567 --> 00:14:20,400 he spent most of his time drinking and partying. 288 00:14:20,400 --> 00:14:23,367 [Butler] Asa Candler, Sr. never let him have a part of Coca Cola 289 00:14:23,367 --> 00:14:25,000 as a business ever again. 290 00:14:25,700 --> 00:14:27,467 His older brother was always... 291 00:14:27,467 --> 00:14:30,166 the son who did things right. 292 00:14:30,166 --> 00:14:33,100 And Buddy was sort of the son who did things wrong. 293 00:14:33,100 --> 00:14:35,567 And... that put Buddy in a position 294 00:14:35,567 --> 00:14:38,500 of always trying to outshine him. 295 00:14:38,500 --> 00:14:41,266 [narrator] That motivation prompted Buddy to build 296 00:14:41,266 --> 00:14:43,567 an attention-grabbing property, 297 00:14:43,567 --> 00:14:45,400 just to compete with his brother. 298 00:14:46,367 --> 00:14:48,967 But he'd made so many failed investments 299 00:14:48,967 --> 00:14:50,567 that he didn't have the money 300 00:14:50,567 --> 00:14:53,233 to buy the land to build his new house on. 301 00:14:54,166 --> 00:14:56,900 Yet Buddy always found a way. 302 00:14:59,100 --> 00:15:02,266 [Butler] So in 1911, a big fire broke out in his garage 303 00:15:02,266 --> 00:15:04,767 and destroyed all of his very valuable cars, 304 00:15:04,767 --> 00:15:06,100 all insured. 305 00:15:06,100 --> 00:15:08,567 And conveniently, within about a month, 306 00:15:08,567 --> 00:15:10,500 he's moving his family out to this property 307 00:15:10,500 --> 00:15:14,166 that he couldn't quite afford to close on until that moment. 308 00:15:14,166 --> 00:15:16,767 [narrator] Buddy may have owned the land, but he still 309 00:15:16,767 --> 00:15:20,000 didn't have the funds to build his dream house. 310 00:15:20,467 --> 00:15:21,533 He would have to wait 311 00:15:21,533 --> 00:15:25,166 until the Coca-Cola Company was sold in 1919, 312 00:15:25,166 --> 00:15:27,266 when each of the Candler siblings 313 00:15:27,266 --> 00:15:29,567 was paid out handsomely. 314 00:15:29,567 --> 00:15:31,667 Buddy finally got the cash he needed 315 00:15:31,667 --> 00:15:33,567 to start building the house 316 00:15:33,567 --> 00:15:36,700 that would put his siblings in the shade. 317 00:15:36,700 --> 00:15:39,567 [narrator] It was called Briarcliff Mansion. 318 00:15:39,567 --> 00:15:41,300 And by 1922, 319 00:15:41,300 --> 00:15:43,667 when Buddy was 42 years old, 320 00:15:43,667 --> 00:15:47,066 it was ready for he and his family to move into. 321 00:15:47,066 --> 00:15:48,133 [Butler] One of the things that I love 322 00:15:48,133 --> 00:15:50,867 is that his brother already lived on this road. 323 00:15:50,867 --> 00:15:52,900 He built this house and renamed the road. 324 00:15:52,900 --> 00:15:56,467 So he renamed his brother's address. Briarcliff. 325 00:15:56,467 --> 00:15:58,967 It was a nice little, kind of finger to his brother. 326 00:15:58,967 --> 00:16:00,333 [laughing] 327 00:16:01,100 --> 00:16:03,266 [Gutierrez-Romine] The name "Briarcliff" actually 328 00:16:03,266 --> 00:16:05,567 comes from Buddy's most 329 00:16:05,567 --> 00:16:07,667 beloved sports car, 330 00:16:07,667 --> 00:16:09,400 the Lozier Briarcliff. 331 00:16:10,266 --> 00:16:13,100 This, surprisingly, was one of the few cars 332 00:16:13,100 --> 00:16:16,500 to survive the mysterious fire in his garage. 333 00:16:17,567 --> 00:16:19,166 [Gutierrez-Romine] In 1925, 334 00:16:19,166 --> 00:16:21,400 Buddy was still not content 335 00:16:21,400 --> 00:16:23,967 with his home, and so he decided 336 00:16:23,967 --> 00:16:25,567 to build a music hall 337 00:16:25,567 --> 00:16:28,800 that included an in-home organ. 338 00:16:30,667 --> 00:16:31,934 [Butler] The organ, for me, 339 00:16:31,934 --> 00:16:34,567 is a really key part of the story to understand Buddy. 340 00:16:34,567 --> 00:16:37,667 It was a little bit bigger than his brother's. 341 00:16:37,667 --> 00:16:40,000 Which was a little bit bigger than their fathers. 342 00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:41,667 So I like to say in this family, 343 00:16:41,667 --> 00:16:43,166 there was an organ measuring contest, 344 00:16:43,166 --> 00:16:46,767 but the organs were actually organs. 345 00:16:46,767 --> 00:16:50,200 [narrator] But Buddy was never satisfied for long and always needed 346 00:16:50,200 --> 00:16:52,900 a new hobby to occupy his time. 347 00:16:53,967 --> 00:16:57,433 In this case, that exciting new hobby was magic. 348 00:16:58,100 --> 00:16:59,767 [Sascha] He filled a room 349 00:16:59,767 --> 00:17:02,767 with his magic tricks and would regularly take 350 00:17:02,767 --> 00:17:05,900 an airplane to New York City just to buy more. 351 00:17:07,266 --> 00:17:10,200 [narrator] His devotion didn't stop there. 352 00:17:10,200 --> 00:17:12,500 On a family vacation to the Philippines, 353 00:17:12,500 --> 00:17:16,767 he met a local magician named Jose Cruz. 354 00:17:16,767 --> 00:17:18,467 [Pedrick] Buddy was so impressed that he actually 355 00:17:18,467 --> 00:17:20,967 took him back with him to America. 356 00:17:20,967 --> 00:17:23,767 Cruz was officially employed as a butler, 357 00:17:23,767 --> 00:17:25,166 but his real job 358 00:17:25,166 --> 00:17:28,400 was as Buddy's personal magic tutor. 359 00:17:30,100 --> 00:17:32,266 [Sascha] But soon, a terrible scandal 360 00:17:32,266 --> 00:17:34,767 was going to engulf Briarcliff Mansion. 361 00:17:34,767 --> 00:17:36,767 And Buddy's love of magic 362 00:17:36,767 --> 00:17:38,800 would be the least of the casualties. 363 00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:46,367 [narrator] In Atlanta is the former mansion 364 00:17:46,367 --> 00:17:49,233 of Coca-Cola heir, Buddy Candler. 365 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:53,000 On January 18th, 1931, 366 00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:55,066 he was woken with the news his butler 367 00:17:55,066 --> 00:17:57,667 and magic teacher, Jose Cruz, 368 00:17:57,667 --> 00:17:59,066 had been found dead 369 00:17:59,066 --> 00:18:00,734 on the grounds of the property. 370 00:18:01,800 --> 00:18:05,000 [Gutierrez-Romine] But this wasn't an ordinary death. 371 00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:06,700 Jose's body was found 372 00:18:06,700 --> 00:18:09,567 next to a young woman named Gladys. 373 00:18:09,567 --> 00:18:12,066 And Gladys was also his lover. 374 00:18:12,066 --> 00:18:15,500 And, at first, it appeared that the two had died 375 00:18:15,500 --> 00:18:18,233 in what appeared to be a double suicide. 376 00:18:19,800 --> 00:18:23,266 Gladys's parents disapproved of the relationship 377 00:18:23,266 --> 00:18:25,133 because Cruz was Filipino. 378 00:18:26,100 --> 00:18:28,266 The suicide note suggested that the couple 379 00:18:28,266 --> 00:18:30,667 felt death was the only way 380 00:18:30,667 --> 00:18:32,333 they could be together forever. 381 00:18:33,767 --> 00:18:36,500 But things didn't quite add up. 382 00:18:37,967 --> 00:18:40,900 [Butler] Ultimately, what was determined by a jury 383 00:18:40,900 --> 00:18:42,800 pulled together very quickly 384 00:18:42,800 --> 00:18:44,700 was that it was a murder suicide. 385 00:18:44,700 --> 00:18:46,767 Jose Cruz was very troubled, 386 00:18:46,767 --> 00:18:49,400 and he killed her and killed himself. 387 00:18:49,867 --> 00:18:51,500 It made national news. 388 00:18:52,767 --> 00:18:54,467 [Pedrick] The whole affair kinda... 389 00:18:54,467 --> 00:18:57,467 left a bitter taste in Buddy's mouth. 390 00:18:57,467 --> 00:18:59,600 So he gave up magic completely. 391 00:18:59,600 --> 00:19:02,100 Um, the one thing though, he did not give up, 392 00:19:02,100 --> 00:19:03,333 was the bottle. 393 00:19:03,333 --> 00:19:07,100 It's even rumored that the start of his next adventure 394 00:19:07,100 --> 00:19:09,400 came because he was drunk 395 00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:11,367 and at a circus in Europe 396 00:19:11,367 --> 00:19:13,967 and bought a bunch of animals. 397 00:19:13,967 --> 00:19:16,467 [narrator] In order to fund his newest hobby, 398 00:19:16,467 --> 00:19:18,100 he began charging admission 399 00:19:18,100 --> 00:19:21,400 for people to come visit his private zoo. 400 00:19:21,400 --> 00:19:23,467 [Butler] We're not just talking elephants. We're talking... 401 00:19:23,467 --> 00:19:26,567 lions, tigers, black panthers, 402 00:19:26,567 --> 00:19:28,266 uh, Shetland ponies, 403 00:19:28,266 --> 00:19:30,133 a whole pack of bears. 404 00:19:31,166 --> 00:19:34,667 But like many of his other projects, 405 00:19:34,667 --> 00:19:36,834 this one was doomed from the start. 406 00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:40,700 [Butler] What he didn't anticipate was how expensive it was 407 00:19:40,700 --> 00:19:42,567 to run a zoo on your own lawn. 408 00:19:42,567 --> 00:19:44,767 A dime a person was never going to make him 409 00:19:44,767 --> 00:19:47,100 enough money to make this viable. 410 00:19:47,100 --> 00:19:48,600 So within a year, 411 00:19:48,600 --> 00:19:50,333 he was already running in the red. 412 00:19:50,967 --> 00:19:52,166 Within two years, 413 00:19:52,166 --> 00:19:54,367 he was starting to lose his temper with people. 414 00:19:54,367 --> 00:19:56,233 This is heavy in the drinking years. 415 00:19:57,166 --> 00:19:59,100 [narrator] Buddy was so disheartened 416 00:19:59,100 --> 00:20:00,700 he gave away many of the animals 417 00:20:00,700 --> 00:20:04,266 to what would later become Atlanta City Zoo. 418 00:20:04,266 --> 00:20:07,166 His life was spiraling out of control, 419 00:20:07,166 --> 00:20:08,900 and something had to give. 420 00:20:10,400 --> 00:20:13,667 [Butler] At some point, late 30s, early 1940s... 421 00:20:13,667 --> 00:20:15,667 he has this realization 422 00:20:15,667 --> 00:20:16,767 that he's an alcoholic 423 00:20:16,767 --> 00:20:19,100 and he can't live like this anymore. And he decided 424 00:20:19,100 --> 00:20:20,000 to get right with God. 425 00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:22,066 All evidence points to him successfully 426 00:20:22,066 --> 00:20:23,867 giving up alcohol completely. 427 00:20:23,867 --> 00:20:27,333 So he spent that latter part of his life completely sober. 428 00:20:28,266 --> 00:20:32,000 But by then, much of the damage had already been done 429 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:35,133 to his health and his finances. 430 00:20:36,967 --> 00:20:41,567 [Alexis Pedrick] In 1947, he was, by his standards, short of cash. 431 00:20:41,567 --> 00:20:45,166 And so he was forced to sell off Briarcliff. 432 00:20:45,166 --> 00:20:46,867 You know, according to those who knew him, 433 00:20:46,867 --> 00:20:51,333 it was a pretty crushing blow for him to give up his beloved mansion. 434 00:20:52,867 --> 00:20:56,867 [narrator] Six years later, in 1953, 435 00:20:56,867 --> 00:21:00,233 Buddie died from liver cancer at the age of 72. 436 00:21:01,667 --> 00:21:05,166 [Alicia Gutierrez-Romine] The irony is that Buddie's Mansion ended up 437 00:21:05,166 --> 00:21:10,066 turning into Georgia's first alcohol addiction treatment center, 438 00:21:10,066 --> 00:21:13,967 and it functioned in that capacity through the 1980s. 439 00:21:13,967 --> 00:21:15,800 After that, it was abandoned. 440 00:21:21,567 --> 00:21:26,900 In 1998, Emory University purchased the 42-acre estate 441 00:21:26,900 --> 00:21:30,300 that included Buddie's Mansion from the Atlanta government. 442 00:21:31,467 --> 00:21:35,834 [narrator] Now a multimillion dollar renovation is in the works. 443 00:21:36,800 --> 00:21:41,166 Gary Hawk is Emory University's historian. 444 00:21:41,166 --> 00:21:43,867 [Gary Hawk] Given the importance of the Candler family 445 00:21:43,867 --> 00:21:46,367 to the development of modern Atlanta, 446 00:21:46,367 --> 00:21:51,967 I think it's really vital to preserve the building as it is and to restore it 447 00:21:51,967 --> 00:21:53,700 perhaps as it once was. 448 00:21:59,700 --> 00:22:03,867 [narrator] In County Limerick, Ireland, stands a fallen symbol 449 00:22:03,867 --> 00:22:06,200 of the nation's troubled history. 450 00:22:11,600 --> 00:22:17,100 [Sascha Auerbach] What we see is a patchwork of fields with cattle grazing. 451 00:22:17,100 --> 00:22:18,867 It's quiet, idyllic, 452 00:22:18,867 --> 00:22:22,600 a picturesque part of the Irish countryside. 453 00:22:22,600 --> 00:22:24,266 [Dominic Selwood] But right at the center of it all 454 00:22:24,266 --> 00:22:27,400 is an unusual, imposing structure. 455 00:22:27,400 --> 00:22:31,700 It could be a ruined Roman temple, abandoned for 2000 years. 456 00:22:31,700 --> 00:22:33,867 But the Romans never made it to Ireland. 457 00:22:33,867 --> 00:22:38,166 Whoever built this at tremendous expense by the look of it, 458 00:22:38,166 --> 00:22:41,767 didn't expect it to end up in the middle of a cow pasture. 459 00:22:41,767 --> 00:22:46,000 [narrator] Yet the sparse interiors still retain a glimmer 460 00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:49,000 of the property's faded prosperity. 461 00:22:49,000 --> 00:22:54,100 You can still make out the outlines of big baronial fireplaces, 462 00:22:54,100 --> 00:22:57,900 big heroic staircases lining up to a second story. 463 00:22:58,767 --> 00:23:01,467 It's got corridors and doorways everywhere, 464 00:23:01,467 --> 00:23:04,266 with countless rooms and underground vaults. 465 00:23:04,266 --> 00:23:09,000 So this was clearly .a stately home of wealth and distinction. 466 00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:11,500 [narrator] The actions of its influential owner 467 00:23:11,500 --> 00:23:15,300 made him one of the most hated figures in Ireland. 468 00:23:15,300 --> 00:23:21,100 He did everything in his power to prevent the emancipation of Catholics. 469 00:23:21,100 --> 00:23:24,000 Inside this building, policies were formulated, 470 00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:26,567 decisions were taken that would lead to, you know, 471 00:23:26,567 --> 00:23:29,900 an absolute bloodletting across the country of Ireland. 472 00:23:30,867 --> 00:23:34,967 Little did he know that he would end up sowing the seeds 473 00:23:34,967 --> 00:23:37,200 for the destruction of his own home. 474 00:23:42,567 --> 00:23:46,400 [narrator] In Ireland are the dilapidated remains of a bygone era. 475 00:23:47,100 --> 00:23:50,567 David Hicks is an architectural historian 476 00:23:50,567 --> 00:23:54,266 with a passion for large country homes like this one. 477 00:23:54,266 --> 00:23:56,166 There were said to be 22 bedrooms, 478 00:23:56,166 --> 00:23:59,266 five reception rooms, a six-acre walled garden, 479 00:23:59,266 --> 00:24:03,266 and what is very interesting is the people inside this house 480 00:24:03,266 --> 00:24:06,266 had a huge influence on the wider community, 481 00:24:06,266 --> 00:24:09,734 a huge influence on the Catholic population nationally. 482 00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:13,967 [narrator] This is Mountshannon House. 483 00:24:13,967 --> 00:24:18,467 It was bought in the 1760s by John Fitzgibbon, 484 00:24:18,467 --> 00:24:23,000 an affluent lawyer and politician from nearby Limerick. 485 00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:26,667 The origin of his fortune dates back to a time 486 00:24:26,667 --> 00:24:29,834 when Ireland was a country under siege. 487 00:24:31,200 --> 00:24:33,000 [Professor Geoffrey Wawro] In the mid-1600s, 488 00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:36,266 the English leader Oliver Cromwell led 489 00:24:36,266 --> 00:24:40,367 a brutal crackdown on Catholics in Ireland 490 00:24:40,367 --> 00:24:44,033 after they had rebelled against the British crown. 491 00:24:44,967 --> 00:24:47,100 As punishment for the uprising, 492 00:24:47,100 --> 00:24:49,667 vast tracts of land were confiscated 493 00:24:49,667 --> 00:24:51,934 and given to British Protestant settlers. 494 00:24:53,266 --> 00:24:58,266 [Selwood] It also ushered in an era of strong penal laws against Catholics 495 00:24:58,266 --> 00:25:01,200 designed to maintain the power of the Protestant elite. 496 00:25:02,367 --> 00:25:05,066 There was huge restrictions placed on Catholics 497 00:25:05,066 --> 00:25:08,200 in terms of land ownership, education, 498 00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:11,000 even the type of career they could pursue. 499 00:25:12,400 --> 00:25:14,767 [narrator] John Fitzgibbon was raised Catholic, 500 00:25:14,767 --> 00:25:18,100 and the only way he could have owned an estate of this size 501 00:25:18,100 --> 00:25:21,667 was by making a great sacrifice. 502 00:25:21,667 --> 00:25:25,500 [Hicks] John changed his religion in order that he could pursue a law career. 503 00:25:25,500 --> 00:25:30,200 He was very successful, and he died a very wealthy man by 1780. 504 00:25:31,166 --> 00:25:33,200 [Selwood] He never forgot his roots, though, 505 00:25:33,200 --> 00:25:36,400 and often defended Catholics for fighting the penal laws. 506 00:25:37,467 --> 00:25:41,000 [narrator] But Fitzgibbon's son and heir, also named John 507 00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:44,700 was cut from a different cloth. 508 00:25:44,700 --> 00:25:48,867 Being born and raised in the elite class of the Protestant ascendancy, 509 00:25:48,867 --> 00:25:50,600 seemed to go straight to his head. 510 00:25:51,567 --> 00:25:53,500 [Professor Wawro] And the curious thing about him, 511 00:25:53,500 --> 00:25:58,066 he saw the dilemmas his father had wrestled with being a Catholic, 512 00:25:58,066 --> 00:26:01,100 and instead of that filling him with a kind of compassion 513 00:26:01,100 --> 00:26:04,367 and understanding for the plight of Catholics in their own land, 514 00:26:04,367 --> 00:26:10,367 it made him even more bigoted, even more oppressive than the English themselves. 515 00:26:10,367 --> 00:26:14,400 [narrator] Fitzgibbon Jr. rose to become a powerful politician 516 00:26:14,400 --> 00:26:17,567 and enforced his beliefs without mercy. 517 00:26:17,567 --> 00:26:20,867 He did everything he could to ally himself to the crown, 518 00:26:20,867 --> 00:26:24,400 always desperate to fit in with the English aristocracy, 519 00:26:24,400 --> 00:26:28,200 and spent his life opposing Catholic emancipation. 520 00:26:28,200 --> 00:26:31,734 [narrator] By the late 1700s, trouble was brewing. 521 00:26:32,567 --> 00:26:35,166 Irish Catholics, increasingly frustrated 522 00:26:35,166 --> 00:26:39,967 by the injustice of the penal laws, were beginning to organize. 523 00:26:39,967 --> 00:26:42,166 [Professor Wawro] There's Irish nationalist groups 524 00:26:42,166 --> 00:26:45,100 like the Society for United Irishmen, 525 00:26:45,100 --> 00:26:48,266 who form and say, "Look, we need to, like, unite together 526 00:26:48,266 --> 00:26:50,200 and take our land back 527 00:26:50,200 --> 00:26:53,100 from these British interlopers." 528 00:26:53,100 --> 00:26:56,300 [Auerbach] Unsurprisingly, Fitzgibbon threw everything he could at them, 529 00:26:56,300 --> 00:27:00,066 outlawing the group and forcing its members underground. 530 00:27:00,066 --> 00:27:03,700 [narrator] The United Irishmen didn't give up so easily. 531 00:27:03,700 --> 00:27:08,367 Inspired by the successes of the American and French revolutions, 532 00:27:08,367 --> 00:27:14,266 they resorted to an armed rebellion across Ireland in 1798. 533 00:27:14,266 --> 00:27:17,767 But after a few months, British troops had defeated the rebels 534 00:27:17,767 --> 00:27:20,367 in battles around the country. 535 00:27:20,367 --> 00:27:23,266 [Auerbach] Fitzgibbon authorized the arrest 536 00:27:23,266 --> 00:27:27,467 and imprisonment of the Irish without trial. 537 00:27:27,467 --> 00:27:31,934 And resorted to the most brutal torture as forms of intimidation. 538 00:27:33,000 --> 00:27:34,767 [narrator] Fitzgibbon's greatest betrayal 539 00:27:34,767 --> 00:27:37,734 of his fellow countrymen was still to come. 540 00:27:38,900 --> 00:27:40,967 [Auerbach] The rebellion prompted the prime minister 541 00:27:40,967 --> 00:27:42,767 to pass the Act of Union, 542 00:27:42,767 --> 00:27:46,900 which formally incorporated Ireland into the union 543 00:27:46,900 --> 00:27:49,133 of Great Britain and Ireland. 544 00:27:50,467 --> 00:27:52,767 [narrator] Under the terms of the act, 545 00:27:52,767 --> 00:27:56,266 Ireland's parliament was to be abolished. 546 00:27:56,266 --> 00:27:59,967 Yet many British politicians felt the time had come 547 00:27:59,967 --> 00:28:02,500 to grant Irish Catholics more freedom. 548 00:28:03,667 --> 00:28:06,967 But fearing that more Catholic power would ruin the country, 549 00:28:06,967 --> 00:28:11,767 Fitzgibbon convinced King George III not to give his royal assent, 550 00:28:11,767 --> 00:28:16,000 saying it would violate his coronation oath to maintain Protestantism. 551 00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:20,667 And he is famous for saying that the Act of Union 552 00:28:20,667 --> 00:28:23,634 would make Ireland as tame as a mutilated cat. 553 00:28:24,967 --> 00:28:28,567 [narrator] The bitter irony was that Fitzgibbon's fanaticism 554 00:28:28,567 --> 00:28:31,500 would lead to his own downfall. 555 00:28:31,500 --> 00:28:33,367 His rule in Ireland was so harsh 556 00:28:33,367 --> 00:28:35,667 that he alienated even the British who said, you know, 557 00:28:35,667 --> 00:28:37,867 this is no way to knit together Ireland 558 00:28:37,867 --> 00:28:40,567 and the United Kingdom with these kind of policies, 559 00:28:40,567 --> 00:28:42,400 so he wasn't kept on the government. 560 00:28:42,400 --> 00:28:46,300 He returned to Mountshannon, deeply depressed. 561 00:28:46,300 --> 00:28:50,800 Call it karma, but the next year he died after falling off his horse 562 00:28:50,800 --> 00:28:53,467 when he was riding around his estate. 563 00:28:53,467 --> 00:28:57,367 [Hicks] The people of Limerick thought it would be a suitable memorial to him 564 00:28:57,367 --> 00:28:59,867 to deposit a number of dead cats 565 00:28:59,867 --> 00:29:02,066 not only on his coffin but on his grave. 566 00:29:02,066 --> 00:29:06,233 And this, I think, illustrates how much this man was disliked in the locality. 567 00:29:07,200 --> 00:29:08,867 [narrator] Over the next century, 568 00:29:08,867 --> 00:29:12,100 the Irish nationalist movement gathered pace, 569 00:29:12,100 --> 00:29:16,734 fueled in part by the actions of men like John Fitzgibbon. 570 00:29:17,667 --> 00:29:20,900 It would ultimately take a global conflict 571 00:29:20,900 --> 00:29:24,600 to pave the road for lasting change in Ireland. 572 00:29:24,600 --> 00:29:29,800 The First World War halted the passage of a new law known as Home Rule, 573 00:29:29,800 --> 00:29:33,767 which was meant to give Ireland more local control. 574 00:29:33,767 --> 00:29:39,266 [Auerbach] In 1916, militant Republicans staged an uprising in Dublin. 575 00:29:39,266 --> 00:29:43,100 It became known as the Easter Rebellion, or the Easter uprising. 576 00:29:44,467 --> 00:29:47,100 [Selwood] The rebels were surrounded and bombarded. 577 00:29:47,100 --> 00:29:49,567 Thousands were sent to internment camps 578 00:29:49,567 --> 00:29:53,100 and 16 of their leaders were executed. 579 00:29:53,100 --> 00:29:56,900 With this violent repression, mainstream Irish opinion 580 00:29:56,900 --> 00:29:58,800 turned strongly against the British. 581 00:29:59,867 --> 00:30:04,600 [narrator] In 1919, the War of Independence broke out. 582 00:30:04,600 --> 00:30:09,166 The Irish forces united under the banner of the Irish Republican Army, 583 00:30:09,166 --> 00:30:12,433 more commonly known by its initials, the IRA. 584 00:30:14,467 --> 00:30:18,300 The IRA only had a few thousand men and limited supplies, 585 00:30:18,300 --> 00:30:21,166 so were forced to fight a guerrilla campaign. 586 00:30:21,166 --> 00:30:26,500 Their tactics included ambush, bombings, espionage, and assassinations. 587 00:30:27,467 --> 00:30:30,367 And so it becomes a really nasty war. 588 00:30:30,367 --> 00:30:34,166 [narrator] The southwestern city of Limerick was an IRA stronghold 589 00:30:34,166 --> 00:30:37,133 which made it a target for British forces. 590 00:30:38,166 --> 00:30:41,900 Mountshannon House would be caught in the crossfire. 591 00:30:46,367 --> 00:30:50,600 [narrator] In Ireland lie the ruins of Mountshannon House. 592 00:30:50,600 --> 00:30:53,867 By the early 1900s, the property had been drawn 593 00:30:53,867 --> 00:30:58,166 into the violent War of Independence engulfing the country. 594 00:30:58,166 --> 00:31:03,400 The one thing to understand in the political upheaval of Ireland in the 1920s 595 00:31:03,400 --> 00:31:07,467 was that a house like this could be used as a barracks. 596 00:31:07,467 --> 00:31:10,266 It sat within a demesne of 900 acres, 597 00:31:10,266 --> 00:31:12,800 so therefore, from the surrounding area, 598 00:31:12,800 --> 00:31:16,200 if anyone was approaching, it could easily be defended. 599 00:31:16,200 --> 00:31:18,266 As well as seen as being an asset to some, 600 00:31:18,266 --> 00:31:19,767 it was also seen as a threat 601 00:31:19,767 --> 00:31:22,467 if your enemy took control of it. 602 00:31:22,467 --> 00:31:25,600 [Auerbach] With forewarning that thousands of British troops 603 00:31:25,600 --> 00:31:27,567 were about to arrive in Ireland, 604 00:31:27,567 --> 00:31:31,166 the IRA set out on a campaign to destroy structures 605 00:31:31,166 --> 00:31:34,567 that might be used as barracks to house these troops. 606 00:31:34,567 --> 00:31:39,667 [narrator] On June 14th, 1920, John Fitzgibbon's once lavish estate 607 00:31:39,667 --> 00:31:42,000 was razed to the ground. 608 00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:45,867 [Auerbach] A band of IRA volunteers snuck into Mountshannon. 609 00:31:45,867 --> 00:31:51,767 They planted paper and hay around the building and covered it in oil. 610 00:31:51,767 --> 00:31:54,567 [Selwood] The house burned for three days, 611 00:31:54,567 --> 00:31:57,667 and a massive fire could be seen from Limerick. 612 00:31:57,667 --> 00:32:00,867 [Professor Wawro] There's a real circular aspect to the story 613 00:32:00,867 --> 00:32:03,967 because the Mountshannon House is burned to the ground 614 00:32:03,967 --> 00:32:08,467 by the very Irish nationalists that are basically fanned into life 615 00:32:08,467 --> 00:32:11,500 by the repressive policies of this guy, Fitzgibbon, 616 00:32:11,500 --> 00:32:13,800 back in the early 19th century. 617 00:32:19,667 --> 00:32:24,400 [narrator] In 1921, a year after Mountshannon was destroyed, 618 00:32:24,400 --> 00:32:27,700 the Irish achieved independence. 619 00:32:27,700 --> 00:32:29,700 The terms of the deal divided the country 620 00:32:29,700 --> 00:32:32,100 into Ireland, which was independent, 621 00:32:32,100 --> 00:32:36,800 and Northern Ireland, which remained part of the United Kingdom. 622 00:32:36,800 --> 00:32:41,100 [Auerbach] Mountshannon stands as a haunting symbol 623 00:32:41,100 --> 00:32:43,567 of the turbulent history of Ireland 624 00:32:43,567 --> 00:32:46,233 and its long struggle to achieve autonomy. 625 00:32:51,467 --> 00:32:54,900 [narrator] In the mountainous region of Saoufar, Lebanon, 626 00:32:54,900 --> 00:32:59,033 an eerie ruin commands the landscape it dominates. 627 00:33:04,000 --> 00:33:07,266 [Luke Pepera] Up here, there's a blizzard raging. 628 00:33:07,266 --> 00:33:09,266 As you make your way up the road, 629 00:33:09,266 --> 00:33:12,700 the outline of this palatial building comes into focus. 630 00:33:14,200 --> 00:33:18,600 The roof is entirely missing, and snow is just piling up on the top floor. 631 00:33:19,967 --> 00:33:21,367 You can see how well built it is 632 00:33:21,367 --> 00:33:25,200 that even though it's been empty for many decades, 633 00:33:25,200 --> 00:33:26,634 it still stands. 634 00:33:27,500 --> 00:33:30,500 [narrator] Inside, the now spartan interior 635 00:33:30,500 --> 00:33:34,367 still retains traces of a glorious past. 636 00:33:34,367 --> 00:33:38,367 [Pepera] In one room, there's a plush red sofa, and a mirror table. 637 00:33:38,367 --> 00:33:42,266 There's no doubt this was a room for entertaining. 638 00:33:42,266 --> 00:33:46,467 [Jim Meigs] In this lobby, you see these two grand curving staircases. 639 00:33:46,467 --> 00:33:50,767 Clearly in its day, it was a place to make an entrance. 640 00:33:50,767 --> 00:33:55,200 [narrator] In the beginning, this was a beacon for the rich and the famous. 641 00:33:55,200 --> 00:33:59,700 In the end, it became a tragic victim of circumstance. 642 00:34:00,300 --> 00:34:02,500 The history here wasn't all happy. 643 00:34:02,500 --> 00:34:05,600 These holes in the walls look a lot like bullet holes. 644 00:34:10,567 --> 00:34:13,200 [narrator] Carlos Haber's family has been the caretakers 645 00:34:13,200 --> 00:34:15,700 of this site for almost a century. 646 00:34:16,266 --> 00:34:19,000 Today he continues that legacy. 647 00:34:20,600 --> 00:34:22,900 [Carlos Haber] I've been here for about 48 years. 648 00:34:22,900 --> 00:34:24,500 I was born here. 649 00:34:24,500 --> 00:34:27,500 I remember this place with all its furnishings 650 00:34:27,500 --> 00:34:29,700 when it was functioning and full of life. 651 00:34:30,867 --> 00:34:34,166 [narrator] The family that Carlos and his ancestors worked for 652 00:34:34,166 --> 00:34:37,166 were one of the wealthiest in Lebanon. 653 00:34:37,166 --> 00:34:40,867 [Pepera] The Sursocks are a Greek Orthodox Christian family, 654 00:34:40,867 --> 00:34:44,066 that have lived in Beirut since the 18th century. 655 00:34:44,066 --> 00:34:47,567 [Meigs] They became powerful bankers, traders, 656 00:34:47,567 --> 00:34:49,867 importers, all sorts of businesses. 657 00:34:49,867 --> 00:34:54,100 And, of course, along the way, they acquired a great amount 658 00:34:54,100 --> 00:34:57,600 of power and influence in the political system. 659 00:34:57,600 --> 00:35:01,066 [narrator] But this was not the Sursock's private home. 660 00:35:01,066 --> 00:35:04,000 It was an ambitious business venture 661 00:35:04,000 --> 00:35:07,700 intended to serve society's upper echelons. 662 00:35:09,467 --> 00:35:12,700 This is the Grand Sofar Hotel. 663 00:35:12,700 --> 00:35:16,200 It first welcomed guests in 1892. 664 00:35:17,300 --> 00:35:21,600 Alfred and Michel Sursock had a vision for a lavish getaway 665 00:35:21,600 --> 00:35:24,166 catering to the rich and famous of the Arab world. 666 00:35:24,166 --> 00:35:25,934 Their timing could not have been better. 667 00:35:27,100 --> 00:35:29,500 [Meigs] A few years after the hotel opened, 668 00:35:29,500 --> 00:35:33,166 the first railroad running from the coast in Beirut 669 00:35:33,166 --> 00:35:36,066 to Damascus in Syria opened. 670 00:35:36,066 --> 00:35:38,700 Passengers could step right off the train 671 00:35:38,700 --> 00:35:40,567 and through the doors of one of the most 672 00:35:40,567 --> 00:35:43,300 luxurious destinations in the Middle East. 673 00:35:46,100 --> 00:35:49,467 [Haber] It had three floors, 75 rooms, 674 00:35:49,467 --> 00:35:53,033 and there used to be around 300 employees working here. 675 00:35:55,000 --> 00:35:59,300 There was a band that played every day from morning until night. 676 00:35:59,300 --> 00:36:01,900 Everyone stayed up late and was happy. 677 00:36:03,367 --> 00:36:05,100 [Meigs] You know, you think of the Middle East 678 00:36:05,100 --> 00:36:07,000 as being quite culturally conservative, 679 00:36:07,000 --> 00:36:08,767 and much of it, of course, was. 680 00:36:08,767 --> 00:36:11,200 But Lebanon was always different, 681 00:36:11,200 --> 00:36:13,266 and this hotel really exemplified it. 682 00:36:13,266 --> 00:36:15,767 You had gambling, you had drinking. 683 00:36:15,767 --> 00:36:18,600 Lord knows what else was going on behind those walls. 684 00:36:20,200 --> 00:36:23,700 [narrator] The hedonistic mountain retreat became the place to be 685 00:36:23,700 --> 00:36:25,700 for fun loving celebrities. 686 00:36:26,300 --> 00:36:28,266 [Pepera] The hotel was a destination 687 00:36:28,266 --> 00:36:30,700 for big names across the Arab world. 688 00:36:30,700 --> 00:36:32,667 Including the actor Omar Sharif 689 00:36:32,667 --> 00:36:34,600 and the Lebanese singer Sabah. 690 00:36:35,800 --> 00:36:40,800 [Meigs] The hotel wasn't just a place for nightlife 691 00:36:40,800 --> 00:36:44,600 and for the rich and famous to blow off steam. 692 00:36:44,600 --> 00:36:48,400 It was also a meeting place for political leaders. 693 00:36:49,467 --> 00:36:53,266 [narrator] In the late 1940s, the luxury resort hosted 694 00:36:53,266 --> 00:36:56,800 a gathering of presidents and kings. 695 00:36:56,800 --> 00:37:00,266 The powerful group would come to shape the modern Middle East 696 00:37:00,266 --> 00:37:02,367 and trigger a series of events 697 00:37:02,367 --> 00:37:06,400 that led to disaster at the Grand Sofar Hotel. 698 00:37:11,367 --> 00:37:15,367 [narrator] In Lebanon, the Grand Sofar Hotel was once the height 699 00:37:15,367 --> 00:37:18,266 of luxury and sophistication. 700 00:37:18,266 --> 00:37:21,667 Yet a meeting of Arab leaders in the 1940s 701 00:37:21,667 --> 00:37:25,166 would impact the future of this entire region 702 00:37:25,166 --> 00:37:28,200 and play a part in this building's destruction. 703 00:37:29,166 --> 00:37:31,200 After World War II, the whole world was, 704 00:37:31,200 --> 00:37:33,467 in a way, reorganizing itself. 705 00:37:33,467 --> 00:37:38,100 Borders that had been established by European powers were being renegotiated. 706 00:37:38,100 --> 00:37:41,667 This is especially true in the Middle East. 707 00:37:41,667 --> 00:37:46,367 The Arab League was formed in 1945 as a way for the Arab states 708 00:37:46,367 --> 00:37:47,767 to develop their economies 709 00:37:47,767 --> 00:37:50,000 and coordinate their political aims. 710 00:37:51,767 --> 00:37:58,266 In October 1947, leaders from Syria, Jerusalem, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia 711 00:37:58,266 --> 00:38:01,567 all met here at the Grand Sofar Hotel. 712 00:38:01,567 --> 00:38:05,400 There was a lot happening in the region that concerned them greatly. 713 00:38:05,400 --> 00:38:10,000 In particular, there was the move to create the state of Israel 714 00:38:10,000 --> 00:38:11,266 in a portion of Palestine. 715 00:38:13,000 --> 00:38:15,367 [Professor Michele Mitchell] In the smoky rooms of the hotel, 716 00:38:15,367 --> 00:38:18,467 they drafted an agreement for an Arab army, 717 00:38:18,467 --> 00:38:20,867 discussed a united Arab currency 718 00:38:20,867 --> 00:38:24,333 and, most importantly, pledged support for Palestine. 719 00:38:25,567 --> 00:38:30,300 [narrator] In 1948, Israel declared its independence. 720 00:38:30,300 --> 00:38:34,634 In response, the Arab League countries launched a synchronized attack. 721 00:38:36,367 --> 00:38:38,667 After almost a year of fighting, 722 00:38:38,667 --> 00:38:41,500 a fragile armistice was reached. 723 00:38:41,500 --> 00:38:45,467 But over the next 25 years, hundreds of thousands 724 00:38:45,467 --> 00:38:48,367 of Palestinian refugees fled Israel 725 00:38:48,367 --> 00:38:50,400 and sought shelter in Lebanon. 726 00:38:51,667 --> 00:38:55,300 Tension between the Muslim and Christian populations grew 727 00:38:55,300 --> 00:38:58,266 until it finally boiled over. 728 00:38:58,266 --> 00:39:01,300 When the Civil War erupted in the 1970s, 729 00:39:01,300 --> 00:39:04,900 every aspect of life in Lebanon was upended. 730 00:39:04,900 --> 00:39:09,567 Even here in Saoufar, warring militias battled throughout the town. 731 00:39:09,567 --> 00:39:13,734 As the casualties mounted, they needed somewhere to house their wounded. 732 00:39:16,900 --> 00:39:20,800 [Haber] The hotel closed for winter on October 15th, 1974. 733 00:39:20,800 --> 00:39:25,467 In the summer of 1975, the hotel was preparing to open again. 734 00:39:25,467 --> 00:39:27,266 Then the war came. 735 00:39:27,266 --> 00:39:31,100 You can stop a soldier or two, but you can't stop an entire army. 736 00:39:32,367 --> 00:39:34,967 They brought their injured and dropped them off here. 737 00:39:34,967 --> 00:39:36,800 They used to put them under the trees 738 00:39:36,800 --> 00:39:39,767 and then go out to get others and bring them back. 739 00:39:39,767 --> 00:39:42,767 Even now, those scenes are still before my eyes. 740 00:39:42,767 --> 00:39:44,300 I'll never forget it. 741 00:39:46,800 --> 00:39:50,467 [narrator] But the Grand Sofar Hotel would soon be taken over 742 00:39:50,467 --> 00:39:53,367 by another invading force. 743 00:39:53,367 --> 00:39:58,967 In 1976, Syrian leader Hafiz al-Assad ordered his army 744 00:39:58,967 --> 00:40:01,467 to move into neighboring Lebanon 745 00:40:01,467 --> 00:40:06,767 in a supposed Arab League effort to try and restore order. 746 00:40:06,767 --> 00:40:10,467 The Syrians set up their headquarters in the abandoned hotel, 747 00:40:10,467 --> 00:40:13,734 and as troops so often do they wreck the place. 748 00:40:15,867 --> 00:40:18,767 They stripped out the wood from the doors and windows 749 00:40:18,767 --> 00:40:21,700 so that they could burn it to keep warm. 750 00:40:21,700 --> 00:40:25,500 They even stripped tiles to line and reinforced their trenches. 751 00:40:26,567 --> 00:40:31,967 [narrator] The Lebanese Civil War raged on until 1990. 752 00:40:31,967 --> 00:40:38,100 Syria finally withdrew their troops from the country in 2005. 753 00:40:38,100 --> 00:40:42,600 By that time, the Grand Sofar Hotel had been destroyed 754 00:40:42,600 --> 00:40:44,600 beyond all recognition. 755 00:40:51,567 --> 00:40:55,000 [Meigs] The hotel is still in the hands of the Sursock family. 756 00:40:55,000 --> 00:40:57,567 Of course, it's a magnificent ruin, 757 00:40:57,567 --> 00:41:02,467 but a grandson of the family in recent years has tried to restore it 758 00:41:02,467 --> 00:41:07,667 as a site for artistic exhibitions. 759 00:41:07,667 --> 00:41:12,000 [narrator] Carlos Haber is optimistic about what the future holds. 760 00:41:14,567 --> 00:41:16,567 [Haber] We now use these rooms for weddings. 761 00:41:16,567 --> 00:41:19,800 They've been held at the hotel for the last four or five years. 762 00:41:21,100 --> 00:41:23,200 We have lots of reservations. 763 00:41:23,200 --> 00:41:27,100 Thank God everything is fine and working, and we are not quitting.