Abandoned Engineering
Series 2
TV-PG
These are some of the most spectacular examples of abandoned engineering the world has ever known. The series explores how and why they were built, consider the financial and social costs of their failure and examine the environmental and ecological impacts. The series also explores how experts came up with plans to make something beautiful or useful from the ruins.
Where to Watch Series 2
8 Episodes
- Hitler's Army Powerhouse
E1Episode 1Hitler's Army PowerhouseThe Pölitz Synthetic Fuel Plant built in 1937 by Germany to turn coal into oil, was destroyed in 1945 by an Allied air raid. The Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse was built on Lonstrup Cliff in Denmark and ceased operating on 1 August 1968. Also investigated are Teufelsberg (or "Devil's Mountain") in Berlin and Phoenix Shot Tower in Baltimore. - Britain's Sea Fort Complex
E2Episode 2Britain's Sea Fort ComplexThe Red Sands Sea Fort was originally built to protect London from the Nazi threat in 1945. Massive engineering for the time, seven steel boxes rise 80-feet out of the water at the mouth of the River Thames. Also investigated a 4,000 tonne rusted mass of steel in a field in Eastern Germany, an empty complex located in Philadelphia, and in North Dakota a sinister looking concrete pyramid dating back to the Cold War. - The Italian Dam Disaster
E3Episode 3The Italian Dam DisasterAn abandoned concrete wall... five strange deserted structures. A lost escape route from nuclear Armageddon... A submerged link to D-day... Once they were at the cutting edge of design and construction, now they lie disused, contaminated and dangerous. But who built them? And why were they abandoned? - Battle of Britain Technology Facility
E4Episode 4Battle of Britain Technology FacilityIn World War II the Royal Aircraft Establishment used all the available cutting edge technology of the day to help Britain win the war. Now, in Farnborough, all that is left are strange looking, derelict buildings that used to be wind tunnels and research facilities. - The Abandoned Nazi Railway
E5Episode 5The Abandoned Nazi RailwayFinished in 1928, the Canfranc Railway Station was used during WWII under an agreement between the Spanish and the Nazis to transport tungsten. Also investigated, the Kola Superdeep borehole, the Salton Sea Navy Base in California and a derelict tower looming over an industrial area in Belgium. - America's Jungle City
E6Episode 6America's Jungle CityA symbol of the American dream In the 1920's Fordlandia Rubber Town, is now rotting away in the Amazonian rain forest. Also investigated, a wall near Hötensleben in Germany, monoliths scattered across the forest in Eastern Poland and a bizarre structure in South Western France. - Germany's Lost Warship
E7Episode 7Germany's Lost WarshipAfter running aground in a Norwegian Fjord during WWII the Georg Thiele sank despite its technological advancements. Also investigated, a mysterious concrete giant on a mountain peak in Bulgaria, a structure built in the middle of an American river, and the Miles Glacier Bridge in Alaska. - Lost Highway in the Rainforest
E8Episode 8Lost Highway in the RainforestWhat is the history of a man made island, in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, on the Hudson River which was closed in 1954. Also investigated, a long lost highway in the Brazilian jungle, and a forgotten bunker system in the French Alps.
