All language subtitles for The.World.From.Above.S10E05.Germany.Glücksburg.to.Hanover.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-alfaHD_track3_[eng]

(logo chiming)

(bright orchestral music)

(upbeat orchestral music)

- Our journey
begins at Glucksburg Castle,

once in the Kingdom of
Denmark and now in Germany.

To the south is the
100-kilometer Kiel Canal,

which joins the Baltic and North Seas.

Off the west coast are
the Frisian Islands,

separated from the mainland
by sandbars and mudflats.

They are well known for
their beautiful beaches.

Back inland is Hamburg, the
second largest city in Germany,

and home to one of the
biggest ports in Europe.

During World War II this
whole region was devastated

by Allied bombing raids
and eventually invasion.

At the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp

there is a stark reminder

of the horrors of Nazi Germany.

Our final location is on
the outskirts of Hanover,

Herrenhausen, one of the greatest

formal Baroque gardens of Europe.

Back in the 16th century,
when Glucksburg Castle

was built in the region
of Schleswig-Holstein,

this area was part of Denmark.

In fact, it was Danish up until 1864.

And in 1863 the castle was lived in

by the Prince of Schleswig-Holstein,

who as heir to the Danish
throne became King Christian IX,

and created the Royal House of Glucksburg,

which rules to this day.

However, in 1864 Denmark
was at war with Germany

over the possession and status

of both Schleswig and Holstein.

The Danes lost following a
disastrous and bloody conflict,

and the two regions
became part of Germany.

The king may have lost his castle,

but he was to become known as
the father-in-law of Europe,

as his descendants married
into 14 royal families,

including Britain, Belgium,
Norway, Russia, Spain,

Sweden, Austria, and Germany.

(ship's horn blaring)

This container ship is
navigating the Kiel Canal,

which joins the Baltic
Sea to the North Sea

and is nearly 100 kilometers long.

Germany doesn't owe a great
deal to its last kaiser,

especially since he led his
country into political isolation

and the disastrous First World War.

But, building the canal in the 1880s was,

in the long term, a good decision.

It was originally named after
the monarch's grandfather

and built to make the German
Navy more maneuverable.

The canal also avoided
the need for German ships

to pass the narrow sand
between Sweden and Denmark,

the country they had
just been at war with.

As the size of the ships
in the Imperial German Navy

increased to match the British fleet

the canal had to be widened
between 1907 and 1914.

This allowed the passage

of the vast dreadnought-sized battleships.

The Kiel Canal has since
become a busy commercial route.

Roughly 35,000 ships pass
through the canal each year,

more than through the Panama
and Suez canals combined.

There are detailed traffic
rules for the canal

and strict regulations
regarding the passing

of oncoming ships.

(bright music)

At either end of the canal are locks,

in order to control the water levels

between the Baltic and the North sea.

The east end of the canal
are the Kiel-Holtenau locks

where ships enter and
leave the Baltic Sea.

Originally there were two,

but by 1914 two larger ones were added

in order to accommodate
German battleships.

They are now known as the
smaller and greater locks.

The operation is in the
hands of the lock masters,

who organize them in such a
way that as far as possible,

there are no waiting times for the ships.

It takes around 25 minutes
to go through a lock

and the transit time along the canal

is roughly seven to eight hours.

The time saved by not
going through the entrance

to the Baltic between Denmark and Sweden

is roughly 30 hours,

which also means a great saving in fuel.

Our journey now takes a
southwest towards the coast,

and on the way we pass Breitenburg Castle,

which has a history stretching
back to the 16th century.

The building we see today
was largely constructed

in the 19th century in a neo-gothic style.

Until 1864 the house was in Denmark,

and a frequent visitor
was the Danish writer

Hans Christian Anderson,

famous for his children's stories

such as "The little Mermaid".

This ship is approaching Bremerhaven

on the estuary of the river Weser

where it meets the North Sea.

(bright orchestral music)

This modern container port is
the fourth largest in Europe

and was opened in 1968.

It handles over five million
containers each year.

In 2006 the estuary was
widened to 600 meters

so that large container ships could turn.

Since the construction of
container port four in 2008

the site increased to around
three million square meters,

roughly equivalent to the
area of 360 football pitches.

The cay is nearly 5,000 meters long

and can load and unload
14 ships at any one time.

Bremerhaven also has
what are called wet docs,

which are accessible by two large locks

where well over two million cars

are imported or exported every year,

more than any other port in Europe.

The town of Bremerhaven was began in 1827,

at the same time as the port,

because the city of Bremen,

which is 60 kilometers
further up the river,

had silted up by the
end of the 18th century

and could no longer handle large ships.

Lying between five and
30 kilometers offshore

from the Netherlands,
Germany, and Denmark,

are the Frisian islands,

which stretch in a line
for roughly 500 kilometers.

Over thousands of years,
subsequent storms and flooding

have produced this long chain of islands

separated from the mainland

by the narrow belt of shallow waters

and tidal mudflats
known as the Wadden Sea,

which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Although they form a
single physical feature,

they are mostly subdivided into the West,

East and North Frisian islands.

We are heading for the
East Frisian islands

off the German coast.

For ships approaching Bremerhaven

these are treacherous waters,

and the Hohe Weg lighthouse
provides an essential guide

for ships to avoid foundering
on the sandbars and mud flats.

It has been in operation since 1856

and took two years to build,

as work was only possible at low tide.

It has since undergone several upgrades.

The lighthouse also provide some space

which can be used as an emergency shelter

by hikers caught in a rising tide

while crossing the sands.

Ahead of us is Spiekeroog,

one of the East Frisian Islands

well known for its glorious beaches.

By the 17th century 13
families were on the island,

making a living from farming and fishing.

In later years, whaling and shipping

became increasingly
important to its economy.

During the Napoleonic occupation
of the late 18th century

all shipping came to a halt

due to the British blockade
of the French coast,

which led to great poverty.

But the Island was
rescued at the beginning

of the 19th century when
seaside resorts became popular.

And in 1800 Spiekeroog began
welcoming holiday makers

to its wide beaches.

And to improve the comfort
of tourists and guests

a 1.7 kilometer horse-drawn railway

was built in 1885 between the
village and the Western beach.

In 1981 it was reintroduced

to this peaceful car-free Island,

(gentle music)

The Island next to
Spiekeroog is the smallest

inhabited one in the East
Frisian chain, Wangerooge.

The island is noted for
its relaxed atmosphere,

beaches, and stress free way of life.

It's also car free.

Wangerooge's slogan is "God created time,

"but he never mentioned haste."

Until sea defenses were
built a century ago

the whole island was shifting eastward

and old buildings were lost to the sea,

including the original Western tower,

which was built in 1597

and then rebuilt in 1933.

It stands 56 meters and is now
a very original youth hostel.

Many of the Frisian islands are
uninhabited, such as Mellum.

In fact, this island of
dunes and tidal marshes

only appeared at the
end of the 19th century

due to the outflow of two rivers.

It also changes its shape

in accordance with sea currents and winds.

The island is an important bird sanctuary

and surrounded by a defensive seawall

is its only house, which is
used in the summer months

for wildlife observation
and scientific research.

For the islands which
have a small landing strip

visitors can fly from a coastal airport

or even from the cities
of Bremen and Hamburg.

This airplane, heading back to
the mainland from Wangerooge

will lead us to our next location.

This is Wilhelmshaven,
Germany's only deep water port

and its largest naval base.

Since 2011 it has also become

the country's largest military base.

It was in 1869 that the German emperor

expanded the town and port into a base

for the expansion of his naval fleet.

A shipbuilding yard was also developed

and in 1934 the pocket
battleship Admiral Graf Spee

was launched here.

During the Second World War,

Allied bombing inflicted
heavy damage on the dock yard

as well as the town.

And in 1945 the Canadian
army captured Wilhelmshaven

along with 200 ships.

In the 1950s the deep water channel

led to the construction
of an oil tanker jetty,

and today Wilhelmshaven is
Germany's most significant port

for importing crude oil,

with pipelines running to Hamburg

and the Rhine-Ruhr industrial region.

40 kilometers south is
the city of Oldenburg,

which had a settlement here as
early as the eighth century.

However, the city was
not always in Germany,

because up until 1773
it was ruled by Denmark,

whose king was also
the Count of Oldenburg.

During the 17th century it
had a growing population

and had become a prosperous place,

reflected in its many fine buildings.

But in 1667 a disastrous
plague epidemic struck the city

and shortly afterwards a fire

razed much of it to the ground.

As the Danish kings were not
that interested in Oldenburg

it lost its former importance

until it was ceded to Lower Saxony,

and a major rebuilding program

began to restore the
city to its former glory.

Luckily for the town it
avoided any major damage

in the Second World War,

and today is a growing
tourist destination.

To the west is Bremen on the river Weser.

Even though the main
port for the city moved

to Bremerhaven in the early 19th century,

it still remains open for
smaller ships and barges

and is an important part of
Bremen's industrial economy.

As a result, over a 60% of the city

was destroyed by Allied bombing

due to the significance
of its docks and industry.

Until the formation of
the German empire in 1871

the country consisted
of 16 separate states,

with the free Hanseatic state
of Bremen being the smallest.

Like many German cities it
can trace its roots back

to well over 10,000 BC.

Though what we see today is the product

of building from the 17th century onwards,

and a great deal of
restoration and rebuilding

after the war.

The medieval cathedral with its two towers

was badly damaged and took
many decades to restore.

One of the few noted
buildings to survive the war

is the early 15th century town hall,

and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The city's impressive railway station

is also a protected
building and built in 1890.

Around the same time the
old horse tramway gave way

to the first trials of
the city's electric trams.

Today there are seven lines

covering well over 100 kilometers.

This is the river Elba
and in the distance,

the second largest city
in Germany, Hamburg.

It was the last of the German city-states

to join a united Germany.

In the last half of the 19th century

Hamburg experienced its fastest growth

when its population more
than quadrupled to 800,000.

(bright music)

Wealth poured into the
city as Hamburg gained

an international reputation.

And this is reflected in the
many impressive buildings

in the city center.

Today that international
character is still intact

as the city is an open,
free cosmopolitan place

to live and visit.

Its culture ranges from
opera, ballet, and concerts,

to clubs, bars, and the
well known Reeperbahn

for more exotic entertainment.

It's estimated that every
year around 250,000 people

visit Hamburg from 185
countries around the world.

The port is a truly impressive place,

especially as it is 60 kilometers upstream

from the mouth of the river Elba.

It covers a vast 74 square kilometers

and handles around 10
million containers a year.

There are 17 shipping terminals,

including three for cruise liners,

as Hamburg is one of Europe's
largest ports of call.

It's therefore not surprising

that the city is often referred to

as the gateway to the world.

And just before we leave the city,

the question that many people want to know

is does the hamburger come from Hamburg?

The answer seems to be a sort of yes.

As thousands of German immigrants

left from these docks in the 19th century

for a new life in the United States

they, perhaps, would have
taken with them the recipe

for Hamburg's Frikadellen,
a pan-fried beef patty.

It was in America that the bun was added.

This is Luneburg Heath,

a large area of woodland and sandy soil,

covering around 440 square kilometers,

which was made into a
nature reserve back in 1921.

But what makes the heath stand out

is the part it played in world events.

Because it was here on
the 4th of May, 1945,

that the unconditional
surrender of German forces

in the Netherlands,
Northwest Germany, Denmark,

and all naval ships in this
area was given to the Allies

under Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery.

This ended the Second World War in Europe.

And it's somewhere on Luneburg Heath

where the body of Heinrich Himmler,

a leading figure in Nazi
Germany and head of the SS,

was secretly buried in an unmarked grave

following his suicide.

On the site of an old wildlife zoo

a small amusement park was opened in 1978

which offered six rides

and attracted around 200,000 visitors.

Today the numbers are over 1 1/2 million

and it's now one of the
biggest amusement parks

in Northern Europe.

There are over 40 rides,

including roller coasters and water rides,

as well as the Scream,
a 103 meter drop tower.

(bright music)

Other dramatic names include the Colossus

and Flight of the Demons.

The most recognizable landmark
in the park is a 35 meter

1/3 scale replica of the
Statue of Liberty in New York.

It was inaugurated on
the 4th of July, 1986,

on the 100th anniversary of the unveiling

of the original one.

To the south is a stark reminder

of man's inhumanity to man,

the Nazi concentration
camp of Bergen-Belsen.

From 1941 to 1945 almost
20,000 Soviet prisoners of war

and a further 50,000 inmates died here.

Overcrowding, lack of food,
and poor sanitary conditions

caused outbreaks of typhus, tuberculosis,

typhoid fever, and dysentery,

leading to the deaths of
more than 35,000 people

in the first few months of 1945,

shortly before and after
the camps liberation.

It was also here in this
dreadful and deeply moving place

that the tragic story of the
young Dutch girl Anne Frank

ended with her death
and that of her sister.

Celle is a very popular
tourist destination

with its streets of timber
framed houses and red roofs.

In the 14th century the wonderfully named

Duke Otto the Strict started
to build the present town,

including the church.

It's laid out in a formal grid pattern

as it was not being built
over an existing layout.

By the 15th century, Celle
had grown in importance

as a trading center and
the castle was enlarged

and fortified by the Duke
of Brunswick-Luneburg.

The castle we see today is the result

of transforming the old Renaissance one

into a more comfortable house
during the 17th century.

In 1704 it passed into the hands

of the electors of Hanover,

whose descendants would become
kings of the United Kingdom,

beginning with King George I.

The castle also has a
sad and tragic story,

as King George's young
granddaughter Caroline Matilda,

who had married the mentally unstable

King Christian VII of Denmark,

was banished to Celle in 1772
as a result of her affair

with her husband's closest advisor.

The unhappy queen only
lived here for three years

before she died of scarlet
fever aged just 23.

This motorway leads us
to our final location

on this journey, Hanover.

The city is the capital of the
German state of Lower Saxony.

It was also the main residence
of the electors of Hannover

and on the outskirts of the
city is their summer palace.

And thanks to Sophia,

wife of the elector in
the late 17th century,

one of the most important formal

Baroque gardens in Europe, Herrenhausen.

(bright orchestral music)

The creation of the great
garden took three decades

from the late 17th century,

and is the life's work of the
electress Sophia of Hanover.

Nothing was undertaken here

that was not at her express command.

In Holland, where she grew up,

she had developed an enthusiasm

for the Dutch style of ornamental gardens,

and on her travels in
Italy she was inspired

by the extravagant Renaissance
and Baroque designs.

In 1683 she commissioned an
up and coming master gardener

to construct Herrenhausen to her wishes.

Rare plants were purchased
in Holland and Hamburg.

Wagon loads of orange
trees were delivered.

Renowned sculptors carved statues,

and the River Graft was diverted
to fill the formal canals,

which frame the garden in the Dutch style.

The great garden became the setting

for the extravagant
festivities of court society,

with Venetian masked balls

including gondola rides on the canal.

And it was here in the garden

that Czar Peter the Great of
Russia danced with Sophia.

Herrenhausen survives
virtually intact today

because in the 18th century

it was not destroyed by the
fashion for landscaping,

an English style that swept across Europe.

In the 1930s the garden was
bought by the city of Hanover

and restored after
several years of neglect.

However, during the Second World War,

the palace was destroyed
by incendiary bombs

and the garden badly damaged.

Once again, however,
it rose from the ashes

to delight the thousands of
visitors who come each year.

A perfect place to end this journey.

(flourishing orchestral music)

(logo chiming)