1 00:00:01,600 --> 00:00:03,600 [narrator] A palatial ruin in Philadelphia, 2 00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:07,500 built from the riches of an industrial golden age. 3 00:00:07,500 --> 00:00:09,767 [Jim] All the wealth in the world couldn't protect him 4 00:00:09,767 --> 00:00:12,066 from losing many of the people he loved. 5 00:00:13,667 --> 00:00:16,100 [narrator] In France, a remote outpost 6 00:00:16,100 --> 00:00:18,500 that threatened the lives of millions. 7 00:00:20,367 --> 00:00:23,300 [Lynette] This is designed to be the hinge 8 00:00:23,300 --> 00:00:27,767 on which the fate of Europe turns. 9 00:00:30,900 --> 00:00:32,166 [narrator] And in Poland, 10 00:00:32,166 --> 00:00:36,100 a power-hungry dictator caught in a twisted romance 11 00:00:36,100 --> 00:00:38,066 at a fairytale stronghold. 12 00:00:39,367 --> 00:00:43,300 [Rob] At first, the relationship was shrouded in secrecy, 13 00:00:43,300 --> 00:00:46,467 but he was clearly happy with the bargain being struck. 14 00:00:56,500 --> 00:01:00,467 [narrator] In southeast Pennsylvania stands the relic of an era 15 00:01:00,467 --> 00:01:03,500 when the titans of industry ruled America. 16 00:01:09,266 --> 00:01:11,867 [Jim] In the countryside just outside Philadelphia, 17 00:01:11,867 --> 00:01:14,100 you see this grand neoclassical building 18 00:01:14,100 --> 00:01:17,867 with tall columns and two enormous wings. 19 00:01:17,867 --> 00:01:21,166 It feels like you could be standing in a grand European palace. 20 00:01:23,367 --> 00:01:24,600 [Michele] But this is in the USA, 21 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:27,000 and we're pretty famous for not having a monarchy, 22 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:29,166 we dealt with that in the 1700s. 23 00:01:29,166 --> 00:01:31,367 But if a royal didn't live here, who did? 24 00:01:33,100 --> 00:01:35,967 [narrator] The man behind this ostentatious residence 25 00:01:35,967 --> 00:01:40,100 was the very epitome of the American dream. 26 00:01:40,100 --> 00:01:44,467 This was once the home of one of the wealthiest Americans of his day, 27 00:01:44,467 --> 00:01:46,900 a man whose life was blessed with riches. 28 00:01:48,100 --> 00:01:51,166 [narrator] He was also a man driven by a burning desire 29 00:01:51,166 --> 00:01:53,467 to leave a lasting legacy. 30 00:01:54,600 --> 00:01:56,767 It is truly one of the greatest collections of art 31 00:01:56,767 --> 00:02:00,700 ever assembled in one location and probably global history. 32 00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:03,500 [Natasha] But all the money in the world 33 00:02:03,500 --> 00:02:07,100 could not save this family from tragedy. 34 00:02:07,100 --> 00:02:11,867 That tragedy would involve one of the greatest disasters in history, the Titanic. 35 00:02:16,867 --> 00:02:20,000 [Edward] I first found this place when I was 11 years old, 36 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:21,367 and it just awestruck me. 37 00:02:21,367 --> 00:02:23,000 I had never seen anything like it before. 38 00:02:25,166 --> 00:02:26,700 [narrator] In 2023, 39 00:02:26,700 --> 00:02:31,367 Edward Thome headed up the group that purchased this property... 40 00:02:31,367 --> 00:02:37,166 with the seemingly impossible task of restoring it to its former glory. 41 00:02:37,166 --> 00:02:40,667 [Edward] We are now solely responsible for this building and its wellbeing. 42 00:02:40,667 --> 00:02:43,066 Um, so there's... there's a great sense of responsibility 43 00:02:43,066 --> 00:02:45,166 that comes with that as well. 44 00:02:45,166 --> 00:02:47,767 It was so reminiscent of the palaces of Europe, 45 00:02:47,767 --> 00:02:49,400 such as Versailles or Buckingham Palace. 46 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:53,600 It's not something that you're used to seeing in the United States of America. 47 00:02:55,166 --> 00:02:57,066 [narrator] The origins of this lavish residence 48 00:02:57,066 --> 00:02:59,567 began in a period of great prosperity 49 00:02:59,567 --> 00:03:01,600 known as the Gilded Age. 50 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:05,667 In the late 19th century and the early 20th century, 51 00:03:05,667 --> 00:03:09,500 the American economy was just in overdrive. 52 00:03:09,500 --> 00:03:13,900 [Natasha] A few individuals made a fortune from the booming industries, 53 00:03:13,900 --> 00:03:16,767 such as steel, railways and shipping. 54 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:22,367 [Jim] People like John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie, 55 00:03:22,367 --> 00:03:24,467 these were men who'd started out 56 00:03:24,467 --> 00:03:26,367 from very humble backgrounds, even poor, 57 00:03:26,367 --> 00:03:28,867 and became these titans of industry. 58 00:03:31,300 --> 00:03:35,100 [narrator] Philadelphia native Peter Widener was one of those men. 59 00:03:35,100 --> 00:03:37,800 He was born in 1834, 60 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:40,300 the son of a German immigrant bricklayer, 61 00:03:40,300 --> 00:03:42,667 and began his career as a butcher. 62 00:03:43,900 --> 00:03:45,266 In the early days of the Civil War, 63 00:03:45,266 --> 00:03:48,166 he won a contract to supply mutton to the Union troops 64 00:03:48,166 --> 00:03:50,300 within a 10-mile radius of Philadelphia. 65 00:03:50,300 --> 00:03:53,300 And with that mutton contract, he earned $50,000, 66 00:03:53,300 --> 00:03:56,400 which is about $850,000. 67 00:03:57,867 --> 00:04:00,467 He invested that windfall in up-and-coming industries. 68 00:04:00,467 --> 00:04:03,700 He was involved in U.S. Steel, 69 00:04:03,700 --> 00:04:06,500 Standard Oil, American Tobacco. 70 00:04:08,300 --> 00:04:12,567 [narrator] Peter also invested heavily in the American public transit system 71 00:04:12,567 --> 00:04:17,767 and amassed a fortune in the region of $35 million. 72 00:04:17,767 --> 00:04:21,700 Yet from early on, his personal life was marked by tragedy. 73 00:04:23,367 --> 00:04:26,467 He lost the eldest of his three children, Harry, 74 00:04:26,467 --> 00:04:29,166 to typhoid fever at the age of 15. 75 00:04:30,467 --> 00:04:32,166 [Edward] The final blow was his wife passing 76 00:04:32,166 --> 00:04:35,567 in 1896 due to an unexpected heart attack. 77 00:04:35,567 --> 00:04:38,100 And at that point, his two sons, George and Joseph, 78 00:04:38,100 --> 00:04:40,667 were living out on their own and building their own houses. 79 00:04:42,567 --> 00:04:46,467 [narrator] Widener's grief would drive the creation of his most important investment. 80 00:04:47,767 --> 00:04:49,300 [Edward] He said to George and Joseph, 81 00:04:49,300 --> 00:04:51,767 "I don't wanna live alone for the rest of my life. 82 00:04:51,767 --> 00:04:54,700 If I build a house large enough that we can all coexist, 83 00:04:54,700 --> 00:04:55,700 then will you move in with me?" 84 00:04:55,700 --> 00:04:57,066 And of course, they said yes. 85 00:04:59,266 --> 00:05:02,166 [narrator] Peter's new family home took two years to build 86 00:05:02,166 --> 00:05:05,667 and cost around $300 million in today's money. 87 00:05:06,867 --> 00:05:12,166 By December 1899, Lynnewood Hall was complete. 88 00:05:12,166 --> 00:05:14,066 [Edward] It was one of the largest homes in the country 89 00:05:14,066 --> 00:05:15,800 and remains so today. 90 00:05:15,800 --> 00:05:18,000 There were 44 in-house staff 91 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:21,100 and there was about 160 on the estate as total. 92 00:05:21,100 --> 00:05:22,867 All the family portraits hung in here 93 00:05:22,867 --> 00:05:25,100 of Peter and his two sons. 94 00:05:25,100 --> 00:05:26,600 This leads right into the dining room, 95 00:05:26,600 --> 00:05:30,367 which is where the family would spend a lot of time every evening. 96 00:05:30,367 --> 00:05:33,000 They would sit around a giant table here in the middle 97 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:35,166 with, you know, Peter and George and Joseph 98 00:05:35,166 --> 00:05:36,600 and the wives and all the children. 99 00:05:38,667 --> 00:05:42,667 [narrator] Yet Lynnewood Hall was always intended to be 100 00:05:42,667 --> 00:05:45,767 much more than just a family home. 101 00:05:45,767 --> 00:05:48,000 [Michele] Widener had a particular affinity 102 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:50,667 for European old master paintings. 103 00:05:50,667 --> 00:05:53,066 And he spared no expense in acquiring 104 00:05:53,066 --> 00:05:55,300 some of the most celebrated works of his time. 105 00:05:56,867 --> 00:05:59,066 This entire wall was covered with Romney, 106 00:05:59,066 --> 00:06:01,400 Hoppner, Gainsborough, Reynolds. 107 00:06:01,400 --> 00:06:04,200 We had two El Greco's here on either side of this door. 108 00:06:05,400 --> 00:06:07,066 We had the largest private collection of Rembrandts 109 00:06:07,066 --> 00:06:10,900 anywhere in the world at the time outside of Buckingham Palace. 110 00:06:10,900 --> 00:06:14,100 [narrator] But Peter wasn't just motivated by personal pleasure. 111 00:06:14,100 --> 00:06:16,266 His humble start in life also played a role. 112 00:06:17,600 --> 00:06:20,767 [Edward] He was very proud of that and had a great appreciation 113 00:06:20,767 --> 00:06:24,567 for this art collection and wanted to share it with everyone. 114 00:06:24,567 --> 00:06:28,000 And they opened up Lynnewood Hall as a kind of museum to the public 115 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:33,266 for months every year for the grand price of 5 cents. 116 00:06:34,066 --> 00:06:35,767 His son, Joseph, later said, 117 00:06:35,767 --> 00:06:38,166 "Art belongs to those who appreciate it. 118 00:06:38,667 --> 00:06:40,567 Others merely own it." 119 00:06:42,867 --> 00:06:47,867 [narrator] Yet heartbreak continued to follow his every achievement. 120 00:06:47,867 --> 00:06:50,100 [Natasha] Peter Widener had been part of the creation 121 00:06:50,100 --> 00:06:53,567 of the very thing that would bring grief to his family once again. 122 00:06:54,867 --> 00:06:57,767 [narrator] In the early 1900s, he purchased a stake 123 00:06:57,767 --> 00:07:00,767 in the International Mercantile Marine Company. 124 00:07:02,800 --> 00:07:04,867 Peter's son, George, was also a shareholder, 125 00:07:04,867 --> 00:07:10,066 and he, his wife, Eleanor, and their 27-year-old son, Harry, arranged 126 00:07:10,066 --> 00:07:11,867 passage on the maiden voyage 127 00:07:11,867 --> 00:07:15,266 of the company's newest cruise ship. 128 00:07:15,266 --> 00:07:21,700 This kind of travel was a huge part of the lives of America's economic elite 129 00:07:21,700 --> 00:07:23,900 during this period. That was supposed to be 130 00:07:23,900 --> 00:07:26,767 the most elegant way to cross the Atlantic. 131 00:07:28,367 --> 00:07:31,367 [narrator] Eleanor, George and Harry were already in Europe 132 00:07:31,367 --> 00:07:32,767 attending to business matters. 133 00:07:34,166 --> 00:07:36,467 This journey would bring them back to America. 134 00:07:38,266 --> 00:07:40,066 [Michele] At 6:30 p.m., 135 00:07:40,066 --> 00:07:42,066 on April 10, 1912, 136 00:07:42,066 --> 00:07:45,467 they set sail aboard the RMS Titanic. 137 00:07:46,500 --> 00:07:48,266 [narrator] Little did they know 138 00:07:48,266 --> 00:07:50,166 not all of them would make it home. 139 00:07:51,467 --> 00:07:52,867 [Jim] The officers of the Titanic 140 00:07:52,867 --> 00:07:56,867 really did enforce this rule of women and children first. 141 00:08:02,166 --> 00:08:03,467 [narrator] In Pennsylvania 142 00:08:03,467 --> 00:08:06,867 is the former home of wealthy industrialist, Peter Widener. 143 00:08:08,066 --> 00:08:10,767 The self-made millionaire had it all. 144 00:08:10,767 --> 00:08:15,567 But on April 14, 1912, his life changed dramatically 145 00:08:15,567 --> 00:08:18,767 when his family traveled back to America 146 00:08:18,767 --> 00:08:20,800 onboard the Titanic. 147 00:08:20,800 --> 00:08:22,767 [Edward] One of the things that's interesting to me 148 00:08:22,767 --> 00:08:26,567 is many people are aware that there was a lavish dinner party on Titanic. 149 00:08:26,567 --> 00:08:28,033 What's not known 150 00:08:28,033 --> 00:08:30,767 is the fact that the Wideners were the ones who threw that dinner party 151 00:08:30,767 --> 00:08:34,767 as a retirement present for Captain Edward J. Smith. 152 00:08:34,767 --> 00:08:38,467 After the dinner, I believe Eleanor retired to her room with her lady's maid. 153 00:08:38,467 --> 00:08:40,600 And the gentlemen, of course, went to the smoking room 154 00:08:40,600 --> 00:08:42,667 for cigars and brandies and such. 155 00:08:42,667 --> 00:08:46,800 [narrator] At 11:40 p.m., disaster struck. 156 00:08:46,800 --> 00:08:48,467 [Jim] Of course, everyone knows the story 157 00:08:48,467 --> 00:08:51,867 of the Titanic hitting the fateful iceberg 158 00:08:51,867 --> 00:08:53,967 and the roughly two-hour period 159 00:08:53,967 --> 00:08:56,000 when the ship was sinking. 160 00:08:58,100 --> 00:09:00,567 [narrator] The vessel's officers enforced a strict women 161 00:09:00,567 --> 00:09:04,667 and young children only rule in the limited number of lifeboats... 162 00:09:04,667 --> 00:09:07,600 while the adult men were left to fend for themselves. 163 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:12,166 The Widener family had the experience that many families had 164 00:09:12,166 --> 00:09:14,867 of separating right there at the rail. 165 00:09:14,867 --> 00:09:17,200 It was a heartbreaking scene. 166 00:09:17,200 --> 00:09:20,166 [Edward] George, you know, pulled his wife aside 167 00:09:20,166 --> 00:09:22,900 and he took off a golden emerald ring and gave it to her, 168 00:09:22,900 --> 00:09:25,367 and he said, you know, "Don't forget about me, 169 00:09:25,367 --> 00:09:27,667 but I want you to do everything that we talked about doing." 170 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:32,166 Eleanor and her lady's maid survived. 171 00:09:32,166 --> 00:09:34,767 George and his 27-year-old son, Harry, 172 00:09:34,767 --> 00:09:36,467 unfortunately, all perished in the sinking. 173 00:09:38,266 --> 00:09:42,166 [Michele] Eleanor and her maid made it home on April 19th. 174 00:09:42,166 --> 00:09:44,867 There they found Peter distraught 175 00:09:44,867 --> 00:09:47,667 with the news of the deaths of his son and grandson. 176 00:09:49,100 --> 00:09:52,667 [narrator] Peter Widener was never the same again. 177 00:09:52,667 --> 00:09:56,567 Overcome with grief, his health suffered dramatically. 178 00:09:56,567 --> 00:09:59,400 [Edward] We've been told that Peter would come out to this balcony 179 00:09:59,400 --> 00:10:02,467 and... and stare at the driveway, which is to our left, 180 00:10:02,467 --> 00:10:04,767 just hoping one day that a car would show up 181 00:10:04,767 --> 00:10:07,100 with both George and Harry in it. 182 00:10:07,100 --> 00:10:09,867 [narrator] Only three years after the disaster, 183 00:10:09,867 --> 00:10:12,000 Widener died at Lynnewood Hall. 184 00:10:12,600 --> 00:10:14,867 He was 80 years old. 185 00:10:14,867 --> 00:10:16,767 [Edward] The incident had such an impact on him 186 00:10:16,767 --> 00:10:20,000 that his doctor even said that he died of a broken heart. 187 00:10:21,800 --> 00:10:23,166 [narrator] After Peter's death, 188 00:10:23,166 --> 00:10:27,600 the property passed to his last remaining son, Joseph. 189 00:10:27,600 --> 00:10:33,066 Lynnewood Hall remained in his hands until he died in 1943. 190 00:10:33,066 --> 00:10:37,467 After Joseph's death, neither his children nor his extended family 191 00:10:37,467 --> 00:10:41,867 wish to take on the vast responsibility of taking care of the property. 192 00:10:43,467 --> 00:10:45,667 [Jim] The Widener's fabulous art collection 193 00:10:45,667 --> 00:10:47,700 was donated to the National Gallery. 194 00:10:47,700 --> 00:10:50,100 Those grand rooms must have seemed 195 00:10:50,100 --> 00:10:52,266 very empty when all those paintings were gone. 196 00:10:57,967 --> 00:11:00,600 [narrator] Today, Edward Thome and his colleagues 197 00:11:00,600 --> 00:11:03,767 at the Lynnewood Hall Preservation Foundation 198 00:11:03,767 --> 00:11:07,367 are working hard to keep Peter Widener's story alive... 199 00:11:07,367 --> 00:11:13,300 and to realize his dream of making his home accessible to all. 200 00:11:13,300 --> 00:11:15,100 When you have a building of this significance, 201 00:11:15,100 --> 00:11:16,467 not just in its design but its history, 202 00:11:16,467 --> 00:11:20,767 it is so important to share it with the community moving forward. 203 00:11:20,767 --> 00:11:24,500 The goal is to, again, open it to the public as a cultural center, 204 00:11:24,500 --> 00:11:26,767 art museum and a recreational venue. 205 00:11:31,967 --> 00:11:33,467 [narrator] In northern France 206 00:11:33,467 --> 00:11:35,800 is an ominous collection of buildings 207 00:11:35,800 --> 00:11:38,767 intended to decide the fate of Europe. 208 00:11:45,867 --> 00:11:48,567 [Luke] It almost feels like an entire town 209 00:11:48,567 --> 00:11:50,600 is laid out next to the railway, 210 00:11:50,600 --> 00:11:53,166 but there are no houses or shops to speak of. 211 00:11:53,166 --> 00:11:54,634 So what is this place? 212 00:11:56,000 --> 00:12:00,066 [Lynette] This construction is low, it's close to the ground. 213 00:12:00,066 --> 00:12:04,867 Whoever built these buildings did not want them to be seen. 214 00:12:06,567 --> 00:12:10,567 The style of architecture tells us that this was not created 215 00:12:10,567 --> 00:12:14,266 for the sake of pleasure or comfort. 216 00:12:14,266 --> 00:12:18,100 [narrator] When the world was plunged into the chaos of conflict, 217 00:12:18,100 --> 00:12:23,166 these structures were designed to oversee the glorious victory of a cruel regime. 218 00:12:24,967 --> 00:12:28,967 The blood of hundreds, if not thousands 219 00:12:28,967 --> 00:12:34,000 of slave laborers is cast in this concrete. 220 00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:39,000 We can smell the evil of Nazi construction. 221 00:12:40,300 --> 00:12:44,667 [Onyeka] Hitler had so much hubris that he believed that from here, 222 00:12:44,667 --> 00:12:47,500 he would witness the downfall of Britain. 223 00:12:49,467 --> 00:12:51,667 [narrator] Yet in the dying days of the war, 224 00:12:51,667 --> 00:12:55,567 the men stationed here received chilling new instructions. 225 00:12:56,667 --> 00:12:59,300 [Lynette] An order comes off the teleprinter 226 00:12:59,300 --> 00:13:03,667 that could result in the deaths of thousands. 227 00:13:12,467 --> 00:13:15,667 [Didier] I discovered the site in 2007, 228 00:13:15,667 --> 00:13:20,166 but it was forbidden because it was military land. 229 00:13:20,166 --> 00:13:23,800 [narrator] Didier Lede was one of the first to explore these bunkers 230 00:13:23,800 --> 00:13:26,834 when the shroud of secrecy was finally lifted. 231 00:13:29,266 --> 00:13:31,500 [Didier] It took me several years of research 232 00:13:31,500 --> 00:13:34,667 to discover the real history of the site. 233 00:13:34,667 --> 00:13:37,000 It was as if I had discovered treasure. 234 00:13:41,367 --> 00:13:45,567 [narrator] But this was a treasure with a menacing origin. 235 00:13:45,567 --> 00:13:48,767 These structures date to a time in World War II 236 00:13:48,767 --> 00:13:52,900 when the Allied Forces were being crushed by the Nazi war machine. 237 00:13:54,467 --> 00:13:57,800 [Luke] By 1940, Germany had blitzed its way 238 00:13:57,800 --> 00:14:00,700 through Poland, Belgium and into France. 239 00:14:00,700 --> 00:14:03,367 Hitler wanted to stay close to his troops 240 00:14:03,367 --> 00:14:05,300 on the frontline to give orders. 241 00:14:07,667 --> 00:14:10,700 This site was supposed to be the platform 242 00:14:10,700 --> 00:14:14,367 by which Hitler would oversee Operation Sea Lion, 243 00:14:14,367 --> 00:14:17,066 the conquest of Britain. 244 00:14:17,066 --> 00:14:21,000 In 1942, they set about constructing 245 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:23,467 the largest Third Reich headquarters 246 00:14:23,467 --> 00:14:25,166 ever built during the war. 247 00:14:27,367 --> 00:14:31,767 [narrator] The name of the complex catered to Hitler's vainglorious ego. 248 00:14:31,767 --> 00:14:35,767 He called his new base of operations Wolfsschlucht Zwei, 249 00:14:35,767 --> 00:14:38,200 AKA Wolf's Lair Two. 250 00:14:39,667 --> 00:14:42,200 Hitler attached considerable myth to his persona. 251 00:14:42,200 --> 00:14:46,266 One of those ideas was that he was a wolf, 252 00:14:46,266 --> 00:14:47,967 a wolf like the beast 253 00:14:47,967 --> 00:14:50,667 um, who inhabited German mythology. 254 00:14:51,600 --> 00:14:52,867 [narrator] From the beginning, 255 00:14:52,867 --> 00:14:56,300 its construction was stained in innocent blood. 256 00:14:58,367 --> 00:15:02,166 Over a period of 18 months, 22,000 workers 257 00:15:02,166 --> 00:15:04,867 worked day and night to build these bunkers. 258 00:15:06,667 --> 00:15:08,467 We have prisoners of war, 259 00:15:08,467 --> 00:15:11,367 prisoners of common law and forced laborers. 260 00:15:16,166 --> 00:15:18,166 [narrator] By early 1944, 261 00:15:18,166 --> 00:15:20,667 Hitler's command center, designed to orchestrate 262 00:15:20,667 --> 00:15:23,000 the destruction of Britain, was complete. 263 00:15:24,567 --> 00:15:26,767 Up to 3,000 men were based here, 264 00:15:26,767 --> 00:15:30,567 although the Fuhrer himself had still never visited. 265 00:15:30,567 --> 00:15:35,567 But its role in Germany's war effort soon had to change. 266 00:15:35,567 --> 00:15:40,200 On June 6th, the largest amphibious invasion force ever assembled 267 00:15:40,200 --> 00:15:42,367 stormed the beaches of Normandy, 268 00:15:42,367 --> 00:15:45,867 just four hours away from this site... 269 00:15:45,867 --> 00:15:49,200 Hitler's troops were caught completely off guard. 270 00:15:50,467 --> 00:15:53,700 [Lynette] Hitler has got to act quickly 271 00:15:53,700 --> 00:15:57,467 to halt the invasion of France on the beach. 272 00:15:58,066 --> 00:16:00,967 But Hitler is indecisive. 273 00:16:05,166 --> 00:16:07,066 [narrator] In France are the remains 274 00:16:07,066 --> 00:16:08,200 of a Nazi compound 275 00:16:08,200 --> 00:16:11,300 built to oversee the conquest of the United Kingdom. 276 00:16:12,467 --> 00:16:15,100 On June 6, 1944, 277 00:16:15,100 --> 00:16:17,867 its function was forced to change. 278 00:16:20,300 --> 00:16:24,100 [Lynette] So, when the Allies land on D-Day, Hitler is in battle. 279 00:16:25,367 --> 00:16:30,467 And nobody wants to be the one who wakes up the Fuhrer. 280 00:16:31,800 --> 00:16:38,166 By the time Hitler's senior officers actually do get him awake, 281 00:16:38,166 --> 00:16:43,800 the commanders find that Hitler doesn't know 282 00:16:43,800 --> 00:16:47,800 which way to send reinforcements. 283 00:16:49,200 --> 00:16:51,500 [narrator] After the Allied invasion began, 284 00:16:51,500 --> 00:16:54,066 it took Hitler 11 days to decide to go 285 00:16:54,066 --> 00:16:56,800 from Germany to Wolf's Lair Two to in France 286 00:16:56,800 --> 00:16:58,567 for the very first time. 287 00:16:59,867 --> 00:17:06,400 And that means that a bunker system that was built to prepare 288 00:17:06,400 --> 00:17:12,967 for the invasion of Britain needs to become a complex 289 00:17:12,967 --> 00:17:17,867 capable of commanding multiple army groups 290 00:17:17,867 --> 00:17:21,700 to defend Nazi held France. 291 00:17:24,667 --> 00:17:26,900 On June 17, 1944, 292 00:17:26,900 --> 00:17:30,367 Adolf Hitler summons the generals and field marshals, 293 00:17:30,367 --> 00:17:32,667 Rommel and von Rundstedt, to this bunker. 294 00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:37,500 The conference that's going to take place in this bunker 295 00:17:37,500 --> 00:17:40,266 is going to be very, very tense. 296 00:17:42,367 --> 00:17:43,800 [Luke] Just as they were debating, 297 00:17:43,800 --> 00:17:45,700 the air raid warning sounded. 298 00:17:46,367 --> 00:17:48,166 Allied bombers were in the air 299 00:17:48,166 --> 00:17:51,600 and the whole party scrambled into the shelters 300 00:17:51,600 --> 00:17:54,166 deep in the hillsides where the meeting continues. 301 00:17:56,500 --> 00:18:00,066 [narrator] At this point, Hitler demanded the V-1 rocket, 302 00:18:00,066 --> 00:18:02,567 built to pound London into submission, 303 00:18:02,567 --> 00:18:05,567 be used against the invading forces. 304 00:18:05,567 --> 00:18:07,400 [Onyeka] He seemed to believe that this would act 305 00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:10,000 as some sort of sword of Damocles 306 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:12,700 um, striking down the enemy. 307 00:18:12,700 --> 00:18:15,800 [Luke] The artillery general advised it was far too risky 308 00:18:15,800 --> 00:18:19,200 to send the V-1 to the frontlines. 309 00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:21,367 These things were entirely unpredictable, 310 00:18:21,367 --> 00:18:23,700 and he worried that they would kill their own men 311 00:18:23,700 --> 00:18:27,266 if they fired them anywhere close to the invasion forces. 312 00:18:29,200 --> 00:18:31,166 [narrator] The supposedly great Fuhrer 313 00:18:31,166 --> 00:18:34,166 was visibly shaken by the general's reaction 314 00:18:34,166 --> 00:18:36,467 and dismissed their recommendations 315 00:18:36,467 --> 00:18:39,467 to retreat from Normandy and regroup. 316 00:18:39,467 --> 00:18:43,066 After only 12 hours at Wolf's Lair Two, 317 00:18:43,066 --> 00:18:46,000 he makes a feeble excuse to leave 318 00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:48,467 while his generals return to the frontlines 319 00:18:48,467 --> 00:18:52,400 to try and hold back the Allied invasion. 320 00:18:52,400 --> 00:18:58,200 And Hitler appears not to be a man of great physical courage. 321 00:18:58,200 --> 00:19:04,166 Hitler's response is, "I am in such danger here in France, 322 00:19:04,166 --> 00:19:06,700 I am going to get back to Germany. 323 00:19:06,700 --> 00:19:11,533 I'm going to command from someplace where I can feel safe." 324 00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:16,367 [narrator] After Hitler returned to Germany, 325 00:19:16,367 --> 00:19:19,767 he never again stepped foot inside Wolf's Lair Two. 326 00:19:21,166 --> 00:19:25,667 On August 25, 1944, the Free French Allied forces 327 00:19:25,667 --> 00:19:28,400 entered Paris and declared it liberated. 328 00:19:29,767 --> 00:19:33,667 The next day, from the safety of his Berlin bunker, 329 00:19:33,667 --> 00:19:35,900 Hitler would send an alarming message 330 00:19:35,900 --> 00:19:38,900 to this base's communications center... 331 00:19:38,900 --> 00:19:41,767 calling for the bombardment of the French capital. 332 00:19:43,500 --> 00:19:46,100 Hitler gives a scorched earth order 333 00:19:46,100 --> 00:19:50,800 to destroy the entire city. 334 00:19:50,800 --> 00:19:54,500 [Luke] The order was received by General Hans Speidel 335 00:19:54,500 --> 00:19:57,200 who just months earlier had been part 336 00:19:57,200 --> 00:19:59,900 of the failed plot to assassinate Hitler 337 00:19:59,900 --> 00:20:02,500 and take control of the armed forces. 338 00:20:04,667 --> 00:20:06,367 [narrator] The residents of Paris 339 00:20:06,367 --> 00:20:11,200 were completely unaware how close they came to complete annihilation. 340 00:20:13,100 --> 00:20:15,166 [Didier] The general who receives the message, 341 00:20:15,166 --> 00:20:19,367 who reads it, understands that Hitler is crazy. 342 00:20:19,367 --> 00:20:20,900 It's useless to destroy Paris 343 00:20:20,900 --> 00:20:23,000 who will have no military interest. 344 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:24,400 So he tears up the message. 345 00:20:24,400 --> 00:20:26,000 He destroys the message. 346 00:20:28,367 --> 00:20:31,500 [narrator] As the Allies advanced through France, 347 00:20:31,500 --> 00:20:34,367 the Germans fled Wolf's Lair Two. 348 00:20:35,100 --> 00:20:37,100 After their eventual surrender, 349 00:20:37,100 --> 00:20:39,967 the U.S. Army occupied this complex 350 00:20:39,967 --> 00:20:41,900 until 1946. 351 00:20:43,000 --> 00:20:44,867 It then served as a NATO base 352 00:20:44,867 --> 00:20:47,100 and school for French Special Forces 353 00:20:47,100 --> 00:20:51,100 until it was abandoned in 1993. 354 00:20:55,700 --> 00:20:59,567 [Dr. Onyeka] After NATO left, the site became overgrown, 355 00:20:59,567 --> 00:21:03,467 and many of the stories of its history became forgotten. 356 00:21:04,700 --> 00:21:07,000 [Luke] Since then, a local association 357 00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:09,567 has worked to maintain these buildings. 358 00:21:09,567 --> 00:21:11,166 And plans are underway 359 00:21:11,166 --> 00:21:13,767 to convert it into a museum site. 360 00:21:15,500 --> 00:21:19,400 [Didier] Last year we had 2,700 visitors, 361 00:21:19,400 --> 00:21:21,266 and every year it increases. 362 00:21:21,266 --> 00:21:22,767 It goes up and up. 363 00:21:26,767 --> 00:21:30,000 [narrator] On the small Italian island of Procida, 364 00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:31,700 off the coast of Naples, 365 00:21:31,700 --> 00:21:33,000 is an ominous structure 366 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:35,800 that harbored aristocrats and villains. 367 00:21:39,467 --> 00:21:43,567 At the island's highest point, your eye is immediately drawn 368 00:21:43,567 --> 00:21:46,100 to this building that's commanding 369 00:21:46,100 --> 00:21:49,100 and daunting in equal measure. 370 00:21:49,100 --> 00:21:51,100 As you approach along the driveway, 371 00:21:51,100 --> 00:21:55,266 you are met by these two large wooden doors. 372 00:21:55,266 --> 00:21:58,567 But were they meant to keep people out, 373 00:21:58,567 --> 00:21:59,800 or in? 374 00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:04,600 [Sascha] Beyond the gates is a large, open courtyard 375 00:22:04,600 --> 00:22:06,700 lined with stoneworks. 376 00:22:06,700 --> 00:22:11,000 It's a demonstration of lavish opulence. 377 00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:14,767 [narrator] When you step inside, the mood drastically changes. 378 00:22:15,767 --> 00:22:18,066 [Alexis] You've got piles of shoes, 379 00:22:18,066 --> 00:22:20,200 rows of rusting beds, 380 00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:22,867 baskets of thread all over the place. 381 00:22:22,867 --> 00:22:25,166 Maybe it was a factory of some sort, 382 00:22:25,166 --> 00:22:27,867 but, honestly, it's just creepy. 383 00:22:29,867 --> 00:22:33,867 Exploring deeper into the building's underbelly, 384 00:22:33,867 --> 00:22:38,867 you can see a place that is even more unsettling. 385 00:22:38,867 --> 00:22:41,367 [Sascha] That's when you see bars on the windows. 386 00:22:41,367 --> 00:22:43,000 And there's the real giveaway. 387 00:22:43,000 --> 00:22:45,367 Nobody came here by choice. 388 00:22:45,367 --> 00:22:47,200 [Alicia] What began as the stronghold 389 00:22:47,200 --> 00:22:50,200 of a really powerful dynasty, 390 00:22:50,200 --> 00:22:53,166 slowly emerged into something much more sinister. 391 00:22:55,266 --> 00:22:57,266 This building used to be home 392 00:22:57,266 --> 00:23:00,367 to some of the most dangerous people in Italy. 393 00:23:06,700 --> 00:23:09,367 [narrator] On the Italian island of Procida, 394 00:23:09,367 --> 00:23:13,166 an imposing ruin dominates its surroundings. 395 00:23:15,600 --> 00:23:18,767 My childhood was spent in the shadow of this building. 396 00:23:18,767 --> 00:23:22,266 It has always fascinated me to imagine what was inside. 397 00:23:23,700 --> 00:23:26,667 [narrator] In 2017, Luigi Primario 398 00:23:26,667 --> 00:23:28,667 got the chance to find out, 399 00:23:28,667 --> 00:23:30,667 when he became a city councilor, 400 00:23:30,667 --> 00:23:34,500 tasked with the regeneration of this foreboding site. 401 00:23:34,500 --> 00:23:38,400 What he discovered was a tale of intrigue and depression 402 00:23:38,400 --> 00:23:42,000 that echoed the very history of Italy itself. 403 00:23:43,900 --> 00:23:46,300 It was a very important building, 404 00:23:46,300 --> 00:23:47,667 but at the same time 405 00:23:47,667 --> 00:23:49,567 it was terrible for the island. 406 00:23:50,767 --> 00:23:53,000 [Alicia] The oldest part of this palatial ruin 407 00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:55,567 dates back to the 16th century, 408 00:23:55,567 --> 00:23:58,367 when Italy wasn't the unified country 409 00:23:58,367 --> 00:23:59,867 we know and recognize today. 410 00:24:02,100 --> 00:24:04,000 The region was under the control 411 00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:06,367 of the Spanish Aragonese dynasty, 412 00:24:06,367 --> 00:24:09,266 who ruled over the kingdom of Naples. 413 00:24:10,600 --> 00:24:14,166 Procida was entrusted to the d'Avalos family 414 00:24:14,166 --> 00:24:18,567 who were an influential clan of Spanish dukes 415 00:24:18,567 --> 00:24:22,567 who controlled a powerful mercenary army. 416 00:24:23,900 --> 00:24:27,500 [narrator] In 1563, a prominent member of the family, 417 00:24:27,500 --> 00:24:30,767 Cardinal Innico d'Avalos d'Aragona, 418 00:24:30,767 --> 00:24:33,367 decided to make Procida his home. 419 00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:37,467 He called his new island fortress 420 00:24:37,467 --> 00:24:40,000 the Palazzo d'Avalos. 421 00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:43,567 For the next century, the d'Avalos family ruled over Procida. 422 00:24:43,567 --> 00:24:47,967 But their reign was dramatically cut short in the 1700s. 423 00:24:47,967 --> 00:24:52,500 [narrator] Following the death of childless Spanish monarch, Charles II, 424 00:24:52,500 --> 00:24:56,800 this region was caught up in a European conflict of secession. 425 00:24:56,800 --> 00:25:00,667 The Spanish House of Bourbon, emerged victorious. 426 00:25:00,667 --> 00:25:04,800 By 1736, the future Bourbon king, Charles III, 427 00:25:04,800 --> 00:25:08,000 had conquered Naples and Sicily. 428 00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:10,667 He kicked out the d'Avalos family, 429 00:25:10,667 --> 00:25:14,100 and took the palazzo over for himself 430 00:25:14,100 --> 00:25:16,100 to have a grand hunting lodge. 431 00:25:17,500 --> 00:25:19,567 [Sascha] For the people living under Bourbon rule, 432 00:25:19,567 --> 00:25:21,000 life couldn't have been more different. 433 00:25:22,166 --> 00:25:26,467 These people were often under the oppressive thumb 434 00:25:26,467 --> 00:25:28,200 of their feudal lords. 435 00:25:28,867 --> 00:25:30,600 [Sascha] Discontent ran deep, 436 00:25:30,600 --> 00:25:32,600 and it was only a matter of time 437 00:25:32,600 --> 00:25:34,700 before that exploded into violence. 438 00:25:37,100 --> 00:25:39,400 [narrator] In the wake of the French Revolution, 439 00:25:39,400 --> 00:25:41,500 rebellion swept through Europe, 440 00:25:41,500 --> 00:25:44,667 and the ruling Bourbons faced a series of uprisings. 441 00:25:46,300 --> 00:25:48,200 In order to maintain rule, 442 00:25:48,200 --> 00:25:52,000 the Palazzo d'Avalos entered a dark new era. 443 00:25:52,967 --> 00:25:55,100 [Alexis] By 1831, 444 00:25:55,100 --> 00:25:57,400 this, once regal, residence 445 00:25:57,400 --> 00:25:59,867 had been converted to a prison 446 00:25:59,867 --> 00:26:02,900 to house political enemies of the state. 447 00:26:04,667 --> 00:26:07,567 Many tales depict this prison complex 448 00:26:07,567 --> 00:26:09,767 as one of the cruelest in history. 449 00:26:11,800 --> 00:26:14,500 [Alicia] The conditions inside were horrific, 450 00:26:14,500 --> 00:26:18,000 and the prisoners often faced 451 00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:20,900 beatings, starvation and torture. 452 00:26:22,066 --> 00:26:23,667 [Alexis] For many, it seemed 453 00:26:23,667 --> 00:26:25,867 their only option for survival 454 00:26:25,867 --> 00:26:27,467 was to escape. 455 00:26:28,166 --> 00:26:29,133 But they were wrong. 456 00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:32,700 [Sascha] In 1848, around 140 prisoners 457 00:26:32,700 --> 00:26:35,200 arrived on Procida from Sicily. 458 00:26:35,200 --> 00:26:37,367 Reports suggest that they tried to break out, 459 00:26:37,367 --> 00:26:39,367 but they were trapped by the guards, 460 00:26:39,367 --> 00:26:41,066 and then ruthlessly massacred. 461 00:26:43,066 --> 00:26:45,000 [Luigi] One hundred and thirty two inmates 462 00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:48,266 were gunned down in the citadel of Terra Murata, 463 00:26:48,266 --> 00:26:50,500 which surrounds the prison complex. 464 00:26:52,000 --> 00:26:55,000 [Alexis] The event sent shock waves through Europe. 465 00:26:55,000 --> 00:26:58,066 It's actually said to be one of the reasons that Gladstone, 466 00:26:58,066 --> 00:27:01,100 who was the British prime minister at the time, 467 00:27:01,100 --> 00:27:05,066 broke off diplomatic relations with the Bourbon monarchy. 468 00:27:06,800 --> 00:27:08,767 [Sascha] Instead, he chose to back 469 00:27:08,767 --> 00:27:11,166 the Italian rabble-rouser, Giuseppe Garibaldi, 470 00:27:11,166 --> 00:27:14,867 the heroic revolutionary that overthrew the Bourbons in the 1860s, 471 00:27:14,867 --> 00:27:18,467 and was finally able to unify the country. 472 00:27:18,467 --> 00:27:21,400 [narrator] While the birth of modern Italy had arrived, 473 00:27:21,400 --> 00:27:23,266 the Palazzo d'Avalos remained 474 00:27:23,266 --> 00:27:26,934 a place of incarceration for the next century. 475 00:27:29,400 --> 00:27:32,467 And soon, the prison needed to expand 476 00:27:32,467 --> 00:27:36,200 to meet the growing demand of a particular breed of criminal. 477 00:27:37,567 --> 00:27:39,767 [Sascha] In the 1970s, the prison started 478 00:27:39,767 --> 00:27:42,667 to be overrun with Italian mafioso. 479 00:27:42,667 --> 00:27:44,767 We're talking mob bosses, 480 00:27:44,767 --> 00:27:47,634 hitmen, henchmen, the whole range. 481 00:27:50,100 --> 00:27:51,667 [narrator] Giacomo Retaggio 482 00:27:51,667 --> 00:27:54,367 started working here in 1963 483 00:27:54,367 --> 00:27:56,367 as the prison's only doctor. 484 00:27:57,100 --> 00:27:59,166 Over the next 25 years, 485 00:27:59,166 --> 00:28:02,767 he got to know some of the prison's most dangerous convicts. 486 00:28:05,100 --> 00:28:07,100 I would establish this empathy, 487 00:28:07,100 --> 00:28:08,867 rapport with the inmates, 488 00:28:08,867 --> 00:28:11,367 meaning they would never say no to me. 489 00:28:16,266 --> 00:28:18,767 The secret is to acquire the mindset 490 00:28:18,767 --> 00:28:20,767 and the needs of an inmate. 491 00:28:25,266 --> 00:28:26,867 [narrator] In 1982, 492 00:28:26,867 --> 00:28:30,266 this included Naples' public enemy number one, 493 00:28:30,266 --> 00:28:34,867 Camorra Mafia boss, Luigi 'the King' Giuliano. 494 00:28:34,867 --> 00:28:38,266 Luigi headed up the powerful Giuliano clan, 495 00:28:38,266 --> 00:28:40,700 which had a reputation for being one of Naples' 496 00:28:40,700 --> 00:28:42,800 most bloodthirsty criminal families. 497 00:28:44,367 --> 00:28:46,300 [narrator] At the time he was arrested, 498 00:28:46,300 --> 00:28:48,867 Giuliano was in the midst of a brutal war 499 00:28:48,867 --> 00:28:50,667 with a rival Camorra gang 500 00:28:50,667 --> 00:28:54,767 led by Raffaele 'the Professor' Cutolo. 501 00:28:54,767 --> 00:28:58,200 Cutolo himself was already behind bars, 502 00:28:58,200 --> 00:29:00,266 running his empire entirely 503 00:29:00,266 --> 00:29:04,100 from the notorious Poggioreale prison in Naples. 504 00:29:05,166 --> 00:29:08,467 Luigi begged to be sent to Procida prison. 505 00:29:08,467 --> 00:29:11,200 He knew that if he was sent 506 00:29:11,200 --> 00:29:13,467 to Poggioreale prison, 507 00:29:13,467 --> 00:29:16,400 where Cutolo's men were locked up, 508 00:29:16,400 --> 00:29:18,100 he would face death. 509 00:29:20,500 --> 00:29:23,166 [Giacomo] Luigi Giuliano was the boss. 510 00:29:23,166 --> 00:29:25,567 But just like every Camorra boss, 511 00:29:25,567 --> 00:29:27,266 he was a very likable person. 512 00:29:27,266 --> 00:29:30,500 A handsome fellow with sky blue eyes. 513 00:29:32,967 --> 00:29:36,266 He would send me coffee every evening in my office. 514 00:29:36,266 --> 00:29:38,667 He liked to be a decent person. 515 00:29:38,667 --> 00:29:41,333 But he still was who he was. 516 00:29:43,800 --> 00:29:45,900 [narrator] But Giuliano was wrong to think 517 00:29:45,900 --> 00:29:48,100 he'd be safe on Procida. 518 00:29:50,567 --> 00:29:52,767 [Giacomo] Prison is a sewer. 519 00:29:53,967 --> 00:29:55,567 You need to walk in the sewer 520 00:29:55,567 --> 00:29:58,467 without getting your shoes dirty, unfortunately. 521 00:29:59,367 --> 00:30:00,266 It's not easy. 522 00:30:05,100 --> 00:30:08,767 [narrator] In 1982, Italy's Procida prison 523 00:30:08,767 --> 00:30:11,300 welcomed its most notorious inmate, 524 00:30:11,300 --> 00:30:14,400 the Camorra mafia king, Luigi Giuliano. 525 00:30:15,367 --> 00:30:17,400 Luigi had pleaded to be sent here 526 00:30:17,400 --> 00:30:20,700 to avoid his bitter rival, Raffaele Cutolo, 527 00:30:20,700 --> 00:30:22,767 who was locked up in a neighboring prison. 528 00:30:23,867 --> 00:30:26,066 But among the inmates at Procida, 529 00:30:26,066 --> 00:30:28,500 was one of Cutolo's former henchmen, 530 00:30:28,500 --> 00:30:30,567 and he had it in for Luigi. 531 00:30:31,867 --> 00:30:34,367 In November, he was stabbed by another inmate, 532 00:30:34,367 --> 00:30:35,700 and left for dead. 533 00:30:38,166 --> 00:30:41,266 [Giacomo] I was at home and I got an emergency call. 534 00:30:43,700 --> 00:30:46,600 And this guy who was imprisoned here with Giuliano, 535 00:30:46,600 --> 00:30:48,800 to win his old boss's favor back, 536 00:30:48,800 --> 00:30:51,567 had stabbed Giuliano in the liver twice. 537 00:30:52,500 --> 00:30:54,000 He was about to die. 538 00:30:57,266 --> 00:30:58,467 There was nothing I could do 539 00:30:58,467 --> 00:31:01,467 other than stop the bleeding as much as I could, 540 00:31:01,467 --> 00:31:04,200 and prescribe emergency hospitalization. 541 00:31:06,100 --> 00:31:08,667 [Alexis] Luckily for him, he survived. 542 00:31:08,667 --> 00:31:10,700 Not so lucky for Naples. 543 00:31:10,700 --> 00:31:12,767 After he was acquitted of all charges, 544 00:31:12,767 --> 00:31:16,800 he continued his reign of terror for the next 20 years. 545 00:31:18,767 --> 00:31:22,166 [narrator] Giuliano was eventually arrested in 2000, 546 00:31:22,166 --> 00:31:26,000 and turned into a government witness to avoid jail time. 547 00:31:27,100 --> 00:31:30,166 But during that period, the aging prison here 548 00:31:30,166 --> 00:31:32,500 had already been forced to shut its doors... 549 00:31:32,900 --> 00:31:33,867 for good. 550 00:31:35,767 --> 00:31:38,200 In July '88, they closed it 551 00:31:38,200 --> 00:31:40,900 because the number of inmates kept decreasing 552 00:31:40,900 --> 00:31:42,800 until there were only a hundred. 553 00:31:46,667 --> 00:31:49,767 It was because of a certain campaign from Procida 554 00:31:49,767 --> 00:31:53,166 where they blamed the prison for its failing tourism. 555 00:32:04,467 --> 00:32:06,767 [Alicia] For 30 years, Palazzo d'Avalos 556 00:32:06,767 --> 00:32:08,767 sat completely abandoned 557 00:32:08,767 --> 00:32:10,700 until the government took it over 558 00:32:10,700 --> 00:32:13,266 and made it a place that tourists could visit. 559 00:32:16,567 --> 00:32:19,000 It's now become a place of culture, 560 00:32:19,000 --> 00:32:21,700 a place that, truly, everyone embraces. 561 00:32:21,700 --> 00:32:24,867 And an asset for the island, which had been forgotten. 562 00:32:32,266 --> 00:32:35,467 [narrator] In the northern Polish town of Kamieniec, 563 00:32:35,467 --> 00:32:37,467 is the ruin of a site 564 00:32:37,467 --> 00:32:39,867 where romance and patriotism 565 00:32:39,867 --> 00:32:41,467 painfully collided. 566 00:32:46,000 --> 00:32:49,400 [Hadley] There's little houses and shops and a church. 567 00:32:49,400 --> 00:32:52,600 It seems like a place where things move slowly. 568 00:32:52,600 --> 00:32:57,567 But at one end of town is something quite unexpected. 569 00:32:57,567 --> 00:33:01,467 [narrator] Set back from the street is a towering stone structure 570 00:33:01,467 --> 00:33:03,500 ravaged by the passage of time. 571 00:33:05,967 --> 00:33:07,800 [Hadley] It's got this big facade, 572 00:33:07,800 --> 00:33:10,266 two wings spreading out on either side. 573 00:33:10,266 --> 00:33:13,000 It seems like somewhere really important. 574 00:33:13,000 --> 00:33:16,266 [Prof. Geoffrey] Central Europe is dotted with palaces, such as this. 575 00:33:16,266 --> 00:33:19,900 But this one is remarkable because of who ended up here 576 00:33:19,900 --> 00:33:21,367 and with whom. 577 00:33:23,000 --> 00:33:24,867 [Rob] One of the world's greatest generals 578 00:33:24,867 --> 00:33:27,000 was caught in a love affair. 579 00:33:27,000 --> 00:33:29,100 For him, it was passion. 580 00:33:29,100 --> 00:33:32,967 For her, it was duty to her country. 581 00:33:32,967 --> 00:33:36,266 She carried the very existence of Poland on her shoulders. 582 00:33:36,266 --> 00:33:38,667 But the question was, would it pay off? 583 00:33:54,100 --> 00:33:56,367 [narrator] Tomasz Dabrowski is part of a group 584 00:33:56,367 --> 00:33:59,367 dedicated to honoring the role this building played 585 00:33:59,367 --> 00:34:01,867 in his nation's struggle for independence. 586 00:34:03,000 --> 00:34:04,567 [Tomasz speaking] 587 00:34:10,800 --> 00:34:12,800 [narrator] Its epic story began 588 00:34:12,800 --> 00:34:15,000 in the early 18th century, 589 00:34:15,000 --> 00:34:17,300 when this region was a battlefield 590 00:34:17,300 --> 00:34:20,700 fought over by neighboring states. 591 00:34:20,700 --> 00:34:24,000 [Prof. Geoffrey] We're in, what one historian famously called, God's playground, 592 00:34:24,000 --> 00:34:26,367 Poland, which was at the intersection 593 00:34:26,367 --> 00:34:28,767 of all the great powers of Europe. 594 00:34:28,767 --> 00:34:31,166 [Rob] This land was under the control of Prussia, 595 00:34:31,166 --> 00:34:33,800 a kingdom comprised of northern Germany, 596 00:34:33,800 --> 00:34:35,767 and much of modern-day Poland. 597 00:34:37,000 --> 00:34:39,400 Its king, Friedrich Wilhelm I, 598 00:34:39,400 --> 00:34:41,600 bestowed palaces and estates 599 00:34:41,600 --> 00:34:44,100 upon the noble families. 600 00:34:44,100 --> 00:34:46,867 [narrator] This one was called Finckenstein Palace, 601 00:34:46,867 --> 00:34:51,867 and it was named after the ruling family that constructed it in 1716. 602 00:34:53,000 --> 00:34:55,266 [Rob] It would be the von Finckenstein's home 603 00:34:55,266 --> 00:35:00,166 but also a place for the king to stay when he traveled from Berlin. 604 00:35:00,166 --> 00:35:01,900 At the turn of the century, though, 605 00:35:01,900 --> 00:35:04,867 it would host a very different set of guests. 606 00:35:06,266 --> 00:35:08,266 [narrator] In the late 1700s, 607 00:35:08,266 --> 00:35:11,400 50 years after Finckenstein Palace was built, 608 00:35:11,400 --> 00:35:13,767 Poland was plunged into chaos. 609 00:35:14,667 --> 00:35:17,000 European borders were rapidly shifting, 610 00:35:17,000 --> 00:35:20,033 and this region was caught in the crossfire. 611 00:35:22,500 --> 00:35:24,700 The great powers of Prussia, Russia 612 00:35:24,700 --> 00:35:26,567 and the Habsburg empire, 613 00:35:26,567 --> 00:35:30,266 set about on a devastating series of partitions 614 00:35:30,266 --> 00:35:34,166 that really completely reduces the Polish state to nothing. 615 00:35:35,367 --> 00:35:37,367 [Rob] The result of this was that Poland 616 00:35:37,367 --> 00:35:39,600 was all but wiped off the map. 617 00:35:39,600 --> 00:35:41,667 And if they had any chance 618 00:35:41,667 --> 00:35:43,967 of restoring their statehood, 619 00:35:43,967 --> 00:35:45,834 they'd need help from abroad. 620 00:35:48,266 --> 00:35:51,100 [narrator] The Polish prince, Josef Poniatowski, 621 00:35:51,100 --> 00:35:52,900 in cahoots with his noblemen, 622 00:35:52,900 --> 00:35:54,400 devised a strategy 623 00:35:54,400 --> 00:35:56,567 to save the nation from obscurity. 624 00:35:58,300 --> 00:35:59,667 [Rob] The plan they came up with... 625 00:35:59,667 --> 00:36:02,200 well, it's been used over and over again 626 00:36:02,200 --> 00:36:03,567 throughout history. 627 00:36:03,567 --> 00:36:05,367 A honey trap. 628 00:36:05,367 --> 00:36:07,200 [Hadley] The prince and his officials 629 00:36:07,200 --> 00:36:09,166 identify the perfect person, 630 00:36:09,166 --> 00:36:11,800 and she's a countess named Marie Walewska. 631 00:36:11,800 --> 00:36:14,300 Even though she was already married and had a child, 632 00:36:14,300 --> 00:36:17,533 she was known, throughout Poland, for her great beauty. 633 00:36:19,967 --> 00:36:22,767 The scheming nobles then set their sights 634 00:36:22,767 --> 00:36:25,066 on an ambitious neighboring ruler 635 00:36:25,066 --> 00:36:28,000 who could champion their cause for independence. 636 00:36:29,867 --> 00:36:32,900 And at that time there was only one real candidate, 637 00:36:32,900 --> 00:36:35,667 Napoleon Bonaparte. 638 00:36:35,667 --> 00:36:38,900 [Prof. Geoffrey] They realize that Napoleon has a natural interest 639 00:36:38,900 --> 00:36:41,467 in fostering Polish nationalism 640 00:36:41,467 --> 00:36:43,100 as a way of weakening, you know, 641 00:36:43,100 --> 00:36:45,266 Russia, Austria and Prussia. 642 00:36:45,900 --> 00:36:48,066 [Tomasz speaking] 643 00:37:08,467 --> 00:37:11,500 [narrator] The Polish plan appeared to be working. 644 00:37:11,500 --> 00:37:14,367 When Napoleon returned to his European campaign, 645 00:37:14,367 --> 00:37:16,467 he didn't forget his newfound mistress. 646 00:37:18,400 --> 00:37:21,567 In 1807, Napoleon invites Marie Walewska 647 00:37:21,567 --> 00:37:23,467 to the countryside, where he is resting 648 00:37:23,467 --> 00:37:25,767 after another important battle. 649 00:37:27,467 --> 00:37:31,467 As she arrived, she was greeted by the magnificent facade 650 00:37:31,467 --> 00:37:33,600 of Finckenstein Palace. 651 00:37:33,600 --> 00:37:37,667 [narrator] Marie understood the role she had been chosen to play. 652 00:37:37,667 --> 00:37:40,166 But she was also conflicted. 653 00:37:40,166 --> 00:37:42,767 She would have to choose between her family 654 00:37:42,767 --> 00:37:43,900 and her country. 655 00:37:49,166 --> 00:37:50,867 [narrator] In 1807, 656 00:37:50,867 --> 00:37:53,467 Napoleon was at Finckenstein Palace, 657 00:37:53,467 --> 00:37:55,467 preparing for his next battle. 658 00:37:55,467 --> 00:37:57,900 His mistress, Maria Walewska, 659 00:37:57,900 --> 00:37:59,800 arrived on a secret mission 660 00:37:59,800 --> 00:38:02,700 to help her country achieve independence. 661 00:38:02,700 --> 00:38:05,667 But it was one that caused her great distress. 662 00:38:07,100 --> 00:38:09,100 She's very concerned about her reputation 663 00:38:09,100 --> 00:38:11,367 because she's married, she has a child, 664 00:38:11,367 --> 00:38:13,767 she's of noble birth. 665 00:38:13,767 --> 00:38:15,867 [narrator] Napoleon was all too aware 666 00:38:15,867 --> 00:38:18,100 of Maria's personal situation, 667 00:38:18,100 --> 00:38:20,567 and continued the affair regardless. 668 00:38:21,767 --> 00:38:23,767 [Prof. Geoffrey] So, they ended up holing up in a bedroom 669 00:38:23,767 --> 00:38:25,000 of the north wing of the palace. 670 00:38:39,166 --> 00:38:41,367 [Hadley] Marie had told one friend that she really felt 671 00:38:41,367 --> 00:38:44,266 like she was married to Napoleon at the time. 672 00:38:44,266 --> 00:38:46,967 But, of course, she knew she was actually... 673 00:38:46,967 --> 00:38:49,367 in service of a much greater cause. 674 00:38:50,667 --> 00:38:54,100 [narrator] That cause received a boost in April 1807, 675 00:38:54,100 --> 00:38:59,000 when Napoleon made a deal with the Shah of Persia at Finckenstein Palace. 676 00:38:59,000 --> 00:39:03,166 Napoleon's plan is to, basically, create this continental system 677 00:39:03,166 --> 00:39:04,767 to close off all of Europe, 678 00:39:04,767 --> 00:39:07,467 including the Russian empire, to British trade. 679 00:39:08,166 --> 00:39:09,567 [Tomasz speaking] 680 00:39:27,767 --> 00:39:29,567 [narrator] After the treaty had been signed, 681 00:39:29,567 --> 00:39:32,867 Napoleon continued his war with Russia. 682 00:39:32,867 --> 00:39:35,000 At the Battle of Friedland in June, 683 00:39:35,000 --> 00:39:37,300 his army emerged victorious, 684 00:39:37,300 --> 00:39:40,667 which forced the Russians to make a settlement. 685 00:39:40,667 --> 00:39:43,000 This was the moment that Marie was waiting for. 686 00:39:43,000 --> 00:39:45,266 The French are negotiating with the Russians, 687 00:39:45,266 --> 00:39:47,767 and the fate of Poland is on the table. 688 00:39:49,166 --> 00:39:52,000 [Rob] Marie had left behind her husband and child 689 00:39:52,000 --> 00:39:54,266 to spend two months with Napoleon 690 00:39:54,266 --> 00:39:58,200 in the hope his favor would sway his decisions. 691 00:39:58,200 --> 00:40:00,567 But in the end, it'd all be for nothing. 692 00:40:01,767 --> 00:40:03,400 [narrator] Under the terms of the deal, 693 00:40:03,400 --> 00:40:08,266 Russia kept most of the Polish territory they previously held. 694 00:40:08,266 --> 00:40:11,967 Napoleon, merely elected to form a small Polish state, 695 00:40:11,967 --> 00:40:14,667 called the Grand Duchy of Warsaw. 696 00:40:14,667 --> 00:40:18,300 Poland's dream of true independence... was over. 697 00:40:19,867 --> 00:40:23,066 [Hadley] Marie's mission had failed, and it was absolutely clear 698 00:40:23,066 --> 00:40:26,500 that Napoleon would always put his beloved France first 699 00:40:26,500 --> 00:40:29,667 over any romantic involvement. 700 00:40:29,667 --> 00:40:33,266 [Rob] Napoleon made sure Marie was taken care of for the rest of her life. 701 00:40:33,266 --> 00:40:35,767 But the affair was all but over, 702 00:40:35,767 --> 00:40:39,000 and the hopes of the Polish people died with it. 703 00:40:41,367 --> 00:40:43,166 [narrator] As the years passed, 704 00:40:43,166 --> 00:40:46,867 Finckenstein Palace continued to be a home for wealthy nobility. 705 00:40:47,567 --> 00:40:49,166 But during World War II, 706 00:40:49,166 --> 00:40:51,467 it was looted by the Soviet Red Army, 707 00:40:51,467 --> 00:40:53,600 as they advanced through Poland. 708 00:40:53,600 --> 00:40:58,767 And in 1945, it was completely destroyed by a fire. 709 00:41:06,266 --> 00:41:08,100 [Rob] Today, the site is privately owned 710 00:41:08,100 --> 00:41:11,467 by a member of the Polish Napoleon Foundation, 711 00:41:11,467 --> 00:41:14,100 and it became a shrine to a pivotal moment 712 00:41:14,100 --> 00:41:16,367 in Polish history that unfolded 713 00:41:16,367 --> 00:41:18,467 within the walls of this great palace. 714 00:41:19,667 --> 00:41:22,467 [Hadley] The romance was even immortalized in a film 715 00:41:22,467 --> 00:41:24,867 starring Charles Boyer and Greta Garbo. 716 00:41:24,867 --> 00:41:27,266 And the film was called The Conquest.