Abandoned Engineering

In the USA, at the heart of a Miami suburb, lies a strange structure that began as the dream of an American Renaissance man, but soon turned into a nightmare. In the Lebanese capital of Beirut, a high rise famed for its glitz and glamour, is drawn into a brutal conflict that consumed the country. On a quiet English estuary, a marooned vessel once crewed by fun loving pirates becomes the target of armed raiders. And, in Japan, an out-of-place curiosity, caught in a devastating web of corruption.

In the US state of Alabama, a weird and wonderful fantasy land conceived by a visionary with a wild imagination. A place of refuge in Ireland that turned into a house of horrors during a moment of unprecedented national crisis. Scarred ruins strewn across a South Korean city tell of a moment when an outpouring of democratic fervor was met by ruthless repression and a violent crackdown at the hands of a military dictatorship. And, on Namibia's arid skeleton coast, lie scattered traces of a brutal but once vital industry.

In Alabama, the home of a secretive fraternal organization, that would play a part in one of America's greatest moments of change. Hidden in the hostile Tunisian desert lie a vast chain of ruins that once stood in the way of Allied Victory in North Africa until a band of rogue heroes uncovered their weakness. In the Lebanese capital, Beirut, a once lavish complex was scarred by an avoidable tragedy that made headlines around the world. In Greece, an elite institution designed to form the leaders of tomorrow.

This episode explores El Djem Amphitheatre, Tunisia, a colossal dynastic monument that bore witness to violent and bloody spectacle.

Also explored: Fort Amador in Panama, a military base on the frontlines of a battle between the United States and a drug-running tyrant that had allegedly once been a CIA asset. In the foothills the Italian Alps, a community built on utopian ideals, in La Serra Ivrea. In the heart of the Polish capital of Warsaw stands Mokotów Prison, a grisly facility that once caged members of a revolutionary movement.

This episode explores Kasbah Telouet, Morocco; Schindler's Ark, Czech Republic; Ariaú Amazon Towers, Brazil; and Rudesdorf, Berlin.

In a quiet corner of the Czech Republic, a run-down facility conceals a dramatic story of hope and survival against all odds in the brutal age of Nazi tyranny. High in Morocco's Atlas Mountain range is an imposing and lavish stronghold, once home to a wealthy warlord that stood accused of betraying his country. Deep in the Brazilian rainforest are the remains of an Amazonian paradise, lost to the financial lure of reality Television. And, in Germany a cathedral of industrial that played a pivotal role in building the nation's capital.

This episode visits Newland Park, UK; Pomona, Namibia; Old Essex County Jail, NJ, USA; and Modlin Fortress, Poland.

In the state of New Jersey, USA, are the decaying remains of a facility that became a powder keg of injustice that was set to explode. In Poland, an imperial bastion at the heart of a global conflict became the unlikely setting for a unique war movie made by two American filmmakers. A quiet country retreat in England, where members of the establishment chose to harbor wanted radical fugitives who changed the United Kingdom forever. And a remote Namibian outpost built after the discovery of unprecedented riches hidden in the barren desert.

This episode visits Briarcliff Mansion, GA, USA; Nazi Gold Tunnels (Ksi?? Castle), Poland; Grand Sofar Hotel, Lebanon; and Mount Shannon House, Ireland.

Near the Polish city of Wa?brzych, a fairy-tale castle perched on a cliff top conceals a vast subterranean tunnel network linked to an enduring legend of lost Nazi gold. In the American city of Atlanta is a millionaire's mansion, built from the riches of a world-famous business empire, that became entangled in a web of controversy. In Ireland, a country estate that was embroiled in a violent struggle for freedom. And a hedonist paradise in Lebanon that would find itself caught in the crossfire of a nation tearing itself apart.

This episode explores Fort Sherman, Panama; Radunsti Hospital, Bulgaria; Rocchetta Mattei, Italy; and Siemensbahn Railway, Berlin, Germany.

A jungle stronghold in Panama built to defend a prized American possession that soon faced the threat of an elaborate Nazi conspiracy. In Italy, an eclectic hilltop structure built to be the home and laboratory of a reclusive scientist making grand claims. A ghostly railroad cutting through the German capital of Berlin, that became a potent symbol of a city divided. And, in the rugged mountains of Bulgaria, a brutalist structure that once offered hope to its residents, devastated in the wake of Communism collapse.