1 00:00:02,700 --> 00:00:04,100 [narrator] In Panama, 2 00:00:04,100 --> 00:00:08,867 a jungle stronghold built to defend a prized American possession. 3 00:00:08,867 --> 00:00:13,166 [Alicia] The Nazis knew that if they destroyed what this protected, 4 00:00:13,166 --> 00:00:16,033 they could potentially defeat the Allies. 5 00:00:18,600 --> 00:00:23,000 [narrator] In Italy, the hilltop haunt of a mad scientist. 6 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:24,667 [Jaega] There's grates to an underground dungeon 7 00:00:24,667 --> 00:00:28,533 and shackles on a wall, as if you're in a torture chamber. 8 00:00:30,567 --> 00:00:31,867 [narrator] And in Germany, 9 00:00:31,867 --> 00:00:37,667 a ghostly structure divides a city fractured by conflict. 10 00:00:37,667 --> 00:00:43,634 Families were torn apart, and this became a staging post to fight back. 11 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:51,033 [narrator] Decaying relics... 12 00:00:52,567 --> 00:00:55,000 Ruins of lost worlds... 13 00:00:56,800 --> 00:00:59,634 Sites haunted by the past... 14 00:01:01,266 --> 00:01:03,700 Their secrets waiting... 15 00:01:03,967 --> 00:01:05,500 to be revealed. 16 00:01:14,300 --> 00:01:16,300 In northern Panama, 17 00:01:16,300 --> 00:01:21,400 dense rainforest hides vestiges of an imperial age. 18 00:01:27,367 --> 00:01:30,400 We're in the muggy, steaming jungle 19 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:32,600 and in between the trees you see these buildings 20 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:35,934 that, from a distance, you might almost think were Mayan ruins. 21 00:01:37,567 --> 00:01:42,233 But these are clearly modern man-made structures. 22 00:01:43,667 --> 00:01:47,500 These are very solid, lots of reinforced concrete. 23 00:01:48,166 --> 00:01:50,467 Things built to last. 24 00:01:50,467 --> 00:01:54,567 [narrator] Exploring deeper into the complex yields few clues 25 00:01:54,567 --> 00:01:57,100 as to this site's original function. 26 00:01:57,767 --> 00:01:59,400 There really isn't anything left. 27 00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:02,433 It's dark and it's dingy. 28 00:02:03,467 --> 00:02:06,300 [Geoffrey] But you can imagine this was once bustling 29 00:02:06,300 --> 00:02:10,900 and filled with people whose job was to man the facilities here. 30 00:02:11,900 --> 00:02:14,500 [narrator] A distinctive rectangular structure 31 00:02:14,500 --> 00:02:19,667 suggests this was a stronghold built to defend against attack. 32 00:02:19,667 --> 00:02:21,800 One of the buildings is red and white. 33 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:24,066 It's got these kind of, porthole-like windows, 34 00:02:24,066 --> 00:02:26,800 it says, "Battery Baird." 35 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:28,667 [Geoffrey] It's facing the sea, 36 00:02:28,667 --> 00:02:32,300 so it's clearly some kind of a military fortification. 37 00:02:33,500 --> 00:02:36,767 [Meigs] Today, this is just a crumbling outpost in the jungle. 38 00:02:36,767 --> 00:02:41,000 But there was a time when this place was pivotal to the defense 39 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:44,934 of one of the most important pieces of infrastructure in the world. 40 00:02:50,100 --> 00:02:53,867 [narrator] Joe Berger lives in the nearby city of Colón. 41 00:02:53,867 --> 00:02:57,767 When he was growing up, this was his playground. 42 00:02:57,767 --> 00:03:01,867 My parents were working here from the '80s and in the '90s, 43 00:03:01,867 --> 00:03:05,467 and the guys would dress me up with military fatigues 44 00:03:05,467 --> 00:03:08,200 and they'd put all the military makeup on your face 45 00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:11,967 so you could, like, blend in into the-- into the jungle and all that. 46 00:03:11,967 --> 00:03:14,734 It was towards the end of the American presence here. 47 00:03:16,667 --> 00:03:19,467 [narrator] Joe's ancestors first came to Panama 48 00:03:19,467 --> 00:03:22,533 from Pennsylvania over a century ago. 49 00:03:23,100 --> 00:03:24,734 Not as part of the military, 50 00:03:24,734 --> 00:03:29,600 but to help construct one of the world's most ambitious engineering projects. 51 00:03:31,467 --> 00:03:34,266 My family came down in 1907 52 00:03:34,266 --> 00:03:38,000 to work on the Panama Canal, to build the Panama Canal. 53 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:41,567 [Alicia] It really is impossible to overstate 54 00:03:41,567 --> 00:03:46,100 how significant this was to global history. 55 00:03:46,100 --> 00:03:50,700 For as long as Europeans have been colonizing the Americas, 56 00:03:50,700 --> 00:03:52,767 they have been looking for a shortcut 57 00:03:52,767 --> 00:03:56,233 to connect the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean. 58 00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:00,066 [narrator] In the late 19th century, 59 00:04:00,066 --> 00:04:04,300 the French were the first to try and cut through Panama. 60 00:04:04,300 --> 00:04:08,367 [Meigs] They discovered an area that was full of mosquito borne diseases, 61 00:04:08,367 --> 00:04:11,500 especially yellow fever and malaria. 62 00:04:11,500 --> 00:04:14,700 It's estimated the French lost about 20,000 people 63 00:04:14,700 --> 00:04:16,667 in their effort to dig the canal. 64 00:04:16,667 --> 00:04:19,700 By 1899, they'd given up. 65 00:04:21,100 --> 00:04:23,200 [Geoffrey] But then, along comes the United States 66 00:04:23,200 --> 00:04:25,600 and says, "We need a Panama canal 67 00:04:25,600 --> 00:04:27,600 to connect our East Coast and West Coast 68 00:04:27,600 --> 00:04:30,800 and unite the continent and to give us ready access 69 00:04:30,800 --> 00:04:32,900 to Asia and Europe from either coast." 70 00:04:34,300 --> 00:04:35,667 [narrator] The American government 71 00:04:35,667 --> 00:04:37,900 purchased the abandoned French assets 72 00:04:37,900 --> 00:04:41,600 and rights to the canal for $14 million. 73 00:04:42,266 --> 00:04:44,900 Construction began in 1904, 74 00:04:44,900 --> 00:04:47,567 but only after US engineers 75 00:04:47,567 --> 00:04:52,567 figured out how to succeed where the French had run into trouble. 76 00:04:52,567 --> 00:04:54,600 There was a big river called the Chagres River 77 00:04:54,600 --> 00:04:58,567 that runs from the Panama highlands down to the Atlantic. 78 00:04:58,567 --> 00:05:02,100 And sometimes it floods, it caused a lot of problems for the French. 79 00:05:02,100 --> 00:05:04,300 So the American, they build this huge dam 80 00:05:04,300 --> 00:05:05,900 called Gatun Dam 81 00:05:06,667 --> 00:05:08,967 and formed a giant reservoir 82 00:05:08,967 --> 00:05:12,800 in the middle of Panama that feeds the canal. 83 00:05:14,266 --> 00:05:16,900 Without that water, the Panama Canal cannot operate. 84 00:05:17,400 --> 00:05:19,166 [narrator] By 1914, 85 00:05:19,166 --> 00:05:22,333 the 50-mile-long waterway was open for business. 86 00:05:23,300 --> 00:05:26,600 [Alicia] Effectively, the Panama Canal project 87 00:05:26,600 --> 00:05:30,200 cost about $375 million. 88 00:05:30,200 --> 00:05:33,400 And obviously, when you spend that much money, 89 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:36,000 you want to protect your investment. 90 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:40,000 [narrator] This is Fort Sherman. 91 00:05:40,900 --> 00:05:43,500 It was made up of seven defense batteries 92 00:05:43,500 --> 00:05:46,700 intended to protect the Atlantic entrance to the canal 93 00:05:47,200 --> 00:05:49,667 and the Gatun Dam. 94 00:05:49,667 --> 00:05:52,166 You've got, like, 14-inch guns, 10-inch guns, 95 00:05:52,166 --> 00:05:55,367 all these battery positions ready to absolutely pummel 96 00:05:55,367 --> 00:05:58,967 any adversary that closes up on the canal. 97 00:05:58,967 --> 00:06:04,100 This is Battery Baird, and over there, that's Battery Howard. 98 00:06:04,100 --> 00:06:07,367 In order to triangulate the places where they're gonna hit, 99 00:06:07,367 --> 00:06:09,767 they'd have a viewing point over on one side 100 00:06:09,767 --> 00:06:11,367 and a viewing point over on the other. 101 00:06:11,367 --> 00:06:13,667 And with their calculations, they'd be able to triangulate 102 00:06:13,667 --> 00:06:15,467 where the ship was heading. 103 00:06:15,467 --> 00:06:17,367 And then right here is where those calculations, 104 00:06:17,367 --> 00:06:20,367 those coordinations would pop up for the people down there, 105 00:06:20,367 --> 00:06:22,934 operating the mortars to be able to line it up accordingly. 106 00:06:24,300 --> 00:06:27,000 [Alicia] Altogether, Fort Sherman was really 107 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:33,300 this formidable ring of concrete and firepower. 108 00:06:34,667 --> 00:06:38,500 [narrator] In the decades to come, it would be put to the test. 109 00:06:39,767 --> 00:06:42,800 In 1939, Europe went to war, 110 00:06:42,800 --> 00:06:44,600 and from the start, 111 00:06:44,600 --> 00:06:49,934 Americans feared that the canal could potentially be a German target. 112 00:06:51,100 --> 00:06:53,200 [Meigs] It was absolutely vital 113 00:06:53,200 --> 00:06:57,166 to be able to move forces and trade between the two oceans. 114 00:06:57,166 --> 00:06:59,967 And if an enemy could take it out, 115 00:06:59,967 --> 00:07:02,767 that could be their path to victory. 116 00:07:02,767 --> 00:07:05,100 The US had to do everything they could 117 00:07:05,100 --> 00:07:07,800 to keep enemy aircraft from ever reaching it. 118 00:07:09,266 --> 00:07:13,200 [Joe] As the United States got involved in the Second World War, 119 00:07:13,200 --> 00:07:16,000 they saw the necessity for more troops. 120 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:19,233 These are where the soldiers would be stationed. 121 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:23,000 [Alicia] Fort Sherman was well prepared. 122 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:26,000 So in order for an attack to be successful, 123 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:29,600 the Nazis knew they would have to use a different approach. 124 00:07:36,166 --> 00:07:38,000 [narrator] During World War Two, 125 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:41,000 Fort Sherman was on high alert. 126 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:44,166 US Military leaders feared Nazi Germany 127 00:07:44,166 --> 00:07:47,266 had plans to destroy the Panama Canal, 128 00:07:47,266 --> 00:07:50,467 which the fort was built to protect. 129 00:07:50,467 --> 00:07:53,767 [Alicia] Under the code name Operation Pelikan, 130 00:07:53,767 --> 00:07:57,100 the Germans made an audacious plan. 131 00:07:58,166 --> 00:07:59,266 [Geoffrey] They had this idea, 132 00:07:59,266 --> 00:08:02,767 "We're gonna put a couple of JU 87 Stuka dive bombers 133 00:08:02,767 --> 00:08:04,367 in pieces on U-boats. 134 00:08:04,367 --> 00:08:06,500 And we're gonna, like, sail up to this little island 135 00:08:06,500 --> 00:08:09,367 just off the coast from Panama, 136 00:08:09,367 --> 00:08:10,734 and then we're gonna, like, 137 00:08:10,734 --> 00:08:15,100 put them together, load them up with, like, a dam busting type bomb. 138 00:08:15,100 --> 00:08:17,500 And then we're going to bomb the Gatun Dam." 139 00:08:18,867 --> 00:08:23,900 [narrator] A successful strike may have altered the course of the war. 140 00:08:23,900 --> 00:08:26,166 [Meigs] If you could knock out that dam, 141 00:08:26,166 --> 00:08:28,400 it would take years 142 00:08:28,400 --> 00:08:33,000 for the Americans to rebuild and reopen the canal. 143 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:35,266 [Geoffrey] Ultimately, what happened to that plan? 144 00:08:35,266 --> 00:08:36,266 We don't really know. 145 00:08:36,266 --> 00:08:39,200 I mean, the Stukas never appeared over Panama, 146 00:08:39,200 --> 00:08:42,266 never dropped bombs on the Gatun Dam. 147 00:08:42,266 --> 00:08:45,900 [Meigs] Fortunately, the canal was never attacked, 148 00:08:45,900 --> 00:08:49,967 and eventually the Army came up with another use 149 00:08:49,967 --> 00:08:52,467 for this outpost in the jungle. 150 00:08:52,467 --> 00:08:55,000 [Alicia] Many of the soldiers who were destined 151 00:08:55,000 --> 00:08:57,100 to go to the Vietnam War, 152 00:08:57,100 --> 00:08:59,667 did their jungle training here. 153 00:08:59,667 --> 00:09:03,567 So, there was even a mock-up Vietnam village 154 00:09:03,567 --> 00:09:06,300 that was set here for them to train in. 155 00:09:07,567 --> 00:09:09,967 [narrator] Former Lieutenant Colonel Dan Smith 156 00:09:09,967 --> 00:09:13,900 served in the US Special Forces for almost 20 years. 157 00:09:15,367 --> 00:09:18,667 [Col. Smith] When I came here, I was 23 years old. 158 00:09:18,667 --> 00:09:21,700 First, they would give you basic living, 159 00:09:21,700 --> 00:09:24,233 plants that were poisonous, things you could eat, 160 00:09:25,166 --> 00:09:27,800 poisonous snakes, non-poisonous snakes. 161 00:09:27,800 --> 00:09:32,333 And then they would teach you how to build a jungle refuge. 162 00:09:33,767 --> 00:09:38,200 [narrator] Learning to survive in the jungle was the easy part. 163 00:09:38,200 --> 00:09:43,000 Soldiers were also trained to withstand potential enemy torture. 164 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:45,867 [Col. Smith] This area I can remember 165 00:09:45,867 --> 00:09:48,567 because they had a different torture in every room. 166 00:09:48,567 --> 00:09:51,200 We were brought here blindfolded, 167 00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:53,567 and immediately stripped of all of our clothing. 168 00:09:53,567 --> 00:09:57,600 And... they would send you in for an interrogation 169 00:09:57,600 --> 00:10:01,166 and... if f you refused to answer, they would send you out 170 00:10:01,166 --> 00:10:03,200 and you could go into the bird cage, 171 00:10:03,200 --> 00:10:04,800 which was about that high. 172 00:10:04,800 --> 00:10:06,867 It was made of barbed wire. 173 00:10:06,867 --> 00:10:10,867 I went to Vietnam in 1967, 174 00:10:10,867 --> 00:10:12,567 and it was challenging. 175 00:10:12,567 --> 00:10:14,433 But I think my training was good. 176 00:10:15,700 --> 00:10:17,467 [Alicia] After the Vietnam War, 177 00:10:17,467 --> 00:10:21,266 this facility was still used for jungle training, 178 00:10:21,266 --> 00:10:24,834 but Fort Sherman's end was in sight. 179 00:10:25,967 --> 00:10:29,600 [narrator] On December 31st, 1999, 180 00:10:29,600 --> 00:10:33,200 the US surrendered control of the canal to Panama, 181 00:10:33,200 --> 00:10:37,467 ending its 150-year presence in the country. 182 00:10:37,467 --> 00:10:40,166 The American government tried to retain Fort Sherman, 183 00:10:40,166 --> 00:10:42,367 but the Panamanians like, held firm, 184 00:10:42,367 --> 00:10:45,166 and they said, "No Yankees on Panamanian soil." 185 00:10:45,166 --> 00:10:47,567 So, the Americans handed it back. 186 00:10:47,567 --> 00:10:49,400 But it just sort of fell into disuse. 187 00:10:49,400 --> 00:10:52,333 And so it's been taken back by the jungle in the years since. 188 00:11:00,767 --> 00:11:03,400 [Meigs] My grandfather helped build the canal. 189 00:11:03,400 --> 00:11:05,667 So, I've been steeped in the lore of the canal 190 00:11:05,667 --> 00:11:08,166 since I was a little kid. 191 00:11:08,166 --> 00:11:10,467 Going back and seeing a fort like this, 192 00:11:10,467 --> 00:11:12,667 all the work that went into protecting that canal, 193 00:11:12,667 --> 00:11:16,200 to save it from being attacked or destroyed, 194 00:11:16,200 --> 00:11:19,500 it's a reminder to us of how crucial this kind of infrastructure can be 195 00:11:19,500 --> 00:11:21,400 can be in our civilization. 196 00:11:26,967 --> 00:11:29,800 [narrator] On the outskirts of Bologna, Italy, 197 00:11:29,800 --> 00:11:33,133 an eclectic structure defies explanation. 198 00:11:39,667 --> 00:11:42,200 There's gold leaf onion domes, 199 00:11:42,200 --> 00:11:45,100 minarets, towers and turrets. 200 00:11:45,100 --> 00:11:49,600 [Selwood] There are endless medieval Arab, Moorish decorations, 201 00:11:49,600 --> 00:11:53,133 in a labyrinth of towers, staircases and courtyards. 202 00:11:54,467 --> 00:11:58,767 It's clear this is the creation of a very wealthy individual, 203 00:11:58,767 --> 00:12:01,934 one whose face is immortalized in the stained glass. 204 00:12:03,867 --> 00:12:06,433 Here, he came up with his greatest invention. 205 00:12:07,500 --> 00:12:10,166 [Alicia] He set out to cure cancer, 206 00:12:10,166 --> 00:12:12,767 and the famous and the desperate 207 00:12:12,767 --> 00:12:15,734 made pilgrimages to the sanctuary. 208 00:12:16,767 --> 00:12:19,300 [narrator] The creator of this peculiar world 209 00:12:19,300 --> 00:12:21,667 won international acclaim. 210 00:12:21,667 --> 00:12:23,567 But, his monumental legacy 211 00:12:23,567 --> 00:12:25,533 would become his prison. 212 00:12:26,567 --> 00:12:29,166 [Selwood] At the heart of it all is a drawbridge, 213 00:12:29,166 --> 00:12:32,400 not at the front of the building, but inside it. 214 00:12:33,667 --> 00:12:37,567 You must have a certain frame of mind 215 00:12:37,567 --> 00:12:39,600 to build a drawbridge 216 00:12:39,600 --> 00:12:42,300 on the outside of your private quarters. 217 00:12:43,500 --> 00:12:45,767 He descended into paranoia. 218 00:12:45,767 --> 00:12:48,900 He felt like everyone was out to get him. 219 00:12:54,100 --> 00:12:59,166 [narrator] Carlotta Rubini grew up in the shadow of this looming mansion. 220 00:12:59,166 --> 00:13:02,266 [Carlotta] We always got used to this mysterious castle 221 00:13:02,266 --> 00:13:05,367 on top of the hill that we didn't know much about. 222 00:13:05,367 --> 00:13:08,567 But I could never see the castle from the inside 223 00:13:08,567 --> 00:13:11,266 because it closed before I was born. 224 00:13:11,266 --> 00:13:14,567 [narrator] For decades, rumors circulated in the local area 225 00:13:14,567 --> 00:13:17,300 about the eccentric man who once lived here. 226 00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:19,767 In August 2015, 227 00:13:19,767 --> 00:13:22,867 Carlotta got to find out the truth. 228 00:13:22,867 --> 00:13:25,266 [Carlotta] I remember the first time I walked in here. 229 00:13:25,266 --> 00:13:26,800 I was like, pinching myself 230 00:13:26,800 --> 00:13:30,600 because I couldn't believe I finally got to set foot inside this castle. 231 00:13:31,266 --> 00:13:33,100 We were able to learn the real story 232 00:13:33,100 --> 00:13:34,900 of the Count Cesare Mattei. 233 00:13:36,767 --> 00:13:40,567 My most measures, Cesare Mattei led an enviable life. 234 00:13:40,567 --> 00:13:42,533 But it wasn't without hardship. 235 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:47,767 [narrator] Born to a wealthy Bologna family in 1809, 236 00:13:47,767 --> 00:13:50,900 illness influenced his life from an early age. 237 00:13:52,800 --> 00:13:57,800 He was just 21 when his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, 238 00:13:57,800 --> 00:14:02,300 a disease which lingered on for 15 years before killing her. 239 00:14:03,100 --> 00:14:05,600 Disappointed by incompetent doctors, 240 00:14:05,600 --> 00:14:08,133 he decided to take matters into his own hands. 241 00:14:08,967 --> 00:14:11,200 His purpose was to find a new medicine 242 00:14:11,200 --> 00:14:12,767 that could cure everything, 243 00:14:12,767 --> 00:14:14,934 from simple cold to cancer. 244 00:14:17,266 --> 00:14:18,700 [narrator] In 1850, 245 00:14:18,700 --> 00:14:21,467 he acquired this hillside to build a residence 246 00:14:21,467 --> 00:14:23,700 that would house his growing obsession. 247 00:14:26,200 --> 00:14:29,000 Cesare didn't trust anyone else with the design 248 00:14:29,000 --> 00:14:32,600 and was the architect of his own outlandish vision. 249 00:14:33,266 --> 00:14:36,600 It became known as Rocchetta Mattei. 250 00:14:36,600 --> 00:14:39,500 The Count loved the Moorish style, 251 00:14:39,500 --> 00:14:42,467 which is prominent inside the castle. 252 00:14:42,467 --> 00:14:45,500 "Eccentric" is a good word to describe it, I think. 253 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:47,166 It's very peculiar. 254 00:14:49,300 --> 00:14:52,467 [narrator] But it was more than just Cesare's folly. 255 00:14:52,467 --> 00:14:55,934 Here he would atone for his mother's drawn out death. 256 00:14:57,667 --> 00:15:00,567 He came up with an alternative form of medicine 257 00:15:00,567 --> 00:15:02,400 called electro homeopathy. 258 00:15:03,467 --> 00:15:05,567 [Carlotta] This is the room of divisions, 259 00:15:05,567 --> 00:15:09,066 where the Count claims to have had 260 00:15:09,066 --> 00:15:11,767 the original idea for his medicine, 261 00:15:11,767 --> 00:15:15,900 uh, which he then had painted on the wall there. 262 00:15:18,867 --> 00:15:21,900 [narrator] Cesare believed his unique plant-based method 263 00:15:21,900 --> 00:15:23,467 could cure diseases 264 00:15:23,467 --> 00:15:27,500 by balancing electrical charges and chemicals inside the body. 265 00:15:28,266 --> 00:15:31,967 He turned to grinding various plants 266 00:15:31,967 --> 00:15:35,967 into pulps and mixing them in vials. 267 00:15:35,967 --> 00:15:39,567 [Carlotta] It was made of 33 types of granules and five liquids, 268 00:15:39,567 --> 00:15:41,900 that, mixed together in different dosages, 269 00:15:41,900 --> 00:15:44,000 were supposed to cure everything. 270 00:15:46,266 --> 00:15:48,400 [narrator] He administered his herbal concoctions 271 00:15:48,400 --> 00:15:51,567 to the sick of Bologna without charge. 272 00:15:51,567 --> 00:15:55,667 Word spread, and patients soon came from all over the world 273 00:15:55,667 --> 00:15:58,600 to take the supposedly magical medicine. 274 00:15:58,600 --> 00:16:03,667 But in 1873, after surviving a horrifying train crash, 275 00:16:03,667 --> 00:16:06,000 he became increasingly reclusive 276 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:09,500 and gradually withdrew into his house on the hill. 277 00:16:10,667 --> 00:16:13,867 Although his electro homeopathy empire was thriving, 278 00:16:13,867 --> 00:16:16,100 he was withering inside the Rocchetta. 279 00:16:24,367 --> 00:16:26,867 [narrator] In late 19th century Italy, 280 00:16:26,867 --> 00:16:30,600 Count Cesare Mattei was becoming increasingly isolated. 281 00:16:31,900 --> 00:16:33,667 In his eccentric hilltop mansion, 282 00:16:33,667 --> 00:16:37,767 he lived childless, single and alone. 283 00:16:37,767 --> 00:16:42,667 Meanwhile, the plant-based electro homeopathy treatments he'd invented, 284 00:16:42,667 --> 00:16:44,700 increased in popularity. 285 00:16:45,367 --> 00:16:46,667 At the height of his empire, 286 00:16:46,667 --> 00:16:50,767 there were some 107 distribution centers throughout the world, 287 00:16:50,767 --> 00:16:54,300 from the UK, to America and China. 288 00:16:54,867 --> 00:16:56,467 There's even mention of the remedies 289 00:16:56,467 --> 00:16:59,700 in a novel by the famous author Dostoevsky. 290 00:17:00,700 --> 00:17:03,000 [Alicia] But Cesare was getting older 291 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:05,133 and he had no named heir. 292 00:17:06,667 --> 00:17:09,000 [Selwood] Increasingly aware of his legacy, 293 00:17:09,000 --> 00:17:12,767 Cesare turned to his closest family to maintain his empire. 294 00:17:12,767 --> 00:17:16,533 But a betrayal would threaten to destroy everything he'd built. 295 00:17:17,700 --> 00:17:20,367 [narrator] The count's state of mind was deteriorating, 296 00:17:20,367 --> 00:17:23,667 which led to the fateful decision of allowing his nephew, 297 00:17:23,667 --> 00:17:26,266 Luigi, to run the business. 298 00:17:26,266 --> 00:17:29,734 His nephew was originally supposed to inherit everything. 299 00:17:30,567 --> 00:17:32,367 But his nephew liked to gamble, 300 00:17:32,367 --> 00:17:34,500 and he had embezzled a lot of money. 301 00:17:35,700 --> 00:17:38,900 [narrator] Luigi brought Cesare to the edge of bankruptcy, 302 00:17:38,900 --> 00:17:42,567 and the Count had to rely on a long-time collaborator, 303 00:17:42,567 --> 00:17:46,600 Mario Venturoli, to save him from ruin. 304 00:17:46,600 --> 00:17:50,467 He was able to make the Count get back most of the money he had lost. 305 00:17:50,467 --> 00:17:53,400 As a thank you, the Count adopted him 306 00:17:53,400 --> 00:17:55,667 and made him his heir. 307 00:17:55,667 --> 00:17:58,667 [Selwood] He brought Mario to live with him in his castle 308 00:17:58,667 --> 00:18:02,166 and gave him his own private quarters in a separate wing. 309 00:18:02,166 --> 00:18:05,200 [narrator] But Cesare was growing increasingly deluded 310 00:18:05,200 --> 00:18:09,800 and became convince that Mario and his wife were trying to kill him. 311 00:18:10,567 --> 00:18:12,600 Cesare Mattei did not like her, 312 00:18:12,600 --> 00:18:16,333 and accused her of trying to poison him through coffee. 313 00:18:17,467 --> 00:18:19,266 The claim was never proven. 314 00:18:19,266 --> 00:18:21,000 But whether it was true or not, 315 00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:24,500 the story says much about the state of Cesare's mental health. 316 00:18:25,600 --> 00:18:26,867 [Carlotta] It got worse. 317 00:18:26,867 --> 00:18:29,000 And it got to the point where he trusted no one, 318 00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:30,500 except for his maid. 319 00:18:31,367 --> 00:18:33,767 [narrator] Cesare's paranoia becomes evident 320 00:18:33,767 --> 00:18:36,500 in his castle's innermost sanctum. 321 00:18:37,600 --> 00:18:41,400 This was the entrance to the private quarters of the Count. 322 00:18:41,800 --> 00:18:43,667 There's a drawbridge here 323 00:18:43,667 --> 00:18:45,500 in the middle of the stairwell, 324 00:18:45,500 --> 00:18:46,900 which is a bit bizarre. 325 00:18:46,900 --> 00:18:50,667 But, he built this so that he could isolate himself 326 00:18:50,667 --> 00:18:52,233 from the rest of the castle. 327 00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:55,467 He actually passed away on his own, 328 00:18:55,467 --> 00:18:56,667 inside these quarters, 329 00:18:56,667 --> 00:18:58,367 and he was found a few days later 330 00:18:58,367 --> 00:19:00,700 after they pulled down the drawbridge. 331 00:19:02,100 --> 00:19:06,300 [narrator] Mario inherited Rocchetta Mattei in 1904. 332 00:19:06,300 --> 00:19:09,700 But, one crucial piece of information was missing. 333 00:19:09,700 --> 00:19:13,400 [Carlotta] Mario Venturoli, could never replicate the same medicine. 334 00:19:13,400 --> 00:19:17,266 The Count never shared his recipe with anyone. 335 00:19:17,266 --> 00:19:19,867 He and the maid were the only people 336 00:19:19,867 --> 00:19:22,600 who made the medicine in here. 337 00:19:22,600 --> 00:19:26,066 She survived the Count, she never shared the medicine 338 00:19:26,066 --> 00:19:27,700 with Venturoli or anyone else. 339 00:19:28,467 --> 00:19:29,767 [narrator] Even so, 340 00:19:29,767 --> 00:19:33,200 Mario managed to keep the practice of electro homeopathy 341 00:19:33,200 --> 00:19:36,700 going until the mid-20th century, using his own method. 342 00:19:37,867 --> 00:19:39,467 As modern science developed, 343 00:19:39,467 --> 00:19:43,433 the appetite for homeopathy and pseudo-scientific remedies waned. 344 00:19:44,767 --> 00:19:47,000 [narrator] Mario stayed in Rocchetta Mattei 345 00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:49,800 until his death in 1937. 346 00:19:50,567 --> 00:19:51,900 Over the following years, 347 00:19:51,900 --> 00:19:54,900 the building changed hands several times. 348 00:19:55,567 --> 00:19:58,900 It briefly opened as a tourist attraction. 349 00:19:58,900 --> 00:20:01,467 They branded it as a medieval castle 350 00:20:01,467 --> 00:20:03,000 and they brought in torture chambers 351 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:06,166 and these unsettling statues. 352 00:20:06,166 --> 00:20:11,700 [narrator] In the late 1980s, it was deemed unsafe and forced to close. 353 00:20:16,166 --> 00:20:20,400 In 2015, after almost a decade of restoration, 354 00:20:20,400 --> 00:20:23,767 the castle was open to the public once again. 355 00:20:23,767 --> 00:20:26,266 [Carlotta] The interest in the tourists' faces 356 00:20:26,266 --> 00:20:29,400 and people coming from completely different cultures, 357 00:20:29,400 --> 00:20:32,000 they have no idea what went on in Italy. 358 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:34,533 I feel, like, a lot of pride in my hometown. 359 00:20:41,166 --> 00:20:44,767 [narrator] In the breathtaking sierras of central Bulgaria, 360 00:20:44,767 --> 00:20:47,467 the sharp lines of a brutalist structure 361 00:20:47,467 --> 00:20:49,700 slice through the fresh mountain air. 362 00:20:52,767 --> 00:20:54,367 [Bell] All you can see for miles around 363 00:20:54,367 --> 00:20:57,900 is the rolling landscape and thick forests. 364 00:20:59,266 --> 00:21:02,100 This is a place of calm and tranquility. 365 00:21:02,567 --> 00:21:04,800 And then you see it. 366 00:21:06,166 --> 00:21:07,266 [Geoffrey] It's like dagger shaped, 367 00:21:07,266 --> 00:21:09,900 and it goes on and on and on and on. 368 00:21:09,900 --> 00:21:12,000 It's curious to have a building of this size 369 00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:13,700 just plunked down in the middle of nowhere. 370 00:21:14,767 --> 00:21:17,266 [narrator] The remote location holds the key 371 00:21:17,266 --> 00:21:19,300 to this structure's function. 372 00:21:19,300 --> 00:21:21,400 [Hadley] You're as far away as you can get 373 00:21:21,400 --> 00:21:25,300 from the smog and smut of a big city. 374 00:21:25,300 --> 00:21:28,667 [Geoffrey] It could be a hotel, like an outdoor resort. 375 00:21:28,667 --> 00:21:31,867 But inside, it has more of an institutional feel. 376 00:21:31,867 --> 00:21:35,166 There are what appear to be lots of dormitories. 377 00:21:35,166 --> 00:21:39,266 [narrator] The distinctive design hints at its origin. 378 00:21:39,266 --> 00:21:42,867 You've got rooms with books just falling off the walls. 379 00:21:42,867 --> 00:21:45,500 There's what looks like a cinema and a gymnasium. 380 00:21:45,500 --> 00:21:48,467 And then you see things that gives the game away. 381 00:21:48,467 --> 00:21:53,000 Surgical rooms, X-ray machines, lab equipments. 382 00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:55,934 This was clearly some kind of medical facility. 383 00:21:57,500 --> 00:22:00,667 [narrator] The unlikely visionaries behind this complex 384 00:22:00,667 --> 00:22:03,000 were ahead of their time. 385 00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:07,900 This place was built by not one but two enterprising women. 386 00:22:07,900 --> 00:22:10,767 At a time when the rest of Eastern Europe was suffering 387 00:22:10,767 --> 00:22:12,800 under an oppressive communist system, 388 00:22:12,800 --> 00:22:17,100 this complex was in its golden age. 389 00:22:17,100 --> 00:22:20,100 [narrator] But when seismic change rocked Bulgaria, 390 00:22:20,100 --> 00:22:24,467 this all came to an abrupt and chaotic end. 391 00:22:24,467 --> 00:22:27,800 It's clear that whoever left here, left in a hurry. 392 00:22:34,600 --> 00:22:39,000 [narrator] In Bulgaria is the ruin of an inspirational structure. 393 00:22:39,000 --> 00:22:42,934 Valentin Nedkov is on a mission to save it from destruction. 394 00:22:45,667 --> 00:22:47,500 [Valentin] It's like heaven for me here. 395 00:22:48,166 --> 00:22:50,367 This was a place where people arrived ill 396 00:22:50,367 --> 00:22:52,100 and left well. 397 00:22:54,367 --> 00:22:58,667 And for my mother, this building is sacred. 398 00:22:58,667 --> 00:23:02,700 We should never forget all the good that people did here in the past. 399 00:23:05,367 --> 00:23:10,867 [narrator] The story of this innovative sanctuary started almost a century ago. 400 00:23:10,867 --> 00:23:13,567 In 1930, Tsar Boris of Bulgaria 401 00:23:13,567 --> 00:23:16,600 marries an Italian princess, Ioanna. 402 00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:20,400 She was known as a very charitable woman. 403 00:23:20,400 --> 00:23:23,967 She funded many, many charitable organizations, 404 00:23:23,967 --> 00:23:25,900 including a children's hospital 405 00:23:25,900 --> 00:23:27,233 in the capital of Sofia. 406 00:23:28,500 --> 00:23:30,367 [narrator] When Giovanna took the throne, 407 00:23:30,367 --> 00:23:34,000 the country was in the grips of a deadly epidemic. 408 00:23:34,000 --> 00:23:36,400 [Hadley] Bulgaria has one of the highest 409 00:23:36,400 --> 00:23:38,900 death rates from tuberculosis in Europe. 410 00:23:40,200 --> 00:23:43,367 Tuberculosis, or TB as it became known, 411 00:23:43,367 --> 00:23:47,600 is a bacterial infection that mostly affects the lungs. 412 00:23:47,600 --> 00:23:52,100 Over 20,000 people died of the disease every year. 413 00:23:52,100 --> 00:23:54,667 [Geoffrey] And so, there was a feeling inside Bulgaria 414 00:23:54,667 --> 00:23:56,100 that we have to confront this. 415 00:23:56,100 --> 00:23:58,300 We have to come up with strategies to solve 416 00:23:58,300 --> 00:24:01,200 the problem of tuberculosis in Bulgarian society. 417 00:24:02,800 --> 00:24:06,400 [narrator] Tsarina Giovanna took a personal interest in the project 418 00:24:06,400 --> 00:24:10,133 and championed the construction of a specialized hospital. 419 00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:13,166 The Bulgarian government commissioned a team 420 00:24:13,166 --> 00:24:16,133 to find the ideal location to build it. 421 00:24:18,700 --> 00:24:22,634 They researched bioclimatic conditions for 20 months. 422 00:24:23,667 --> 00:24:26,567 And came to the conclusion that the mountains here 423 00:24:26,567 --> 00:24:29,900 have the best conditions for treating lung diseases. 424 00:24:32,467 --> 00:24:35,166 [Geoffrey] The air is clean and fresh and dry. 425 00:24:35,166 --> 00:24:36,867 So they choose this place 426 00:24:36,867 --> 00:24:40,367 for a state-of-the-art Bulgarian sanatorium. 427 00:24:40,367 --> 00:24:44,000 [narrator] A competition was launched to find the best architect 428 00:24:44,000 --> 00:24:47,066 to bring Giovanna's vision to life. 429 00:24:47,066 --> 00:24:51,367 It was won by another groundbreaking woman of the age. 430 00:24:51,367 --> 00:24:55,567 [Hadley] Victoria Angelova-Vinarova was one of the first famous 431 00:24:55,567 --> 00:24:57,400 female architects in Bulgaria. 432 00:24:58,600 --> 00:25:00,767 [Bell] She was awarded the contract 433 00:25:00,767 --> 00:25:02,367 for the construction of what would be 434 00:25:02,367 --> 00:25:05,000 her most significant architectural project. 435 00:25:06,667 --> 00:25:09,500 [narrator] Within the year, Victoria Vinarova 436 00:25:09,500 --> 00:25:12,834 had created a state-of-the-art brutalist design. 437 00:25:13,700 --> 00:25:16,800 [Geoffrey] They break ground in 1939. 438 00:25:16,800 --> 00:25:19,100 But the construction almost immediately has to be halted 439 00:25:19,100 --> 00:25:21,767 because of the outbreak of World War II. 440 00:25:21,767 --> 00:25:26,567 Bulgarian tsar opportunistically allies with the Germans. 441 00:25:26,567 --> 00:25:29,700 But when the Soviet Red Army crosses the border 442 00:25:29,700 --> 00:25:34,000 to liberate Bulgaria in 1944, 443 00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:37,867 the communist partisans quickly take over power in Bulgaria 444 00:25:37,867 --> 00:25:40,700 and they make Bulgaria a satellite state 445 00:25:40,700 --> 00:25:42,834 of Stalin's Soviet Union. 446 00:25:44,266 --> 00:25:45,967 [narrator] By 1946, 447 00:25:45,967 --> 00:25:49,100 the Bulgarian monarchy had been overthrown, 448 00:25:49,100 --> 00:25:53,000 and a new Soviet-style government installed in the country. 449 00:25:53,767 --> 00:25:55,767 [Hadley] Luckily, the new communist rulers 450 00:25:55,767 --> 00:25:59,000 placed an enormous importance on public health. 451 00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:00,500 So construction continues 452 00:26:00,500 --> 00:26:04,300 and the hospital is eventually finished in 1955. 453 00:26:05,367 --> 00:26:07,000 [narrator] When the doors 454 00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:11,266 of the Raduntsi Specialized Hospital for Prolonged Treatment of Lung Diseases 455 00:26:11,266 --> 00:26:15,467 finally opened, its visionary architect was missing. 456 00:26:15,467 --> 00:26:17,600 [Hadley] What's really sad is that Angelova built a hospital 457 00:26:17,600 --> 00:26:19,567 for tuberculosis patients 458 00:26:19,567 --> 00:26:25,100 and ended up dying of tuberculosis before the hospital opened. 459 00:26:25,100 --> 00:26:29,700 [narrator] Her creation, unrivaled in its time, lived on. 460 00:26:30,300 --> 00:26:32,066 [Geoffrey] The hospital at Raduntsi 461 00:26:32,066 --> 00:26:36,000 was the longest hospital in the Balkans. 462 00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:41,333 It housed 200 male patients, 100 female patients and 100 children. 463 00:26:42,400 --> 00:26:44,867 [narrator] Valentin's mother came to work here 464 00:26:44,867 --> 00:26:46,700 as a specialized nurse. 465 00:26:48,400 --> 00:26:51,367 This is the main operating room of the hospital. 466 00:26:51,367 --> 00:26:55,266 During the 1980s, thousands of lives were saved here 467 00:26:55,266 --> 00:26:59,400 using various complex treatments for TB. 468 00:26:59,400 --> 00:27:02,600 [Hadley] They also had the latest cutting-edge medical equipment 469 00:27:02,600 --> 00:27:07,100 and everything they needed to get their patients back in working order. 470 00:27:09,066 --> 00:27:12,700 [Geoffrey] The Raduntsi Hospital had a golden age 471 00:27:12,700 --> 00:27:14,700 when, you know, not only Bulgarians, 472 00:27:14,700 --> 00:27:17,467 but people from all over the Soviet bloc 473 00:27:17,467 --> 00:27:19,767 came to this hospital to be treated 474 00:27:19,767 --> 00:27:22,600 for tuberculosis and other lung ailments. 475 00:27:25,600 --> 00:27:29,467 [Valentin] We are currently standing in one of the two X-ray rooms. 476 00:27:29,467 --> 00:27:32,900 And behind me are the remains of the X-ray machines. 477 00:27:34,200 --> 00:27:36,467 Everything was controlled from this room, 478 00:27:36,467 --> 00:27:38,400 the office of the head physician. 479 00:27:39,367 --> 00:27:40,467 Over 60 years, 480 00:27:40,467 --> 00:27:45,000 decisions made in here saved thousands of lives. 481 00:27:45,000 --> 00:27:49,367 [narrator] But when Soviet communism collapsed in 1991, 482 00:27:49,367 --> 00:27:51,667 Bulgaria had to rebuild its government, 483 00:27:51,667 --> 00:27:54,300 putting the hospital in jeopardy. 484 00:27:54,300 --> 00:27:57,100 [Bell] The Bulgarian transition to a capitalist democracy 485 00:27:57,100 --> 00:28:02,300 had been marked by corruption, cronyism and depression. 486 00:28:02,300 --> 00:28:06,367 All of the state-owned enterprises that were, effectively, property 487 00:28:06,367 --> 00:28:10,100 of the people were sold off at bargain prices. 488 00:28:12,367 --> 00:28:16,300 The decline of the hospital began with the fall of communism. 489 00:28:16,300 --> 00:28:22,467 This is when the number of beds were cut from 650 to just 180. 490 00:28:22,467 --> 00:28:25,100 Then they started shutting down all the departments 491 00:28:25,100 --> 00:28:27,000 until there were only three left. 492 00:28:28,266 --> 00:28:31,166 [Bell] In 2015, things really came to a head 493 00:28:31,166 --> 00:28:33,400 when the hospital had its electricity cut 494 00:28:33,400 --> 00:28:37,266 with patients still in it because of unpaid bills. 495 00:28:37,266 --> 00:28:39,000 [narrator] But this shocking turn of events 496 00:28:39,000 --> 00:28:42,400 wasn't the end of the suffering at Raduntsi. 497 00:28:47,400 --> 00:28:50,100 [narrator] In Bulgaria is the derelict shell 498 00:28:50,100 --> 00:28:53,367 of a once pioneering tuberculosis hospital. 499 00:28:53,367 --> 00:28:57,467 For over 50 years, it provided essential health care. 500 00:28:57,467 --> 00:29:01,867 But by 2015, the threat of closure loomed large. 501 00:29:01,867 --> 00:29:06,200 Its last hope lay in the hands of controversial politician, 502 00:29:06,200 --> 00:29:07,800 Petar Moskov. 503 00:29:08,967 --> 00:29:11,300 [Bell] He once, reportedly, during a TV interview, 504 00:29:11,300 --> 00:29:14,100 got the location of the hospital completely wrong. 505 00:29:14,100 --> 00:29:16,266 He was out by 100 miles. 506 00:29:16,266 --> 00:29:18,767 So, you can tell that he really wasn't on top 507 00:29:18,767 --> 00:29:20,567 of what was going on here. 508 00:29:20,567 --> 00:29:24,100 [narrator] Moskov then went on to blow the national health budget 509 00:29:24,100 --> 00:29:26,800 on divisive and costly projects 510 00:29:26,800 --> 00:29:29,200 like biometric technology. 511 00:29:29,200 --> 00:29:32,266 [Geoffrey] And he spent so much money on all this data collection, 512 00:29:32,266 --> 00:29:34,867 he had to close this hospital and others like it, 513 00:29:34,867 --> 00:29:37,367 with nothing to show for it. 514 00:29:37,367 --> 00:29:41,266 [narrator] In August 2015, the last patient left 515 00:29:41,266 --> 00:29:44,300 and Raduntsi Hospital was abandoned. 516 00:29:49,667 --> 00:29:52,266 Today, there are plans in progress 517 00:29:52,266 --> 00:29:56,266 to bring the once innovative treatment center back to life 518 00:29:56,266 --> 00:29:59,767 with the hope it can once again serve its original function 519 00:29:59,767 --> 00:30:01,500 as a sanatorium. 520 00:30:01,500 --> 00:30:05,767 [Bell] As of April 2023, the complex has new owners. 521 00:30:05,767 --> 00:30:09,900 It feels like the history of this building is not yet finished. 522 00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:18,767 [narrator] In northwest Berlin, 523 00:30:18,767 --> 00:30:24,233 a rusting relic is a chilling reminder of the city's turbulent past. 524 00:30:28,567 --> 00:30:32,567 [Hadley] There are long, straight lines of trees reaching into the distance, 525 00:30:32,567 --> 00:30:34,133 splitting the neighborhoods in two. 526 00:30:35,467 --> 00:30:39,266 [Onyeka] In the midst of this is an isolated viaduct 527 00:30:39,266 --> 00:30:43,100 that seems stark and sharply out of place. 528 00:30:43,100 --> 00:30:47,100 [narrator] Along its length are a series of battered buildings. 529 00:30:47,100 --> 00:30:50,500 All of a sudden, you realize you're at a railway platform. 530 00:30:51,867 --> 00:30:53,767 There are structures that might have been 531 00:30:53,767 --> 00:30:56,767 waiting rooms or ticket offices. 532 00:30:56,767 --> 00:31:00,567 The windows are smashed, the doorways are boarded up, 533 00:31:00,567 --> 00:31:03,200 and there's debris covering the floor. 534 00:31:03,200 --> 00:31:07,700 But the real question is, why isn't it still in use? 535 00:31:07,700 --> 00:31:11,900 [narrator] Further down the line, a disturbing clue emerges. 536 00:31:11,900 --> 00:31:13,667 [Hadley] A bridge leads out to the river, 537 00:31:13,667 --> 00:31:17,600 but it's been cut off and is left marooned on the bank. 538 00:31:17,600 --> 00:31:22,166 [narrator] Its destruction marked the start of an oppressive new era. 539 00:31:22,166 --> 00:31:24,266 [Hadley] Families were torn apart, 540 00:31:24,266 --> 00:31:27,600 and this railway became a symbol of the brutal division. 541 00:31:36,200 --> 00:31:39,467 [narrator] Historian, Mathias Hiller, sifts through the remnants 542 00:31:39,467 --> 00:31:41,533 of a desolate station. 543 00:31:43,800 --> 00:31:46,700 [Mathias] Over there is the old sign for Platform Two, 544 00:31:46,700 --> 00:31:50,667 and Platform One is hardly even visible anymore. 545 00:31:50,667 --> 00:31:53,367 The tracks are loose, they are badly worn. 546 00:31:53,367 --> 00:31:55,667 It's actually a sad sight. 547 00:31:55,667 --> 00:31:57,467 [narrator] Mathias specializes 548 00:31:57,467 --> 00:32:00,100 in the capital's citywide railroad network 549 00:32:00,100 --> 00:32:02,400 known as the S-Bahn. 550 00:32:04,300 --> 00:32:07,233 The Berlin S-Bahn is not just a transportation system. 551 00:32:09,166 --> 00:32:11,767 Seen through the lens of world history... 552 00:32:11,767 --> 00:32:14,700 it represents war, destruction, division, 553 00:32:14,700 --> 00:32:17,700 and East-West conflict. It's all here. 554 00:32:20,667 --> 00:32:24,400 [narrator] The abandoned track dates back to the 19th century, 555 00:32:24,400 --> 00:32:27,367 when electrical engineer, Werner von Siemens, 556 00:32:27,367 --> 00:32:31,333 was looking for somewhere to base his revolutionary enterprise. 557 00:32:33,400 --> 00:32:37,467 The company we know today as Siemens was founded in 1847 558 00:32:37,467 --> 00:32:41,567 and they started out producing telegraph technology. 559 00:32:41,567 --> 00:32:45,567 By 1890, it's this huge engineering conglomerate, 560 00:32:45,567 --> 00:32:48,467 and it has thousands of employees, 561 00:32:48,467 --> 00:32:51,867 and they need a space for all of their factories. 562 00:32:51,867 --> 00:32:56,667 [Pedrick] They found the ideal place in Berlin in 1897, 563 00:32:56,667 --> 00:33:01,433 and the area was officially renamed Siemens City in January 1914. 564 00:33:03,467 --> 00:33:05,100 [Mathias] By the middle of the 1920s, 565 00:33:05,100 --> 00:33:10,000 there were 57,300 white and blue collar workers, 566 00:33:10,000 --> 00:33:14,266 and of these, only 2,000 lived in the immediate area. 567 00:33:14,266 --> 00:33:18,967 The other 55,000 needed to commute back and forth every day, 568 00:33:18,967 --> 00:33:21,767 and that's why they needed their own train line. 569 00:33:21,767 --> 00:33:24,967 [narrator] This is the Siemensbahn... 570 00:33:24,967 --> 00:33:28,767 a little known branch of Berlin's S-Bahn. 571 00:33:28,767 --> 00:33:31,200 It started close to the River Spree 572 00:33:31,200 --> 00:33:34,900 and transformed the lives of thousands of workers, 573 00:33:34,900 --> 00:33:37,767 carrying commuters from all over the city 574 00:33:37,767 --> 00:33:40,500 into the factories of Siemensstadt. 575 00:33:42,867 --> 00:33:44,200 This is Siemensstadt station, 576 00:33:44,200 --> 00:33:47,533 a beautiful station that still seems very modern. 577 00:33:48,767 --> 00:33:52,734 The whole line was opened on December 18th, 1929. 578 00:33:56,367 --> 00:33:58,867 [narrator] When it opened, Siemens railroad 579 00:33:58,867 --> 00:34:03,233 is thought to have carried up to 17,000 passengers a day. 580 00:34:05,166 --> 00:34:09,166 But this boom time would last for less than a decade. 581 00:34:09,166 --> 00:34:11,667 [Hadley] The Second World War hit the Siemensbahn 582 00:34:11,667 --> 00:34:13,500 and Siemensstadt hard. 583 00:34:17,767 --> 00:34:19,767 [narrator] At the height of World War II, 584 00:34:19,767 --> 00:34:23,900 Allied bombers had their eyes on a specific site in Berlin. 585 00:34:24,600 --> 00:34:27,000 The electronic factories of Siemensstadt 586 00:34:27,000 --> 00:34:31,600 and the Siemens railroad that ran through it were a prized target. 587 00:34:32,300 --> 00:34:34,700 Despite ferocious bombardment, 588 00:34:34,700 --> 00:34:37,900 most of the Siemensbahn infrastructure survives. 589 00:34:39,266 --> 00:34:41,266 [narrator] But it was the Germans themselves 590 00:34:41,266 --> 00:34:43,567 who destroyed the Siemensbahn bridge 591 00:34:43,567 --> 00:34:45,867 across the River Spree. 592 00:34:45,867 --> 00:34:47,500 [Mathias] In the last days of the war, 593 00:34:47,500 --> 00:34:49,233 the Spree bridge was blown up. 594 00:34:50,066 --> 00:34:52,300 It was German troops on the retreat, 595 00:34:52,300 --> 00:34:55,500 trying to make it more difficult for the Russians to get here. 596 00:34:56,967 --> 00:35:00,066 [narrator] At the conflict's end, the victorious Allies 597 00:35:00,066 --> 00:35:02,166 dismantled Hitler's Reich... 598 00:35:02,166 --> 00:35:06,500 and redrew the map of Germany, including Berlin. 599 00:35:06,500 --> 00:35:08,867 [Hadley] The city was divided up between the Allies 600 00:35:08,867 --> 00:35:11,166 into shared zones of control. 601 00:35:11,166 --> 00:35:13,867 And the East German state railway company, 602 00:35:13,867 --> 00:35:16,166 which was run from the Russian zone, 603 00:35:16,166 --> 00:35:18,800 is picked to run the S-Bahn, 604 00:35:18,800 --> 00:35:20,400 which included the Siemensbahn. 605 00:35:22,500 --> 00:35:25,367 [narrator] Most of the railroad workers were West Berliners 606 00:35:25,367 --> 00:35:27,266 who now found themselves working 607 00:35:27,266 --> 00:35:29,600 for the East German-controlled company. 608 00:35:30,400 --> 00:35:32,066 [Pedrick] It was a logistical nightmare, 609 00:35:32,066 --> 00:35:34,266 but as long as they were still allies, 610 00:35:34,266 --> 00:35:36,000 it wasn't a problem. 611 00:35:39,066 --> 00:35:41,600 [narrator] But with their ideological differences, 612 00:35:41,600 --> 00:35:43,567 it didn't take long for relations 613 00:35:43,567 --> 00:35:46,500 between some of the allied powers to cool. 614 00:35:47,667 --> 00:35:51,166 This was a division between two different worlds. 615 00:35:51,166 --> 00:35:54,767 In the east, we had Soviet-style communism, 616 00:35:54,767 --> 00:35:55,934 socialist societies. 617 00:35:55,934 --> 00:36:00,600 In the west, we had capitalist democratic society. 618 00:36:00,600 --> 00:36:03,667 Despite this, the agreement that the East German railway company 619 00:36:03,667 --> 00:36:05,967 would keep operating the S-Bahn, 620 00:36:05,967 --> 00:36:08,266 even though it was in West Berlin, 621 00:36:08,266 --> 00:36:11,066 remained in place. 622 00:36:11,066 --> 00:36:14,900 [Hadley] Railway police employed by East Germany control the stations. 623 00:36:14,900 --> 00:36:18,266 The West Berlin police also have their own patrols here, 624 00:36:18,266 --> 00:36:21,033 so in short, it's a total mess. 625 00:36:22,767 --> 00:36:27,166 [narrator] The tense situation escalated at the start of the 1960s 626 00:36:27,166 --> 00:36:30,667 when the East German authorities took a drastic step 627 00:36:30,667 --> 00:36:35,500 to prevent citizens from escaping their draconian regime. 628 00:36:35,500 --> 00:36:39,967 [Hadley] On August 13th, 1961, the Berlin Wall rises, 629 00:36:39,967 --> 00:36:42,200 and it completely separates families, 630 00:36:42,200 --> 00:36:45,400 it separates friends, it's a true tragedy. 631 00:36:47,367 --> 00:36:51,100 [narrator] The residents of West Berlin were quick to vent their anger 632 00:36:51,100 --> 00:36:53,367 on the communist-controlled S-Bahn 633 00:36:53,367 --> 00:36:56,500 which encompassed the Siemensbahn branch line. 634 00:36:57,700 --> 00:37:01,900 The railways became a symbol of East German authority, 635 00:37:01,900 --> 00:37:06,300 a symbol of the oddity of the division of Germany. 636 00:37:08,900 --> 00:37:10,900 [Mathias] The S-Bahn boycott was declared 637 00:37:10,900 --> 00:37:13,533 and West Berliners were told not to travel on the line. 638 00:37:14,800 --> 00:37:16,800 Replacement buses were brought in. 639 00:37:16,800 --> 00:37:20,300 They were soon packed and hardly anyone went on the S-Bahn. 640 00:37:23,166 --> 00:37:26,367 [narrator] Even though the boycott caused chaos for commuters 641 00:37:26,367 --> 00:37:28,000 across the city, 642 00:37:28,000 --> 00:37:30,700 West Berliners continued to protest. 643 00:37:31,867 --> 00:37:36,100 [Pedrick] The network lost up to 80% of its passengers, 644 00:37:36,100 --> 00:37:39,000 which really just put this already struggling railway 645 00:37:39,000 --> 00:37:41,200 kinda further into the red. 646 00:37:41,867 --> 00:37:44,300 They were desperate to cut costs 647 00:37:44,300 --> 00:37:49,300 and eventually, the only costs that were left to cut were staff. 648 00:37:50,000 --> 00:37:51,900 So, in January 1980, 649 00:37:51,900 --> 00:37:56,000 they fired 78 railway workers and reduced the service, 650 00:37:56,000 --> 00:38:00,467 and people were furious. 651 00:38:00,467 --> 00:38:03,500 The cutting of hours and the firing of a pregnant woman 652 00:38:03,500 --> 00:38:05,767 is the final straw. 653 00:38:05,767 --> 00:38:08,600 [Onyeka] This is when the workers decided to strike. 654 00:38:08,600 --> 00:38:12,066 They occupied signal towers, ensuring that trains 655 00:38:12,066 --> 00:38:14,266 couldn't run, uh, without effective signals. 656 00:38:14,266 --> 00:38:16,600 Uh, the network was brought to a halt. 657 00:38:17,867 --> 00:38:20,500 [Pedrick] They abandoned the trains, blocked the tracks. 658 00:38:20,500 --> 00:38:23,233 I mean, they wanted it shut down. 659 00:38:24,800 --> 00:38:27,767 [narrator] Many businesses were brought to a standstill 660 00:38:27,767 --> 00:38:30,934 as thousands of commuters struggled to get to work. 661 00:38:32,800 --> 00:38:36,467 East Berliners could not risk taking part in the protest, 662 00:38:36,467 --> 00:38:38,767 and the communist authorities were quick to enforce 663 00:38:38,767 --> 00:38:43,467 their jurisdiction over the striking West Berliners. 664 00:38:43,467 --> 00:38:47,166 [Pedrick] The East German railway police stormed the signal towers 665 00:38:47,166 --> 00:38:49,166 and dragged out the occupiers, 666 00:38:49,166 --> 00:38:52,333 and so basically, the strikes were broken. 667 00:38:54,100 --> 00:38:56,000 [Onyeka] But the cost of these delays 668 00:38:56,000 --> 00:38:59,166 and the whole breakdown of the system meant 669 00:38:59,166 --> 00:39:03,600 that it was not economically viable to keep the network running. 670 00:39:03,600 --> 00:39:06,100 [Hadley] Over 40 miles of lines were closed. 671 00:39:06,100 --> 00:39:08,000 That's almost half of the S-Bahn. 672 00:39:09,967 --> 00:39:12,166 [narrator] Four years after the strike, 673 00:39:12,166 --> 00:39:15,100 West Berlin finally negotiated control 674 00:39:15,100 --> 00:39:17,300 of its section of the S-Bahn. 675 00:39:19,367 --> 00:39:21,467 But by now, a new underground line 676 00:39:21,467 --> 00:39:25,300 had been built along the route of the Siemens branch, 677 00:39:25,300 --> 00:39:28,000 which had never reopened after the strike 678 00:39:28,000 --> 00:39:30,000 and remained abandoned. 679 00:39:31,700 --> 00:39:34,200 [Mathias] When there were no more staff on the platforms here, 680 00:39:34,200 --> 00:39:35,634 vandalism began. 681 00:39:36,767 --> 00:39:40,133 And when there's no traffic, the trees grow again. 682 00:39:41,300 --> 00:39:44,233 And look how nature has reclaimed this so quickly. 683 00:39:51,367 --> 00:39:55,000 Today, there's a project to bring the Siemensbahn back to life 684 00:39:55,000 --> 00:39:57,300 just in time for its 100th birthday. 685 00:39:58,667 --> 00:40:01,100 [narrator] Project engineer, Dorothy Blendon, 686 00:40:01,100 --> 00:40:03,066 understands that for Berliners, 687 00:40:03,066 --> 00:40:07,967 this railway is more than just a means of transportation. 688 00:40:07,967 --> 00:40:10,400 [Dorothy] The people in this area are really connected 689 00:40:10,400 --> 00:40:13,000 to the Siemensbahn. 690 00:40:13,000 --> 00:40:15,000 It's, like, their track, 691 00:40:15,000 --> 00:40:17,900 and I think in reactivating it, 692 00:40:17,900 --> 00:40:19,767 we're giving back something to the people. 693 00:40:19,767 --> 00:40:22,600 It's important for getting this area 694 00:40:22,600 --> 00:40:25,667 of the city connected to train again.