All language subtitles for The.World.From.Above.S07E07.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-AlfaHD_track3_[eng]

(upbeat music)

- Our journey
begins in the Thuringia Forest,

inspiration to Germany's greatest poets,

artists and writers.

Then it's on to the old border
of East and West Germany,

a remarkably well preserved
monument to the cold war

that divided the country through
much of the 20th century.

Moving west, we find the
Magnificent Wilhelmshohe Castle

set amidst the extraordinary backpack,

Europe's largest hillside grounds.

Close by is the beautiful town of castle

once home to the Brothers Grimm.

After crossing the
spectacular Hart's mountains,

we discover Ballenstedt Castle.

Finally, we reached the town of Magdeburg

and it's Cathedral a sorry masterpiece

that took over 300 years to build

and remains one of the
largest churches in Germany.

In the center of Germany
is the Thuringian forest

known as the country's green heart.

This landscape 4700 square
kilometers of thick pine

and mixed woodland has few roads,

and it's only rarely visited
by foreign travelers.

But with its breathtaking natural scenery,

the forest has been an inspiration

to Germany's greatest poets and
artists throughout the ages.

It was here in 1685, that
Johann Sebastian Bach

was born and raised, where Martin Luther

translated the New Testament,

and were hundreds of years later,

Goethe converted the entire
Bible into a modern language.

Goethe considered the Thuringia
Forest his spiritual home,

saying, "Where else in Germany,

"can you find so many wonderful things

"in such close proximity?"

Today, it's popular with hikers,

and with over 16,000 kilometers of trails,

Thuringia continues to
captivate and inspire visitors

with its unspoiled natural beauty.

The forest also carries a reminder

of Germany's divided past.

This is the old border, once
a part of the iron curtain

that was drawn across Europe,

From the end of the Second World War,

until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

This was where the communist states

of the Warsaw Pact met Western Europe.

Just a month after the fall of the wall,

conservationists from both
sides met to make plans

to turn the old border
into a German Green Belt,

part of a band protected woodland

that stretches from the Czech
Republic to the Baltic Sea.

Preserved in the Greenbelt are relics

of the walls military past,

like this concrete Lookout Tower,

which still has its search light.

Until the 1960s, the
border was easier to cross.

But as the Cold War grew colder,

the East German government
decided to upgrade their defenses

to form what they called
the modern frontier.

Drawing on lessons learned
from the Berlin Wall,

barbed wire fences were
upgraded with steel mesh,

tripwires and mines were
placed across no man's land,

and the old wooden guard
towers were replaced

with observation bunkers

and prefabricated concrete
tars such as this one.

This free freight train
is hauling goods cars.

Germany's first railways
were built in 1831,

before the country was unified.

Later, they became a symbol

of the country's industrialization,

and many different railway
gauges were standardized.

In the 20th century, the system

was extensively used by the military

to move troops throughout the
country in both World Wars.

Once one of the world's most
heavily industrialized nations,

Germany has embraced renewable energy.

It's said to be the country's biggest

and most expensive project

since the fall of the Berlin Wall.

In the first quarter of 2014,

renewable energy met over a quarter

of the country's electricity demand.

Perched on a steep hill,
overlooking Lake Edersee

is Schloss Waldeck,
built in the 11th century

as the home for the local counts,

it later served as an Army
barracks and a prison.

In 1900, and five, it was
redeveloped as a luxury hotel.

Today, it also houses a
museum to its prison past,

commemorating its captive guests.

Lake Edersee is 11.8
square kilometers in area

with almost 200 million
cubic meters of water.

It's one of Germany's largest reservoirs.

With it's clean, cold waters,
it's popular for fishing,

sailing, and for the hearty few swimming.

The lake is formed by the
48 meter high Edersee Dam

built in 1914, this hydroelectric facility

is almost 400 meters long
and six meters thick.

(soft music)

In the Second World War,

the dam was a vital part
of the German war machine,

providing water and hydroelectricity

to their industrial heartland.

As such, it was one of the main targets

of operation chastise

the bouncing bomb attack made famous

in the 1955 film, the Dambusters.

Designed by engineer Barnes Wallace.

The British used bombs that skipped along

the water towards that target.

The raid was a success
Edersee Dam was breached,

and floodwaters surge down the valleys

destroying war factories
and infrastructure.

The Science, flying skill, bravery

and the impact of the raids made

it front page news around the world.

Although the reservoir was
soon rebuilt by forced labor,

the effect of the
Dambusters on allied morale

was a turning point in the war.

Ahead of us is the spar
town of Bad Adelson,

and at its center is an imposing
mansion of the same name.

(soft music)

Built on the sight of a
12th century monastery,

it fell into the hands
of the Waldeck counts

join the Protestant Reformation
and the 16th century.

In 1712, Count Friedrich Anton Auric

was made an imperial Prince.

To celebrate his new status,

he ordered the construction
of this great house.

(soft music)

Models on the Palace of
Versailles in France,

with its Baroque design three wings

and sprawling formal gardens,

Schloss Bad Arolsen was certainly
not lacking in ambition.

Unfortunately for Olric
this richness of aspiration

was not reflected in his finances.

It almost bankrupted the family.

It wasn't until 1810,

almost 100 years later that the
palace was finally finished.

(soft music)

Today, visitors can
explore the castles Museum,

a military exhibition
of weapons and metals,

and see a number of important wall

and ceiling paintings,
tapestries and furniture.

And it's still home to the
heirs of Orlric's family.

Nearby in Bath Park, Europe's
largest hillside landscape,

is the extraordinary
Bill Hems Soeur castle.

It was built in 1786
for William the first,

the ruler of Hess Castle

by Hugo architect Seymour Louie Dory.

With its curving wings and
the neoclassical style,

the castle was designed
to sit sympathetically

in the landscape.

When the region was taken by the Kingdom

of Westphalia in 1806,

this was the home of
Napoleon's brother Jerome.

The castle was briefly
renamed Napoleon's Heur.

After the French defeat,

the house once again became
a favorite summer home

for German emperors,

Prussian kings and European aristocracy.

In 1870, Napoleon III was
kept as a prisoner here.

And during World War I,

it was a headquarters
for the German military.

Much of the central section of the house

was destroyed by Allied bombs
during the World War II.

It was rebuilt in 1974.

The castle now house is one

of Germany's greatest art collections,

featuring the work of
Rubens, Jura and Rembrandt.

Facing the castle is called Berg Mountain,

the highest point in the
Ville Hamza Burg Park

and at its summit, the Hercules monument.

It's made of three parts,
the octagon, the pyramid

and the copper statue of Hercules.

Together, the monument
is over 70 meters tall.

It's made of soft local volcanic rock,

which because it erodes quickly
needs constant restoration.

Below the monument is a 250
meter long stone water feature

known as the Cascades.

In summer evenings, it's
lit up for visitors.

The system is driven by natural pressure

from reservoirs and underground pipes.

It's remained unchanged
for more than 300 years.

Also in the Bath Park is the lions castle.

With Gothic arch windows
and ruined turrets,

it looks more like the
home of a medieval Knight.

But it was built between 1793 and 1801

and actually constructed as a route.

To date serves as a decorative feature

of the park and as a leisure palace.

It's also mausoleum for it's here

in the chapel of the lions castle.

That the parks creator,
William the first is buried.

The backpack has been described

as the most magnificent
achievement of the Baroque style

in the blending of
architecture and landscape.

It's now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

It has a total area of
almost 240 hectares,

including ponds, waterfalls,
greenhouses, grottoes,

and 12 kilometers of waterways.

It has more than 400 types of trees,

including a number of rare species.

Originally laid out in the Baroque style,

it was later remodeled to
resemble the landscape garden

of an English stately home.

Today, this unique park attracts

more than two million visitors
a year from around the world.

Nearby on the Fulda River,
it's the city of Castle.

Famous as the home of the Brothers Grimm.

It was once an important center
for German heavy industry.

Here using forced labor from
the Dachau concentration camp,

trains, tanks and planes were built

for the Nazi war machine.

During the Second World War,

the city center was almost
completely destroyed.

After extensive bombing,

it saw bitter house-to-house fighting

before being captured by
the allied armies in 1945.

It was rebuilt in the 1950s

and much of its architecture
dates from that period.

(soft music)

Castle is famous for its theater.

This is the Otto Noia, built in 1603,

and believed to be the oldest surviving

theater building in Germany.

Since 1690, it's been a museum
of art and natural history.

The building was bombed
in the Second World War,

destroying many of the exhibits.

Nearby is another museum
the freedom of the owner.

This is one of the oldest purpose-built

museums in the world.

Designed by Seymour Louie Dori,
it also has a vast library.

And it was here that the
Brothers Grimm worked

as librarians from 1808 to 1830.

Today, it's an International
Centre for contemporary art.

Alongside the River Fulda

is the magnificent Cazorla
Park and its Orangery palace.

The grounds were laid
out by the local ruler,

Land Grave Call.

It was designed in the French style,

symmetrical with straight
paths radiating out,

constructed between 1701 and 1710,

the central section of the orangery

is called the Apollo hole.

Inside it, already orange
and Laurel trees were planted

to remind visitors of
the story of Hercules

and the golden apples.

The park was destroyed
during the Second World War

by Allied bombing, with
the entire orangery

consumed in flames, it
wasn't rebuilt until 1981.

Since 1992, it's housed the museum

for astronomy and technical history.

We leave behind castle now
heading through the green hills

of the hearts mountains

to enter the state of Saxony Anhalt

when we find towering over the spar town,

the extraordinary Blankenburg castle.

(soft music)

This was one of Germany's
largest feudal fortresses,

and it was from here
that the entire region

was controlled for over 800 years.

First castle was built in 1123,

as a fortification against
neighboring provinces.

In the Renaissance period,

it was rebuilt as a palace
for the local country.

In 1705, it was converted

into this grand but rock
residence that remains to date.

During the communist era,

it was used as East
Germany's Technical College

for Domestic Commerce.

When the regime fell in 1990,

the castles fortunes fell with it.

After years of neglect and vandalism,

it became unsafe and was
in danger of collapse.

But in 2005, a community
Conservation Society

was formed to save Blankenburg.

And it has successfully
restored the castle

and 2014 won a major conservation award.

Down the hill from the fortress

is the Kleiner Schloss or little castle.

Once this was a summer retreat
for kings and emperors.

Today, it's a popular venue for weddings,

exhibitions and parties.

10 miles to the east
is Ballenstedt Castle.

This was home to the
wicked Queen for business,

no White and the Seven Dwarfs or at least

to the woman who inspired
her, Buta Bon Ballenstedt.

She died here in 1046.

Childless, her money went
to build Naumberg Cathedral,

in her honor, a statue was built.

And almost 1000 years later,

this Gothic likeness became

the inspiration for Disney's wicked queen.

The Castle is also famous
as the resting place

of the 12th century ruler, Albert the Bar.

Leader Brandenburg and
briefly the Duke of Saxony.

His name, the Bar, apparently
came from his strength

and leadership rather than his appearance,

for he was also known
as Albert the handsome.

Rising from the Hearts Mountain Forest

is the extraordinary Frankenstein castle.

Legend has it that it was
built because of murder.

In 1080, a local nobleman
killed a German Cant

to pay for his crime, he was forced

to give his family home
over to become a monastery.

Stripped of his inheritance,

the nobleman son built Frankenstein castle

as a home for him and his family.

(upbeat music)

The castle was constructed
between 1120 and 1180.

Its position 300 Hundred
and 20 meters high

on a ridge above the Seneca Valley

gives it an excellent defensive advantage.

And despite being repeatedly besieged,

it has never been captured.

Today it's one of the
most popular destinations

in the Hearts Mountains,

which has a restaurant
serving many evil banquets,

and a falconry that puts
on displays for visitors.

This is Bernburg and standing
on the river is its castle.

(soft music)

Link was first mentioned in 936

as the crown of the region of Anhalt,

an important term in the Middle
Ages on a major trade route.

The castle was converted into
this nice old star Chateau

during the 16th century,

to become the home of the
princes of Anhalt-Bernburg.

And today, it has the
remains of a bear pit

and an old torture chamber.

It also houses a geological museum

with a collection of mineral rocks.

(soft music)

Sadly, the town is also known

for its infamous association
with the Holocaust.

Its mental hospital was like
killing center for the Nazis,

murdering many thousands of Jews,

disabled people and political prisoners.

We continue on our journey
following the E 49,

Autobahn, or motorway.

They are well known to lovers of speed

as some have them have no limit.

And off the Autobahn is the
beautiful city of Magdeburg

situated on the River Elba,

this was one of the most important centers

of medieval Europe.

Magdeburg Cathedral is the
oldest Gothic example in Germany

with steeples rising over 100 meters.

It's also one of the tallest.

It was built on the site of
a 10th century monastery.

Founded by Holy Roman
Emperor Otto the Great.

He and his wife are buried here.

Construction on this
cathedral was begun in 1209

and took over 300 years to complete.

Today, it's the principal place of worship

for the Evangelical
Church of Central Germany.

On the edge of the town is the
remarkable Millennium tower.

Built is a frame covered
in stretch top polling,

it's one of the tallest
wooden towers in the world.

(gentle guitar music)

It was created for the
1999 Federal Garden Show.

It houses a museum that leads visitors

through 6000 years of human history.

Exhibits include a telescope,

through which can be seen the
clock face of Magda Cathedral.

Back in the city, we reach
our final destination,

the extraordinary Green
Citadel, shockingly pink.

Its name comes from the plants and trees

that sprout from its roof and walls.

It was designed by famous
Austrian architect,

Friedan's Reich Hunter Vasa,

he said he hoped the Citadel
would serve as an array

for humanity and for nature
in a sea of rational houses,

it has a hotel theater, offices, shops,

a kindergarten and 55
residential apartments.

It was built on the site
of one of Magdeburg's,

first East German prefabricated
slab apartment blocks,

making this colorful development
filled with contrasts,

quirks and contradictions,
the statement of joy,

a perfect place to end this journey.

(upbeat music)

(logo whooshing)