Original subtitles

Narrator: derelict yet famous.

Empty but iconic.

Abandoned sites ingrained in Popular culture.

When you see this landscape,

You get a sense of deja vu, Like you've seen this before.

Narrator: famous musicians.

What do the lads from Liverpool have to do with

All this?

Narrator: Hollywood blockbusters.

Looking around,

It's very redolent of That movie,

And this is actually the site That it was based on.

Narrator: And sports superstars.

You can actually see The long jump pit where

One of the greatest american Athletes of all time trained.

Narrator: Ten deserted sites

Where movie Magic and historical heroes

Took center stage.

This ridge is related to one Of the most iconic stories

In u.S. History.

It was made for The silver screen.

It was made for The silver screen.

Narrator: ghost towns that make Perfect backdrops for

Fantastical tales.

Hollywood was scouting for A location

For a new movie they Were making.

They found this amazing Village forgotten by time.

Narrator: And some places where

The truth is definitely Stranger than fiction.

All sorts of tall tales were Around about these sites.

He was far more bloodthirsty And brutal

He was far more bloodthirsty And brutal

Than his fictional counterpart.

Narrator: neglected yet Hauntingly familiar.

The real life locations, Made famous by

The most memorable characters In popular culture.

These are ten of the world's Most iconic abandoned places.

Decaying relics,

Ruins of lost worlds,

Ruins of lost worlds,

Sites haunted by the past,

Their secrets

Waiting to be revealed.

Number ten in the world's Iconic and legendary locations

Is in tunisia,

On the edge of the parched Sahara desert, where a curious

On the edge of the parched Sahara desert, where a curious

Structure emerges from Shifting sands.

When you first see This landscape,

It's very alien, very barren,

But also there's something Familiar about it.

You get a sense of deja vu like You've seen this before.

It looks like It could have been there

200 years or indeed 2000 years.

You just can't tell Looking at it from a distance.

Narrator: its warm colors And organic architecture

Give the building A welcoming feel,

But closer inspection reveals Menacing features.

The people who built this Obviously had a lot

To be afraid of And a lot to protect.

This high exterior wall is Clearly there to protect

The settlement,

But from whom?

Narrator: what links this place To another complex

Marooned 175 miles away, Across the largest salt pan

Marooned 175 miles away, Across the largest salt pan

In the sahara?

Barratt: there's no one here.

The sand has been pushed up Against the structures.

It's been abandoned For some time.

They seem really out of place,

As if they were dropped out of An airplane into here,

The middle of nowhere.

Narrator: fantastical events A long time ago

Connect both sites,

But this one is far and away Different to the first.

But this one is far and away Different to the first.

Here you see something that at First looks ancient,

But you quickly realize It isn't.

This is something built More recently,

But it's entered into our Collective imagination as if

It's a real place.

You start to realize that These are not

All permanent structures.

What's really going on here?

Where did these things Come from?

Narrator: and what Out-of-this-world force

Made both these sites World famous

Made both these sites World famous

And gave hollywood's Favorite intergalactic

Hero a place to call home?

This strange multi-celled Construction

Is ksar ouled soltane.

Dr. Ali thabti Is an expert

On the abandoned structures of This strange desert.

[ speaking arabic ] Translator: the ksar Was protected from anything

That lay outside.

Because there was only one Entrance,

Because there was only one Entrance,

There was no other way of Penetrating it,

Other than through this gate Called a skifa.

Narrator: Ksars are fortified villages

Found throughout The northern sahara.

But why is this one So different?

Dating from the 16th Century, ksar ouled soltane

Straddles An ancient saharan trade route.

[ speaking arabic ] Translator: most people of this Region were engaged

In trade either Directly or indirectly.

In trade either Directly or indirectly.

Slaves, precious metals, Ivory and other products

Were all being imported From neighboring sudan.

Narrator: the semi-nomadic Culture who

Built this site were Called the berbers.

The berber people have Occupied this region since

Roman times,

And it's they that brought This distinct style

Of building.

Building anything in this Kind of landscape is hard work,

So anything that's built is There for a purpose.

So anything that's built is There for a purpose.

And here, we've got lots of These little dome structures.

Very defensive, very small, But clearly important.

Narrator: but how did these Desolate cubicles

Ensure berber survival?

Each cell was known As a ghorfa,

And it would hold the food Reserves for a particular

Family -- For centuries,

They would use that to protect Their grain and their olives.

They would use that to protect Their grain and their olives.

This is your insurance policy.

This is your bank.

They had to get through Dry seasons,

And they had to keep outsiders From stealing their food.

That would be A death sentence.

Narrator: while its walls Offered protection from raiders,

The secret to the ghorfa Cells' success

Was their rounded rooms, Which deflect the sun.

[ speaking arabic ] Translator: So the temperature

[ speaking arabic ] Translator: So the temperature

Is always about the same Within this room.

Narrator: the design of this Desert grain store

Provided the dome cells with Astonishing

Preservative properties.

[ speaking arabic ] Translator: because The temperature

Never goes above 17 or 18 degrees,

These rooms preserve food Products stored in them.

So, for instance, barley can Be kept here

For five, six, or even seven Years without

Anything happening To it.

Anything happening To it.

Narrator: for centuries, These domes helped protect

The berbers from the cruel Conditions of the sahara.

Then, in 1976, their Otherworldly shape inspired

The realization of A very different desert world

At another neglected site Almost 200 miles away.

It's a link that only begins To make sense

It's a link that only begins To make sense

When a distinctive domed Structure comes into view.

In this seemingly Neverending desert,

It looks tiny And insignificant,

But it is Immediately recognizable.

It's quite obvious this is Luke skywalker's

Childhood home.

Now you know where you are.

The scenes at the lars' Homestead really set

The scenes at the lars' Homestead really set

The tone for "Star wars" -- For the original "Star wars."

Narrator: in 1976, Director george lucas brought

Hollywood to this remote Corner of tunisia.

Inspired by the domed Architecture of the ancient

Berber grain store, Lucas built a set here,

And the sandy landscape became Luke skywalker's home planet

Of tatooine.

Barratt: it's that iconic.

I am surprised that there aren't Two suns on the horizon.

I am surprised that there aren't Two suns on the horizon.

It's so burnt into our Brains that

You expect luke skywalker Or his aunt or uncle

To come around The corner.

Auerbach: this is where It all started --

The original movie set of The first "Star wars" film,

"A new hope."

I mean, you stand And you look at it,

And just for a moment You're transported

To a galaxy far, far away.

To a galaxy far, far away.

Initially, they went to Tunisia because it was

A cost-effective location with The deserts they wanted,

But then tunisia and Its culture and architecture

Started influencing The movies.

Narrator: the tunisian landscape Seemed a dream fit

For lucas's vision,

But the brutal desert climate Would have its say.

So key day, March the 22nd, 1976.

So key day, March the 22nd, 1976.

George lucas shouts "Action" Out here in tunisia,

And it hasn't rained in seven Years to this point.

And then what do you know it?

The rains come down for The next four days.

[ thunderclaps ]

A storm rolled in, and it Wreaked havoc on the set.

In fact, the top of the lars' Homestead was blown right off,

And the model they were Using for the jawas' ship,

The sandcrawler, Was almost destroyed.

The sandcrawler, Was almost destroyed.

Everything is just being Washed away.

What a way to start this Whole universe.

Narrator: production continued And "Star wars"

Became A celluloid sensation,

Although few expected george Lucas to return to tunisia.

So the sets were just left --

Just left to the environment And left to rot.

Narrator: but the unique Architecture proved too much

Narrator: but the unique Architecture proved too much

Of a draw, And lucas did come back.

This time, the ancient grain Store at ksar ouled soltane

Played an important role.

Meigs: they actually used The ghorfas as a set,

As a location for "The phantom menace."

And these cells that were once Used for food storage

Became used as Prison cells

Where anakin and his mother Are imprisoned in

"The phantom menace."

Narrator: the ancient walls made A perfect intergalactic prison,

But lucas wanted more from The barren saharan landscape.

Could an extraordinary set of Ruins disappearing

Into the sand give him what He needed?

And later, on "The world's most Iconic abandoned places,"

Which notorious gangster Took refuge

In this once Idyllic hideaway?

In this once Idyllic hideaway?

*

Narrator: amid the perishing Sands of tunisia,

Desolate ancient structures Provided the iconic settings

For the "Star wars" Movie franchise.

But one set of ruins in The remote region of naftah

Is baffling.

How come this place is So recent?

Director george lucas decided To build

His own desert site in 1998.

His own desert site in 1998.

It's the fictional town of Mos espa.

Mos espa is an entirely Invented place.

It was built as a set in

The middle of nowhere when They shot "The phantom menace."

Narrator: hamida chebbi Worked on the film.

[ speaking foreign language] Translator: during filming,

There were lots of people here,

Around 250.

The technical team were 120.

And on top of that, there were All the actors and so on.

Sometimes there were 300 People on set.

It was a big job.

Narrator: familiar landmarks of The imaginary sci-fi town

Have withstood Weather and time,

Including the spaceport gate, Podracing area,

And watto's shop.

Moisture vaporators And other props also remain,

Moisture vaporators And other props also remain,

Posing a stark contrast to The sandy desert landscape.

[ speaking foreign language ] Translator: they spent nearly

A whole year Building this set.

It was a big undertaking.

First of all, they scouted in May, june, and july.

After that, it was punishing Building this set in the desert.

We would start work at four or Even three in the morning

We would start work at four or Even three in the morning

And finish at 10 Or 11 at night.

There were long days.

The shoot went on for three More months.

Then it was all over.

It was like a dream.

Narrator: the movie-making may Have finished many years ago,

But "Star wars" has become Intrinsically linked

To tunisia.

[ speaking foreign language ] Translator: they left these Great sets,

Which have now become tourist Attractions in the desert.

Which have now become tourist Attractions in the desert.

"Star wars" really changed

This part of tunisia and really Put it on the map.

It's become a place of Pilgrimage for "Star wars" fans.

[ speaking foreign language] Translator: I'm so happy

To have been part Of making the film.

It gave an economic boost To the region

And created jobs so that many People could earn money.

It was extraordinary.

Narrator: today, as the desolate Sands attempt to devour

The "Star wars" sets of naftah,

Ksar ouled soltane still Stands strong.

Perched here for over 500 years,

It is a testament to its Builders' skill and ingenuity.

Auerbach: in some ways, The "Star wars" stories

Are stories of a struggle Against the odds,

And that mirrors the story of The berbers,

Who only survived in this Harsh landscape by banding

Together and cooperating Against a desert that was

Really encroaching upon them On every side.

Narrator: from intergalactic Heroes

To International villains.

At number nine, a battered Site on a private peninsula in

Guatape, colombia, was once Home to an infamous outlaw.

Guatape, colombia, was once Home to an infamous outlaw.

It looks a little bit like A cross between

A playboy mansion and some Kind of military fort.

Narrator: evidence of violence Soon emerges

In this sprawling 20-acre site.

There's signs of some kind of Enormous explosion,

So this place clearly has A story to tell.

*

*

Narrator: william jimenez Once worked

At This dilapidated compound.

[ speaking spanish ] Translator: it took

Almost seven years to build The structures

That you can See here today.

It had a swimming pool, Tennis courts, a football pitch,

None of which sound out of The ordinary,

But that football pitch Doubled up as a helipad,

And it also had its own Private seaplane dock.

This place was anything But ordinary.

Narrator: but who built this Luxurious place?

Narrator: but who built this Luxurious place?

It's just 25 miles from The town of medellin,

Where the colombian drug lord

Pablo escobar founded his Infamous cartel.

When you're pablo escobar, You can never really relax.

He was always surrounded By security.

Narrator: the name of this Compound is telling --

Hacienda la manuela,

The name of escobar's beloved Only daughter.

The name of escobar's beloved Only daughter.

He built this hidden retreat To keep his family safe.

Meigs: he had armed guards.

He had walls that were built Like the walls of a fortress.

Escobar wanted to be ready For anything.

Narrator: william remembers The elusive drug baron's

Visits here.

[ speaking spanish ] Translator: pablo himself

Was here only Two or three times maximum.

He'd only spend a few hours Here and then leave.

He'd only spend a few hours Here and then leave.

He wouldn't even stay The night.

When you're the seventh Richest man of the world,

You gotta watch your back At all times.

Narrator: escobar had become A target not just for

Colombian authorities And the u.S. Government,

But also Rival cartels.

Meigs: in 1993, Some of escobar's

Rivals managed to infiltrate The compound.

[ speaking spanish ] Translator: what happened

[ speaking spanish ] Translator: what happened

Was that six more pickups And one van came full of people.

It was around midnight.

They placed two bombs, One on that side

And one on the other side.

This was where they placed The biggest bomb.

There was a huge explosion.

You can imagine Everything was shaking.

In this area, there was A bathroom,

And that's where the bomb Exploded upward

And destroyed The walls around it.

And destroyed The walls around it.

It was such A powerful explosion.

This bombing was kind of The beginning of the end

For escobar.

Narrator: law enforcement Swiftly took advantage

Of the situation.

Police forces quickly swept in

And seized all the drugs And money.

Narrator: in december 1993, Colombia's national police

Finally pinpointed The gangster's whereabouts

And shot him dead.

Today, escobar's complex Legacy means

His once glorious mansion Lies abandoned.

Still to come...

Could a merciless prison Contain one of the most

Famous breakout Attempts of all time?

Famous breakout Attempts of all time?

And why did the rich And famous

Choose to escape To this faraway ruin?

*

Narrator: coming up

On "The world's most Iconic abandoned places,"

A sinister compound launches A sports hero to victory,

And a deserted town is

The perfect setting for A cinematic dystopia.

The next seminal site saw A heroic endeavor,

Immortalized by hollywood, Play out in the woods of

Immortalized by hollywood, Play out in the woods of

Western poland.

You see some concrete vestiges Of the past,

But it seems that the forest Has reclaimed whatever

Was here.

So at some point years ago,

This was cleared.

But why did somebody clear A space in this forest?

But why did somebody clear A space in this forest?

Narrator: Sift through the detritus

And the forest starts to give Up its secrets.

You could actually come across

Some concrete pillars In the ground.

They're clearly The constructs of

Something that's repeated, Something quite large.

Narrator: below ground, A series of passages

Seem to go nowhere.

And deeper in the woods, A curious feature emerges.

On a pathway, You see this line of stones

With names inscribed On the stones.

Then you arrive at the end, And there's a big stone,

And it says, "Harry."

Harry -- here in the middle Of a forest somewhere in poland.

Quite the mystery.

Narrator: marek lazarz scours These woods to piece together

What went on here back in The 1940s.

His finds paint A baffling picture.

His finds paint A baffling picture.

These are foundations of The theater --

Large, large theater, 350 seats.

What you see here is A orchestra pit, stage,

Backstage, And few rooms behind.

Narrator: but why is The theater here?

A clue lies in The remnants of

The neatly built barrack Buildings that surrounded.

The neatly built barrack Buildings that surrounded.

This was a military camp, And in the 1940s,

This polish wood was part of Nazi germany.

It was known as Stalag luft iii.

"Stalag" is short for Stammlager.

This is where They kept prisoners.

"Luft" connotes that it was run By the luftwaffe.

And it housed various prisoners From the allied air forces.

From 1942, it held more than 10,000 prisoners of war,

From 1942, it held more than 10,000 prisoners of war,

One of the biggest Officers' camps for the airmen.

Narrator: risky allied air raids In the early years

Of the second world war meant That many daredevil airmen

Got caught Behind enemy lines.

Prisoner of war camps were Filled with brilliant,

Highly motivated officers And sergeants,

And these guys were Able to make life miserable

And these guys were Able to make life miserable

For the german soldiers.

There was a code of honor

Among officers that -- In world war ii,

That if you were captured, You had to try to escape.

Narrator: the positioning of This site shows

That the german luftwaffe Knew this.

This place was built in The heartland

Of the german reich.

Even if you managed to get out Of this camp,

Even if you managed to get out Of this camp,

You weren't going anywhere.

Narrator: but that wasn't enough To stop

The allied airmen trying to Get out.

This camp, surrounded by Searchlight towers,

Rows of barbed wire,

Machine guns, and dogs meant There was

Only one way to do that -- By tunnel.

But the germans had that Covered too.

They build the huts -- The barracks

Off the ground with A clearance beneath,

Off the ground with A clearance beneath,

So that it is harder to Tunnel down.

Narrator: undeterred, A group of allied officers

Led by squadron Leader roger bushell,

Came up With a daring escape plan.

Bushell's idea is that you're Gonna build three big tunnels,

Nicknamed tom, Dick, and harry.

You're gonna assume that The germans are gonna

Discover one or two of them,

Discover one or two of them,

But with three, you'll all get Out of the third one.

Narrator: the hope was that one Of these

Tunnels would lead 200 men To freedom.

But with the germans always One step ahead,

Would they ever make it?

And how did their nail-biting Exploits below this abandoned

Site inspire one of The greatest adventure movies

Of all time?

*

Narrator: in 1943, in the german Prisoner of war camp,

Stalag luft iii, a team of Allied airmen

Were planning their escape.

It would become the stuff Of legend.

You have your hopeless Attempts to escape.

We're gonna devote our energies To sports and gardening,

All the cultural Pursuits, and meanwhile...

All the cultural Pursuits, and meanwhile...

We dig.

This is the basis of the movie "The great escape,"

Starring steve mcqueen, James garner, charles bronson,

And other greats.

*

Narrator: remains on the site Today still

Hold traces of The true-life narrative.

Marek lazarz knows where To look,

To find the most Audacious tunnel...

To find the most Audacious tunnel...

Harry.

Lazarz: we're now actually in The north compound,

Where the hut 104 was.

Not much left, except a few Pieces of the concrete.

Narrator: gaps built under their Accommodation by

The germans meant tunneling Would easily be spotted.

But there was a solution.

Inside all the huts, Solid stove bases stood between

Inside all the huts, Solid stove bases stood between

Two rooms.

These plinths went down through The gap to the ground.

Two stoves were connected to The one chimney.

After they removed the stove From this place,

They used this area To build the entrance,

And kind of fake floor was Built using the same tiles

Here to cover the entrance of The -- of the tunnel.

Narrator: harry would be dug 30 feet below hut 104,

Then travel more than 300 feet under two

Barbed-wire fences And then exit at the tree line

That bordered the camp.

At three feet wide, The tunnel was tiny,

So two larger staging areas Were also incorporated.

These would aid the movement Of escapees

And house some of its Technical innovations.

Nusbacher: the diggers moved in The tunnel

Nusbacher: the diggers moved in The tunnel

Using a kind of Underground railway,

And they were able to Illuminate by using lamps made

With cooking fat scavenged from The camps

Own kitchens and from The prisoners' own meals.

Narrator: dug with only Improvised tools,

Including cutlery,

Even the earth they were Excavating was hostile.

Wawro: one of the reasons the Germans decided to camp here

Is the soil is very weak,

Very sandy -- it's prone To collapse.

So the tunnels were shored up With timber

That had bean looted from Around the camp.

The bunks, the bed boards, The benches, the chairs,

They'd disassemble All this stuff,

And they'd take It underground to shore up

These tunnels.

Narrator: the soil at this site Created a further problem.

Topsoil of the camp was Actually dark gray.

Meanwhile, the dirt Taken from

The tunnels was extremely Bright and yellow.

The tunnels was extremely Bright and yellow.

There are a few spots you can Find some soil so you can see

The topsoil, Which is dark gray.

But if you try to dig,

You will find some Yellow soil.

This could be soil dug out From the escape tunnel harry.

You feel Like you're touching history.

So the inmates would conceal Soil inside their baggy

So the inmates would conceal Soil inside their baggy

Second world war trousers, And they would walk out

Across the camp and they would Spread the soil from

The tunnels so that it wouldn't Be noticeable to the germans.

It's estimated they removed About 100 tons

Of material with essentially Sort of handmade tools.

Narrator: before long, every Available area of the camp

Was being used to dispose of The betraying soil,

Was being used to dispose of The betraying soil,

Even the theater.

The theater was selected by The prisoners because there was

A large, empty space underneath The floor of the audience,

And it was perfect place to Hide tons of the soil.

Oh my god! They've found tom!

Narrator: the tunnelers' luck Couldn't last.

First, curious guards Uncovered tom

And destroyed it With dynamite.

Then dick was abandoned when

The camp expanded and covered Its exit point.

Now all hope rested on harry, But even that wouldn't

Now all hope rested on harry, But even that wouldn't

Last long.

They had to escape because Germans were very close

To find tunnel and they had to Make a decision.

We have to escape as soon As possible.

The airmen knew that harry Wasn't ready.

A stone line running through The woods

Shows the tunnel's path.

They actually break out Through harry in march of 1944.

In reality, it was the tail End of the coldest winter

In european history. It was freezing cold.

In european history. It was freezing cold.

They get to the end of harry, And the hatch won't open

'cause it's just frozen shut Beneath a carapace of snow.

So they're sitting there.

They spent an hour and a half -- An hour and a half trying

To, like, Knock this thing loose.

Another problem was that The tunnel was too short.

Hold on to yourself, bartlett. You're 20 feet short.

The hole is right here in The open.

The guard is between us and The lights.

So it made The escape very difficult.

Narrator: by the time guards Spotted the fleeing prisoners,

76 men had crawled their way To freedom.

Tragically, the majority were Quickly rounded up.

When hitler heard about The great escape,

He was absolutely furious,

And hitler wanted to kill Every airman who escaped

From stalag luft drei.

Actually only three of them Successfully escaped

To england.

Seventy-three were captured By the germans,

And 50 of them were executed By the gestapo.

Narrator: the pows' Quiet determination,

Spirit, and resistance were Stirringly captured

By hollywood,

Although with a bit of Artistic license.

Wawro: you know, people would Expect that there were a lot of

Wawro: you know, people would Expect that there were a lot of

Americans involved in this

Escape attempt because of The role of steve mcqueen in

The movie "The great escape,"

But in fact, all the americans In the camp had

Been moved to a different stalag Before the escape attempt.

So there are actually no Americans involved in this

Great escape.

Narrator: at the foot of The himalayas in northern india,

A far-out site once attracted The most famous faces in

A far-out site once attracted The most famous faces in

The world.

It could have been a resort, But you can kind of tell that

Even when it was new, it was Pretty rough around the edges.

Narrator: the deeper you go,

The stranger things become.

Wherever you walk through The trees,

Another unique structure pops Up in front of you.

It's like some kind of Magical land.

It's like some kind of Magical land.

You're not quite sure what to Expect next.

Narrator: sprouting from The forest floor is

A collection of small Round houses.

They are these dome-like Structures.

It's quite a jumble, and some Of them even look like caves.

There are a lot of these Small spaces,

And there's not much there to Give you clues as to what these

Were used for.

Narrator: inside, there's hindi Writing on the walls.

Narrator: inside, there's hindi Writing on the walls.

One clue is all this kind of Spiritual graffiti.

Bell: this is not The normal world.

It's like you're entering Into a whole

Different dimension.

There's a very relaxing Feeling to the whole site.

It's a calm place to be, But what was it for?

Narrator: so how did this Offbeat eastern site

Festering in the forests Of india

Come to play a vital Role in western culture?

Come to play a vital Role in western culture?

Below this clifftop ruin is One of the world's most

Sacred rivers,

The ganges.

Raju gosai knows this Compound well.

This is A very spiritual place

With a nice, beautiful setting And all.

With a nice, beautiful setting And all.

This is a place Where pilgrims from far and near

Come and they take Holy bath in the ganges.

Narrator: these structures sit High above the throng

Of the legendary indian city Of rishikesh.

Auerbach: rishikesh is A place of considerable

Religious significance.

Pilgrims have been Coming here for centuries.

And this site is different.

People coming here Were coming here for

People coming here Were coming here for

A very Particular purpose.

If you want to understand what This place was really

All about,

It's those small domed, Cave-like structures that are

The real clues.

Narrator: more than 100 domes Hide in this forest.

This place Was created by a famous indian

Spiritual guru Maharishi mahesh yogi in 1961.

Spiritual guru Maharishi mahesh yogi in 1961.

The maharishi was known for Developing his particular brand

Of transcendental meditation,

And he introduced that Transcendental meditation to

India and the rest of The world.

The maharishi created this Place with western habits

In mind.

Narrator: this is The chaurasi kutia ashram.

Meigs: an ashram is a center of Religious study.

Meigs: an ashram is a center of Religious study.

The maharishi's ashram was A place that people came

To study and to meditate,

To hear lectures from him, To get away

From the pressures of Daily life in the world.

Narrator: this function explains The singular architecture here.

It's quiet, it's calming, It's private.

This is a place to meditate, To find peace,

This is a place to meditate, To find peace,

To make inner explorations.

He created all the modern Facilities that was

Required for His student to learn,

His disciple to learn Transcendental meditation.

Narrator: when these meditation Domes were built in 1970,

They were unrivalled In india.

Thanks to one of the biggest Pop bands in history,

This now forgotten ashram Had suddenly

Become the most sought-after Place on earth.

Become the most sought-after Place on earth.

*

Narrator: in the late 1960s, A remote spiritual site in

India suddenly became The hippest place to be,

Thanks to the commercial savvy Of its creator,

The maharishi mahesh yogi.

His name might not be that Familiar today, but back then,

In the 1960s, he was A global celebrity.

In the 1960s, he was A global celebrity.

Narrator: at the height Of their fame,

British pop group the beatles Were huge fans.

You round the corner, And suddenly there's

A massive image of The beatles.

What do the lads from Liverpool have to do

With all this?

Narrator: raju gosai is A beatles disciple.

In 1968, the beatles came here,

And it was A worldwide media hype.

And it was A worldwide media hype.

Also along for the ride was Mike love from the beach boys,

The singer donovan, The actress mia farrow,

And her sister, prudence, And all sorts of other people.

This big entourage all showed Up here.

Narrator: how come they ended up At this remote site?

George harrison was really Dedicated to

Transcendental meditation and Threw himself into it.

Transcendental meditation and Threw himself into it.

And he said at one point,

"We have all the money you Could dream of.

"We have all the fame you could Wish for,

But it isn't peace, is it?"

When the beatles came here,

There were hardly any Infrastructure here.

Narrator: the maharishi was Astute enough to make sure

His esteemed guests got What they needed.

You know, the maharishi was No dummy,

And he recognized that when The beatles showed up

This was the best thing that Ever happened to his movement.

This was the best thing that Ever happened to his movement.

We are at The beatles bungalow.

These are some of the rooms Where the beatles used to stay.

So this place was known as Rishikesh hilton

Because it had Wall-to-wall carpet,

It had curtains,

It had bunk beds with The mattresses.

They had a attached toilet here

They had a attached toilet here

With, uh,

Bathtubs.

And this is the room Where john lennon

And cynthia -- cynthia lennon Used to stay.

John lennon and cynthia lennon Came here together,

And they used to stay here In one room.

But after a few days, John and cynthia separated

And they used to live in Another -- different rooms.

Meigs: the compound also had A post office.

John was often leaving his Wife, cynthia, who was there

John was often leaving his Wife, cynthia, who was there

With him,

To go down to the post office And see if there'd been any new

Telegrams from yoko ono,

Who he was beginning To become involved with.

Narrator: although there had Been tensions in the band,

This site fueled Their creativity.

We are on the roof of The beatles bungalow,

Where the beatles used to come And play music here.

The white album, Many of the songs,

They composed here.

Between hanging out with The maharishi and meditating,

They wrote roughly 40 songs In just seven weeks.

"Back in the ussr" and "I'm so Tired" were composed here.

The latter, apparently By lennon after he was suffering

From weeks of Poor sleep at the ashram.

This is the room where, uh, Prudence farrow used to stay,

And which inspired the beatles To compose their --

And which inspired the beatles To compose their --

One of the most memorable Songs, "Dear prudence."

Mia farrow's sister, prudence, Spent so much time in

Her room meditating that People started to worry

About her.

So this period in the ashram Is linked to

One of the most creative times For the beatles.

Narrator: after the fab four Returned to britain,

The ashram continued To flourish,

The ashram continued To flourish,

Thanks to the attention it Had gained.

New meditation pods were built To accommodate the tourists

Who flocked here,

But the whole enterprise was Resting on shaky foundations.

Maharishi mahesh yogi Took this land

From the forest Department in 1961.

That lease expired in 1981 And after that,

The maharishi mahesh yogi Foundation

Made several items for The renewal of the lease.

Made several items for The renewal of the lease.

But then the process never Got completed.

The former ashram fell into Disrepair as

A result of vandalism and The encroachment of the jungle.

Narrator: today, this Atmospheric site

Is controlled by The rajaji tiger reserve,

But it will always be Synonymous with four lads

But it will always be Synonymous with four lads

From liverpool.

Intellectually, this site,

These bungalows, these strange Halls, had a serious influence

On who the beatles became as A band afterwards.

Narrator: at number six, In ohio,

Near the city of mansfield,

Stands a haunting facility Saved from destruction

By a remarkable Hollywood connection.

The same day that the wrecking Balls came to tear

This place down was the same

Day that the filming company Showed up.

Narrator: before then, this Ornate building had long

Been forgotten.

Those who conceived it,

Had no idea what a horror Story of a legacy

They had spawned.

Narrator: but no matter what Hollywood dreamt up,

It could never compete with What went on here in real life.

It could never compete with What went on here in real life.

The origins of this Building's story

Stretch back to the late 19th century.

This site at mansfield was Chosen in 1885

For a very special reason and A very particular project --

To take young offenders And rehabilitate and reeducate

Them in the most positive Way possible.

It was a reformatory.

It was a reformatory.

So the notion was you weren't Just punishing people,

You were helping them learn,

And then you would release Them out in the world and they

Would commit crimes no more.

Narrator: this is the ohio state Reformatory, completed in 1911.

Inside expert ron puff finds Evidence that shows how

The idealistic reformatory Soon became a crowded

Adult facility.

We're currently in The west cellblock.

This has five tiers,

Originally 350 cells meant for One inmate to a cell.

Ended up from the very Beginning with two inmates,

So we housed 700 inmates here.

It became one of the hardest Prisons, with some of

The most violent offenders From around the country being

Kept there.

You could be stabbed.

You could be mugged.

You could be thrown off A high walkway.

I mean, the place was such That you were

In fear of your life each and Every day.

Inmates were told when you Came here,

Make yourself a weapon and Hide it in the backyard,

So if everything goes crazy, You at least know where your

Shank or your rock or whatever

It is you placed is, So you can be safe.

Narrator: by the 1930s, The ohio state reformatory

Had become An infamous and brutal prison.

Puff: For the worst offenders,

There was solitary confinement Here at the reformatory.

The whole time you were in Here, you weren't supposed

To talk.

They might keep the lights on 24 hours a day.

They might keep the lights off 24 hours a day.

They might keep the lights off 24 hours a day.

Narrator: the hole, as it was Known, was crammed full

Of prisoners.

In one case, they had a riot And they wound up putting 120

Prisoners down in the hole at The same time for 30 days.

In this instance, They actually found a body that

Had been murdered

And stuffed into a mattress For several days before anyone

Realized he was dead.

Narrator: by the time this Facility was abandoned in 1990,

Narrator: by the time this Facility was abandoned in 1990,

Of the 150,000 inmates Who arrived here,

200 never left.

Today, this grand facility has

Become a major Tourist attraction

Thanks to an extraordinary Twist of fate.

It was scheduled For demolition,

But just before that, A film crew came to shoot

But just before that, A film crew came to shoot

A movie that, of course, Has become world famous --

"The shawshank redemption."

Narrator: the acclaimed prison Drama, starring morgan freeman

And tim robbins, Made the most

Of this Inhospitable setting.

One of the things we're famous

For is the movie "The shawshank redemption."

Now that was filmed back here In 1993,

And we're so thankful It happened

Here because now we have This building

To show people Because of it.

To show people Because of it.

"The shawshank redemption" was The redemption of this prison.

Narrator: the world's abandoned Places become etched in our

Consciousness when The movie makers roll into town.

From the battlegrounds of War-scarred heroes to a deserted

Settlement that makes The perfect dystopian setting.

*

Narrator: among ten of The world's

Most Iconic abandoned places,

Game-changing moments in History are not forgotten,

And notorious bygone Characters leave their

Indelible mark.

At number five, in the east China sea, 1000 miles from

Tokyo on the japanese island Of okinawa,

Tokyo on the japanese island Of okinawa,

Is a steep hillside with A strange blend of ruins.

Looking across the water Toward this rising ground,

A dominating ridge,

With some structures visible, That look as though it's been

Reinforced, fortified, perhaps.

Somebody has taken Serious care

To turn these hills Into fortifications.

To turn these hills Into fortifications.

Narrator: descending into Dense vegetation,

Beyond the warning signs are Entrances to another world.

Built into a mountain, You'd never

Even know this complex Was here.

It's pretty much impossible to

Access unless you were Led inside.

I also see evidence of battle.

I see shell fragments or Bullet holes around.

It's interesting that in one Of the chambers you can still

It's interesting that in one Of the chambers you can still

See text in japanese that when It's translated into english,

Reads "Destroy america."

Narrator: how did these Underground facilities

Contribute to some of The bloodiest and most famous

Battles in history?

Bell: on this ridge are The remains of an important

Medieval castle, a site of Spiritual significance.

But to americans, this ridge Means something else entirely.

But to americans, this ridge Means something else entirely.

This is related to one of The most iconic stories

In u.S. History.

Narrator: aki miyazato has spent The last

Decade investigating what Happened on this island.

So this is another Tunnel here.

We believe it's not safe, So we haven't gone in there.

We believe it's not safe, So we haven't gone in there.

And, uh, it is kind Of mystery.

Sometime I'm gonna find out.

Narrator: the rest of this Subterranean network

Aki knows all too well.

So the writings in this wall Says "Destroy america."

So this is the commander Minoru ota's room,

And he sent a telegram sent Out to mainland japan,

And he sent a telegram sent Out to mainland japan,

Praising okinawans.

After that on june 13, 1945, He committed suicide

In this room with his Close officers.

Narrator: what led to this Moment is

An extraordinary tale of Bravery and self-sacrifice.

It is a remarkable And heroic story.

It is a remarkable And heroic story.

You can see why it was picked Up by hollywood.

It was made for The silver screen.

Narrator: april 26th, 1945.

The maeda escarpment, Also known as hacksaw ridge.

Men of the u.S. Army's

77th infantry division Wait anxiously

Beneath the almost vertical 400-foot cliff.

It was the largest amphibious Assault in

The pacific theater of The second world war.

The navy's fifth fleet and More than 180,000

U.S. Army And u.S. Marine corps troops

Descended on this island for One final push.

Planners assumed that they Would be

Resisted every step of The way.

This was going to be omaha Beach all over again.

Narrator: yet so far, They've encountered

Only an eerie sound of silence.

That silence is now well And truly shattered.

That silence is now well And truly shattered.

They use naval gunfire support To absolutely muller the place.

They bash hacksaw ridge so hard That nothing is going

To be Left alive on the surface.

Narrator: u.S. Infantrymen claw their

Way up ladders to The smoke-filled ridge above.

At first, the enemy is nowhere To be seen.

But then once they get onto The cliff,

The japanese, who are invisible, Just pop up

The japanese, who are invisible, Just pop up

And start blazing away.

Narrator: caught off guard, The troops are

Driven back by a hail Of gunfire.

Among them is desmond doss.

Doss is a seventh day adventist Who refuses to hold

Or fire a rifle.

So how did he become enshrined In hollywood legend?

*

Narrator: at the end of The second world war,

As the brutal battle for Okinawa raged across this

Ravaged site,

The young american pacifist Desmond doss will not bear

Arms, but he also refuses To retreat.

Instead of joining the retreat Back down to the beach,

Doss continues to collect Wounded

Up on This fire-ravaged ridgetop.

Up on This fire-ravaged ridgetop.

Not only does doss rescue his Own captain,

But he also rescues 75 of His comrades.

Doss isn't gonna fight,

But what doss is gonna do is

Save american lives as long as He possibly can.

Narrator: carrying them One by one

To the edge Of the escarpment,

He lowers them by rope down The cliff face.

He lowers them by rope down The cliff face.

Yet doss's individual bravery

Couldn't mask his battalion's Colossal losses.

When the u.S. Landed, they met Almost no resistance.

But that was the plan -- To draw them in close

And then emerge from this Network of underground tunnels.

This way they could engage Them in hand-to-hand combat.

They're retreating into these Fortifications, forcing

The americans to dig them out,

Such as they had to do at Iwo jima,

Such as they had to do at Iwo jima,

And take Tremendous casualties.

So this, in turn, makes The american approach much

More brutal.

The americans are forced to kind Of pry them out of the rocks.

They're using The inherent strength

Of defensive warfare To their advantage.

According to classic military Theory, if you're going in

Against a well-prepared enemy In entrenched positions,

You had better have A 6-to-1 advantage,

You had better have A 6-to-1 advantage,

Otherwise, it's not Gonna happen.

Narrator: so outnumbered are The japanese, that every

Able-bodied okinawan Is drafted in.

School boys as frontline Soldiers and schoolgirls as

Nurses in makeshift Underground hospitals.

Scorched timber from american Flamethrowers is testament

To the horrors these children Were exposed to.

Once the japanese positions Beneath hacksaw ridge

Were destroyed,

Were destroyed,

U.S. Forces moved south toward The strategically vital

Airfield at naha.

Here they were confronted with Another underground

Fortress, built into the hill Overlooking the airport.

This place was meant to house

A naval staff and a really Serious

Communications capability.

So this is a signal room

Where there are several signal Operators sending a message

To, um, mainland japan as well As military navy,

To, um, mainland japan as well As military navy,

Receiving and sending.

But decoding is done by

A different room and Different operators.

Narrator: this is the former Underground naval headquarters,

1500 feet Of cavernous tunnel.

Nusbacher: you had to have room For the admiral,

The flag staff, broader staff, Signalers, and thousands

The flag staff, broader staff, Signalers, and thousands

Of japanese soldiers To defend the place.

It was built to be hard To crack,

And it was built to last Against a heavy

American assault.

Narrator: and it was about To be put to the test.

The 6th marine division, Having captured naha airport,

Encircled this bunker network.

Miyazato: and they couldn't Fight back too much,

And then only way they could Do is

And then only way they could Do is

With the spears.

They went outside And ended up getting hit.

They couldn't fight Back anymore.

They had to stay inside.

Narrator: Yet the evidence suggests

These tunnels May have seen combat.

Bell: in these dark Underground caverns

You can't help but notice that Some of the walls

Are covered in pockmarks and What look like bullet holes.

Narrator: So did american forces manage

To penetrate this Formidable facility?

Admiral ota, saying that if This is the end of our

Operation, we are Committing suicide,

But you are free to go.

It's hard to believe, You know, a commander

Would not force The lower-ranked soldiers

To commit suicide.

So it's very, very rare.

Nusbacher: once he had sent his Final message,

Nusbacher: once he had sent his Final message,

Admiral ota took out his Personal weapon

And he shot himself in front Of his staff.

And from the holes in the wall, We can see

That all of his staff, To a man,

Shot themselves afterwards.

Japanese culture said It is better

To die a suicide than To surrender,

And ota and his staff died Heroes in the japanese culture.

And ota and his staff died Heroes in the japanese culture.

Narrator: short of guns,

Some officers had to improvise With grenades.

Others were found With their throats cut.

Many of the regular soldiers Chose to stay

And prepared to fight to The bitter end.

Instead of fighting for Control of these tunnels,

The americans just detonate all The tunnel entrances,

Close them up with rubble.

And they waited a good,

Long time to make sure that There would be no resistance

When they went down there.

When american forces did go Into those tunnels,

They found thousands of bodies Of japanese naval personnel.

Narrator: the battle of okinawa Was one of

The bloodiest of the second World war.

200,000 japanese were killed,

Many of them civilians And children,

12,500 on the american side.

12,500 on the american side.

In 1970, the former naval

Headquarters were converted Into a museum.

And in 2006, Desmond doss's story

Was immortalized by The hollywood film

"Hacksaw ridge."

And that film brought it To the forefront of

Popular culture.

"Hacksaw ridge" is a film Which is as anti-war

As any war film gets,

And it implants itself into The american consciousness at

And it implants itself into The american consciousness at

The same time that iraq and Afghanistan are going

Badly wrong.

Narrator: having been shot and Taken 17 pieces of shrapnel

At hacksaw ridge, Desmond doss

Was rewarded with The medal of honor

For his selfless act there.

*

*

*

Hacksaw ridge is actually A good story, isn't it?

The soldier helped others,

And we believe that both Americans and japanese,

Okinawans, share the history Together and then what we do is

Pray for hope For the eternal peace.

Narrator: at number four, in Germany to the west of berlin,

Narrator: at number four, in Germany to the west of berlin,

A unique complex is Linked to

A seminal moment in Sports history.

*

A silent swimming pool Awaits guests,

A lone pommel horse sits in An empty gymnasium,

And meadows stretch out in Front of carefully

Positioned huts.

How did this place, built on Totalitarian ideals, end up

Hosting one of the most Memorable sports moments of

All time?

Jan bejsovec is an expert On this location's history.

This site, really, mirrors Much of our past.

They have the beauty of youth On one side,

And we have the tragedy of Death on the other.

Narrator: this complex dates Back to 1934, just one

Year after adolf hitler had Become chancellor of germany.

Hitler understood the power of Propaganda and planned

To use it at the forthcoming Berlin olympic games.

Now, in 1936

Now, in 1936

He has an opportunity to show To the world

A new and rebuilt, Completely new kind of germany.

Narrator: this is The olympic village

For the 1936 berlin games,

Built to impress the 4,000 Athletes who would

Be flocking in from all over The globe.

People met here to celebrate

Their youth, Their physical strength.

These were the most elite Sportsmen of their time.

Narrator: among them was The american jesse owens.

You can actually see the long Jump pit where jesse owens,

One of the greatest american Athletes of all time, trained.

Narrator: this site had Everything the foreign athletes

Needed to ensure they sent Favorable reports back home.

Here we can clearly see how The germans improved by

Building a olympic village,

Which nobody had seen so far.

It's not just having little Houses for accommodation,

It's having real houses with A terrace for sunbathing,

With a central heating system Inside, and all the luxury of

That period. And all the people

Who were here in 1936 were Really impressed by it.

Who were here in 1936 were Really impressed by it.

Narrator: the athletes were Further seduced when they saw

Their colleagues performing Live on the big screen.

These little rooms are a major Breakthrough in technology

Because here on this wall was A tv set and was,

For the first time in sports History,

That you had a live broadcast.

These games, really, was The first media games,

These games, really, was The first media games,

The first real propaganda Games, so incorporating

Everything they had.

Narrator: So how did hitler's love of

Technology end up working Against him?

*

Narrator: on the outskirts of Berlin in germany

Are the deserted remains of The world's first

Permanent olympic village, Built for the 1936 games.

But outside, the racial

Purification of germany Continued apace.

While the germans allowed jews To participate in the games,

While the germans allowed jews To participate in the games,

They were behind the scenes,

Continuing to pass Antisemitic laws.

Narrator: meanwhile, in hitler's Imperious olympic stadium,

Jesse owens was about to deliver The fuehrer a harsh blow.

Here, the african american Owens made history by stealing

The first of four gold medals From hitler's aryan athletes.

Once hitler's humiliating Olympics were over,

The village was handed to The german army.

After the war, it fell under Soviet control until

The ussr collapsed and this Site was left to disintegrate.

Now the village is being Repurposed into

Modern apartments,

But it will never prove more Valuable than when jesse owens

But it will never prove more Valuable than when jesse owens

Used it as a springboard to Smash hitler's myth of

Aryan supremacy.

*

In romania, The mystical carpathian

Mountains sit cloaked In legend.

You've got these Incredible valleys

With rivers running along The bottom.

With rivers running along The bottom.

It is stunning, Absolutely stunning.

Narrator: atop one Forested peak perch

A blood-soaked cluster Of ruins.

This is a proper fortress.

It looks impregnable, But there's

An incredible amount of damage As well.

It certainly looks like it had A dramatic downfall

In the end.

Narrator: local folklore has it That another

Nearby medieval castle hides A shadowy link.

Nearby medieval castle hides A shadowy link.

It has turrets, It has battlements.

It's every single fairy tale That you've ever heard.

Narrator: every fairy tale has Its villain,

And this one's no exception.

All sorts of tall tales,

Legends, and rumors swirl Around about these sites.

Some are old and some are New, but what do we know

Some are old and some are New, but what do we know

For sure?

*

Narrator: the man who links These two castles is known

The world over.

I am...Dracula.

Dracula is one of the most Famous villains off all time.

Dracula is one of the most Famous villains off all time.

It's a story that's been told Over and over

Again in various Interpretations of what

Vampires are like.

Narrator: This is castello bran,

Otherwise known as the fabled Dracula's castle.

Matei petrisor has spent The past eight years

Establishing what links this

Site and the legendary count to The mysterious

Site and the legendary count to The mysterious

Ruined fortress in The mountains.

So we are now in transylvania, The land of legend and mystery,

A place that will give you A perfect feeling for

The legend of dracula hiding Here in this castle

In transylvania.

Narrator: How did such a horrifying,

Yet captivating tale grow out Of this picture-perfect site?

Yet captivating tale grow out Of this picture-perfect site?

In this part of the world,

Fear of vampires is a very Common thing.

Narrator: transylvanians Have been known

To practice a ritual that stops The dead from returning.

We go at the graveyard,

We -- they go into the tomb And then after that, in order to

Make sure that he will never Come back again,

We -- you have to cut the head With the silver dagger,

We -- you have to cut the head With the silver dagger,

And then we place the head Between the legs to make

Sure that

He will never come and kill People in the village.

Narrator: the local lore fired Author bram stoker's ingenuity.

His descriptions of The vampire count

Dracula's transylvanian Castle captured

The public imagination.

When he describes the castle,

It's perfectly just like in The book --

It's perfectly just like in The book --

Up on the cliff, A little river nearby.

It's gothic. It's got this Haunted feeling about it.

It's the quintessential Transylvanian castle,

But this wasn't the real Dracula's home.

Narrator: that accolade lies With the rundown hilltop citadel

Where a true-life dracula Did exist.

In fact, he was far more

Bloodthirsty and brutal than His fictional counterpart.

Narrator: so how did the real Count dracula earn himself

A name as the most barbaric Nobleman in history?

*

Narrator: in romania, A medieval fortification

Claims to be dracula's castle.

It makes the most of The tales of

Vampires and ghouls that swirl Around the region.

But across The carpathian mountains,

A far more remote and deserted Citadel holds a greater claim.

Looking at it, you can see These incredible

Strong walls heading up from Vertical cliffs.

Absolutely vertical.

And then there's no Easy way to get up there.

There's no defined road. Just inaccessible.

Narrator: This is poenari castle.

Historian nicolae ionescu Studies the defensive

Historian nicolae ionescu Studies the defensive

Structures that

Have stood on this site for Nearly 1,000 years.

[ speaking foreign language ] Translator: the tower behind us

Is the first part of the castle To be built.

It was probably built in The 13th century.

They chose this location To build a castle

Because of the close proximity To the road.

In trading routes like this,

Castles were built to control Borders and customs

Castles were built to control Borders and customs

When local rulers wanted to Collect taxes from traders.

Narrator: it's in the 15th Century that this site

Earned the blood-soaked Reputation that easily

Outstrips that of the fictional Castle dracula.

Poenari castle lay in The medieval kingdom

Of wallachia.

Wallachia was a buffer State between

Wallachia was a buffer State between

The expanding ottoman empire And the kingdom of hungary.

Poenari castle sat on A flashpoint in the borderlands.

Back then,

This site was the domain of A wallachian prince,

Wladyslaw the iii.

He had inherited his father's Honorable title,

Order of the dragon.

In romanian tradition, The word "Dracul"

In romanian tradition, The word "Dracul"

Translates as "Dragon" Or "Devil."

So for most romanians, "Dracula" means

"The son of the devil."

Narrator: wladyslaw the iii Became known as vlad dracula.

But it wasn't just the name That earned the real

Count dracula

His notorious place In history.

Holed up in this Hilltop aerie,

Vlad dracula was known far

And wide for his Blood-curdling cruelty.

And wide for his Blood-curdling cruelty.

He earned the nickname Vlad the impaler,

Or vlad tempest In the local tongue.

The stories of brutality Litter his reign.

Narrator: within these walls, Turks who refused to remove

Their turbans had them nailed To their heads.

The local nobility were invited To a banquet,

Where vlad impaled them.

And rumors of Cannibalism abounded.

And rumors of Cannibalism abounded.

As you can imagine, Though, such wholesale

Slaughter didn't

Make vlad the most popular Person at the time.

Narrator: his brutality was most Often focused on

The marauding ottomans.

[ speaking foreign language ]

Translator: his Most iconic historical episode

Was when he seized A part of

The ottoman army that was Pursuing him and impaled them.

Narrator: images circulated at The time exaggerated

Vlad's appetite for impaling And human flesh.

Wherever the truth lies,

Vlad dracula finally met his Match when

The ottoman sultan Mehmed the ii

Arrived at the gates.

So 1462, we find dracula Fighting against mehmed

Down in wallachia.

The capital was conquered And destroyed.

He was running up

Poenari, the fortress That he built.

Narrator: but eventually The real count dracula was

Driven out of his own Poenari castle,

And he fled here to seek Refuge in

What would later become known As dracula's castle.

He hide here and then The spies of the hungarian king

Find out he is trying to run Away using the secret passage,

And they wait for him.

He was arrested at the exit From the tunnel.

It's believed he spent two Months as a prisoner there,

Rotting in the dungeons.

Narrator: after his release, Vlad dracula

Swiftly regained his Lost territories.

But his reign was short-lived.

But his reign was short-lived.

While marching to yet another Battle with the ottomans,

Vlad and a small vanguard of Soldiers were ambushed,

And vlad was killed.

His head was cut off and sent To the sultan as a trophy.

Narrator: the name dracula may Be synonymous

With the world's Favorite villain,

But in his home country of Romania, wladyslaw the iii

Is a national hero.

Is a national hero.

Here, he's admired as a leader Who protected his merchants,

Rid the land of thieves, and Stood up to oppressive empires.

[ speaking foreign language ] Translator: his courage

To do so,

That's what got him To remain

In the romanian National conscience.

*

*

Narrator: today, while vlad Dracula's real-life home

Lies abandoned, tourists flock To the castle

Of his fictional counterpart.

Many movies were made after This character,

So I do believe that this Legend will never die.

*

Narrator: still to come,

How did a derelict townscape On a torn-out island off

How did a derelict townscape On a torn-out island off

The coast of japan and a remote,

Deserted village in the u.S.

Become known The world over?

*

Narrator: some of the world's Most iconic abandoned places

Lay neglected for decades, Far away and long forgotten.

*

At number two, off The southwest coast of japan,

Is an obliterated and deserted Island site,

Once the thrilling backdrop For james bond's

Bitter showdown in The movie "Skyfall."

The deserted streets and Battered buildings that stood

Behind bond once housed A population long departed.

*

A high wall surrounds this Island blast zone.

It's not clear what it was Built to keep in

It's not clear what it was Built to keep in

Or out.

So what happened at this Devastated site?

And what became of the 5,000 People who once lived here?

This ravaged settlement is Hashima island.

Former resident tomoji kobata Remembers the first time

He saw this place, locally known As battleship island.

[ speaking japanese ] Translator: when I saw

The island from A ship for the first time,

I noticed that it really Looked like a battleship.

Another thing I was surprised By was the sheer number

Of reinforced Concrete buildings.

Narrator: derelict buildings and Industrial structures cover

This 16-acre site

And reveal what this Place was built for.

Coal was first discovered here In the 19th century,

Coal was first discovered here In the 19th century,

And four deep shafts were sunk To extract it.

You're talking about digging A 200-meter-deep mine

In the sea next to this tiny Little island.

It's an incredible Logistical challenge.

The deeper you go Into the mine,

The more material you're Bringing up.

And to use that to backfill And make your island

Slightly bigger

To maybe then house more Miners so you can go

Even deeper,

Even deeper,

It kind of keeps going round And round.

Where does it stop?

Narrator: by the 1970s, Reclamation meant

Hashima island had tripled its Natural size.

Reclaiming land is actually A massive engineering challenge.

Because you're working with Water, which moves.

The levels come up and down.

It can be quite acidic, Quite salty.

It corrodes manmade materials Quite easily.

Narrator: Despite the reclamation,

Narrator: Despite the reclamation,

Hashima still became one of The most crowded places

On earth.

The population density on Hashima got to the point

Where it was double

What civic engineers at That time would have

Recommended as being The maximum.

Narrator: nine-story blocks Accommodated

The burgeoning population.

[ speaking japanese ]

Translator: there were no Elevators at all

In these high-rise buildings,

So people moved About horizontally.

There are lots of passageways Going across,

So we didn't need to go Downstairs at all to get from

One building to another.

We could just walk across using The passageways.

Narrator: productivity was high Despite punishing temperatures

Of 100 degrees fahrenheit And 95% humidity.

Working conditions Were brutal.

[ speaking japanese ] Translator: it was a really

Dangerous place.

Dangerous place.

Stones often fell from The ceiling.

It was like doing Hard labor in a steam bath.

Narrator: With the coal deposits depleted,

Mining operations ceased in 1974 And the population left.

*

Nearly 40 years later, Hashima became a site

Nearly 40 years later, Hashima became a site

Of industrial heritage

And the perfect setting for James bond to meet his match.

From sports legends To war heroes,

Iconic ruins have provided

A backdrop for those who Made history.

But the derelict streets of This final site

Inspired scenes of the future.

At number one, in rural North carolina

At number one, in rural North carolina

Is an industrial-looking Ghost town

In the middle of nowhere.

*

You see house after house That looks

As though it hasn't been lived In ever.

The houses are laid out According to some sort of plan.

The houses look Mostly identical.

Barratt: and then you've got A smattering of commercial

Buildings and a shop.

It's a community,

But it's suddenly frozen In time.

Narrator: there's little to Suggest why this village

Is here.

This is a land of

Rocky peaks, dark hollows, Deep river valleys.

It's not a place known for Rich agriculture.

What would have brought people To a place like this?

What would have brought people To a place like this?

Narrator: could traces of Manufacturing next to

The nearby river offer up A clue?

Nusbacher: whatever happened to Make everyone here move away

Had to have been worse Than living

In one of the poorest corners Of america.

This place might have been Totally forgot,

Just a backwater that no one Remembers, if it hadn't played

A major role in one of

The largest hollywood Blockbuster series ever.

The largest hollywood Blockbuster series ever.

Narrator: calvin reyes has spent Three years

Preserving this Dilapidated place.

It's really great to be able To connect people with

Something that's more Pop culture

And show them a little bit of Piece of history that they can

Then fall in love with.

Narrator: the structures here Tell a sorry tale

Narrator: the structures here Tell a sorry tale

Of abject poverty.

This is a typical floor plan.

So you have four rooms in The bottom,

Separated by a main wall -- And so originally,

You'd have two families Living in this house.

These are not thick walls. They're not insulated walls.

They were built quickly.

The last, like, residents

Were early 2000s, Which is still hard for people

To really believe

Because there was no running Water at that point.

There's no sewer.

There's no sewer.

They had electricity, but just A little bit of electricity.

It was a tough life.

Narrator: former residents Susie childers and rick hames

Used to call these simple Structures home.

-childers: this is my house. -hames: this is the house

We lived in.

This is where we grew up. -hames: yeah.

I used to throw a baseball Against these steps for hours,

And quite a few of those balls Found the windows.

[ chuckling ]

In that regard, It looked kinda normal.

It looked good then.

It looks sad now.

Very sad.

Narrator: this faded And battered village

Is called henry river.

In 2011, it's rundown Appearance attracted hollywood.

Meigs: when the producers of "The hunger games"

Were looking for a place That looked

Rural and impoverished But still livable,

Rural and impoverished But still livable,

Henry river turned out to be The perfect place.

This village wasn't built for The movie.

This village was built 106 years

Before the movie was Actually filmed.

They were looking for A dystopian environment,

Which clearly we have [ chuckling ]

In an abandoned village.

Narrator: this site was used To depict the grim,

Futuristic hometown of "The hunger games"

Futuristic hometown of "The hunger games"

Main character Katniss everdeen.

It's absolutely perfect.

It's perfect for district 12.

It's perfect for katniss And her family

To live in because it's The real deal.

Generations of people Have lived and worked here

And brought up Their own families.

Narrator: thanks to the movie, Millions now

Know this village as District 12.

But what's the real story?

*

*

*

Narrator: in a remote part of North carolina,

The producers of "The hunger Games" found the perfect

Deserted setting for katniss Everdeen's district 12 home.

In real life, hundreds of People had

Once lived in this curiously Isolated village.

There has to be something that Makes it economically feasible

Or logical for all these people To congregate in this pretty

Or logical for all these people To congregate in this pretty

Remote location.

Geography is the reason that This town is here.

You've got a very steep valley With a lovely river

Flowing through it.

Narrator: a 100-year-old dam At the edge

Of the settlement demonstrates The importance of the river.

It's just stones stacked on Top of stones,

Which is really incredible When you think about the time

That they built it.

Uh, you don't have the heavy Machinery that

You have today to build Something like that.

You have today to build Something like that.

I'd say about eight to ten Months of the year

They'd be able to run Off of water power.

The river was high enough And producing enough flow.

Narrator: but what was this Power producing?

The answer was cotton.

In u.S. History, famously, Cotton was the backbone

Of the economy in the south.

That cotton was being shipped Overseas to

Be made into cloth in britain And france.

Be made into cloth in britain And france.

But after the civil war, After slavery ended,

Cotton was still being grown In the south,

But the new idea was to build Cotton mills.

Narrator: in 1903, the henry River manufacturing company

Bought 1,500 acres at This site

And transformed it into A thriving

Cotton-production center.

The company erected 35 Worker houses,

The company erected 35 Worker houses,

A two-story boarding house,

A bridge,

A brick company store,

The power-producing dam, And the original three-story

Brick mill building where The cotton yarn was produced.

Reyes: the mill itself was down In a little basin,

And this one was right on The river.

Early on, when they first Started operating

In 1905, they were working with 4,000 spindles.

Within a few years, though, They tripled that production.

Within a few years, though, They tripled that production.

And so it was a --

It was a good mill For production.

At any given time, they had

Over 100 employees working in The mill.

Meigs: this was your classic Company town.

Everything was owned by The company.

They provided everything,

Which, in a way, is the image Of the beneficent company that

Wants to make life good for Its workers, but also tended to

Trap workers into staying In the town.

Narrator: for some,

Millwork was their Only choice.

My mom, my baby brother, And me moved here in 1948,

And, uh, my mom had a job In the mill,

And she was newly Divorced and had no income.

And she didn't drive, So she thought

This was the perfect spot To live.

So we lived in the boarding House to begin with,

And rick and his mom lived There, too.

And rick and his mom lived There, too.

Hames: I can remember

Listening to my mom talk

About how disappointed She was that she wasn't able

To finish high school Because,

As with a lot of Other families in that day

And time, when they Got to be a certain age

And they were able to work, They had to work

And contribute To the family.

So...

She went to work In the mill

Before she ever graduated From high school.

Their entire lives were Spent here.

Narrator: industrial accidents Were common in busy

Cotton mills, and the one in Henry river was no exception.

Reyes: you have people, Especially early on in

Production, that were coming Straight off the farm.

They're not used to working in A manufacturing environment,

And here's these giant Machines that they're working

On that didn't have the same

Safety regulations that we Have today.

Injuries were normal.

People would lose appendages.

They'd lose fingers, they'd lose Hands, they'd get crushed,

They'd break bones,

And it's just part of life in The textile mill.

My mother was injured pretty Significantly in the mill.

She got her hand caught in one Of the winding machines

And had several surgeries.

Narrator: the tough-working life And poverty created

A tight-knit community at Henry river.

The epicenter of this Neighborhood was the brick

Building that would double as District 12's bakery,

The company store.

So this was the place where Everything happened.

This is the store where they

This is the store where they

Bought all their goods for Their household.

This is where the kids used to Come and hang out.

This store housed Everything.

It was your post office.

It was your clothing store.

It was where you bought food If you didn't grow it yourself.

It's where you bought coal To heat your house.

This is where They centered around --

Not necessarily the mill.

The mill was a means of making Money and surviving.

This is where the community Was built around,

This central store.

Narrator: but what caused The mill to disappear?

As the 20th century progressed,

The henry river mill installed Steam power, then electricity,

But by the 1970s, It could no longer survive.

Other countries were Developing their own

Cotton mills.

The u.S. Did not have A monopoly on this technology,

So countries were building Their own mills often in areas

With lower labor costs.

With lower labor costs.

Narrator: when it closed In 1970,

The vast mill building was Still fully intact.

In 1977, it was struck by Lightning

And burned to the ground By the next morning.

You could see it for miles, The fireball,

Because it just completely Went up and there was no

Saving it.

Narrator: With the mill burnt

To its Very foundations,

There was no work for The people of the village,

And they eventually dispersed.

Today, the industrial heritage Of henry river mill village

Has been revived.

It's really neat to go back in Time and see...

What some of these things Look like and you

Find everything.

It's really incredible.

I think of the footsteps And the people that

Came through here and all The stories they could tell.

Narrator: the village has also Been given

Narrator: the village has also Been given

A new kind of history.

I don't know if they actually Filmed some

At the house we lived In at the top of the hill,

But I loved the parts they Showed in the store,

And my daughter tells me now I lived in district 12.

[ laughing ]