Cities of the Underworld

What was the secret to the success of ancient Rome? Aqueducts, underground neighborhoods and one of the oldest sewer systems reveal many secrets. The largest and most influential empire in history leaves clues to her greatness under nearly every street.

100 years ago Portland, Oregon was a city full of vice, considered the most dangerous port in the world. It was a place where you could get drugs or booze or wake up trapped in a cell beneath the earth.

4000 years ago, a mysterious pagan society called the Hittites dug deep into the soft volcanic rock to carve out an intricate underworld. But after almost 800 years of rule, the Hittite Empire vanished without a trace. Where did their people go and what clues have they left behind in their complex subterranean world?

Visit the city of Bucharest, Romania and learn about its most famous citizen, Vlad the Impaler, more commonly known as Dracula. Travel underground as secret prisons, caves and dungeons are revealed. Only through the bleak subterranean stretches can one come face-to-face with the truth about this infamous Romanian ruler.

Discover the fascinating and unknown history that lies below major cities around the world today. Explore these layers, which are often hundreds of feet deep. Discover everything form dank dungeons to underground shipwrecks that have been lost for centuries.

The bombardment of Naples during World War Two revealed a forgotten underground world of ancient buildings, caverns and tunnels. This was fortunate because the underground provided shelter from the bombing as well as a window into Naples past all the back to the Greek Empire.

For thousands of years London has been among the most powerful cities in the world, below the busy streets and marketplaces another city hides--a city of Roman baths, secret crypts, lost rivers, indestructible bunkers that could hold up to 8,000 people, Winston Churchill's hidden war-rooms; host Eric Geller.

New York City's underground harbors secrets and surprises befitting the most important city on earth. Eric shares these secrets in tours under Grand Central Terminal, the Empire State Building, the World Trade Center and New York's original aqueduct.

Budapest is built upon on network of natural limestone caves that have been in use since humans first moved into the area. While exploring the caves Eric shares their color history which includes several violent periods in Budapest's past.

Eric finds some knowledgeable guides to take him on a clandestine tour of the catacombs of Paris. Originally a limestone quarry, the vacant space produced its own utility and a rich history in war and in peace to hide things better kept unseen. But the catacombs also represent cracks in the foundation that threaten the stability of the city above the surface.

Much of modern Rome is built upon the foundations of the first century Roman city and was above Goraud at that time. Eric visits some of these ruins and his guides explain the activities that occurred there two thousand years ago.

This program reviews Adolf Hilter's and Albert Speer's plans for a building boom that would turn Berlin into the capital city of the world. The plan included substantial below ground ...

Constrained for space by a stone defensive wall and steep terrain, the people of Edinburgh build both high rises and subterranean dwellings to provide living space. Out of sight, the underworld attracts all manor of seedy activities.

Istanbul is undoubtedly one of the most dynamic and exotic cities in the world. Once the capital city of three of the world's most powerful empires--The Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman--its strategic location made it the perfect spot for empires to rise, fall...and rise again. Residents of Istanbul walk on top of remnants of these fallen civilizations...literally. Taxis drive over parts of Constantine's Lost Great Palace; children play on cobblestone streets concealing a massive Byzantine dungeon; a high school sits on a 3rd century wall leading to the bowels of a 100,000 seat ancient Roman Hippodrome; and basement's of old Ottoman homes lead to subterranean tunnels and secret cisterns. Join host Eric Geller as he leaves the buzz of the city streets behind and follows the pull of the past. Teamed with leading archeologists and experts, Eric peels back the layers of the past--to reveal a hidden history that hasn't seen the light of day for ages.

Deep within the former Soviet Union lies a classified, subterranean world of Cold War secrets. In Ukraine, which once had the world's third largest nuclear arsenal, Don ducks behind the Iron Curtain to reveal a how the Soviets were really preparing for a Nuclear War. From nuclear submarine bases to underground apartment blocks, these sites are so top-secret, they've never before been seen on American television.

Inflicting over $80 billion in damage, and causing the deaths of over 1,800 people, Hurricane Katrina was among the greatest engineering disasters in US history. But was Katrina the "big one" New Orleans had been waiting for? Many believe the "perfect storm" is yet to come. If and when the big one does hit, will New Orleans be ready? The answers are in the underground. From the Army Corps' latest levees to last-ditch efforts to use save New Orleans' vanishing wetlands, we're going deep into New Orleans' underground to see where New Orleans stands, and if it stands a chance.

Moscow is a city known for its ruthless leaders and abundant secrets. Today it's a modern metropolis, but far below its crowded streets lie the reminders of its war-torn past, and pieces of Stalin's terrifying legacy. This subterranean web is so vast, modern day Moscow is actually in danger of caving in. From tunnels used to hide from Stalin's blood-thirsty henchmen, to secret metro systems and hidden bunkers, Don digs deep into Moscow's past.

Washington D.C. is headquarters for one of the most powerful governments in the world, as well as some of the nation's deepest secrets. The decisions made here echo around the world, so while the seat of power rests above these streets, our nation's security depends on what happens underneath them. From top secret, high tech superbunkers to the underbelly of Capitol Mall, we'll delve into DC's subterranean defenses. Don will discover how the US prepares for the worst...from the ravages of disease to nuclear catastrophe.

Today, New York is the biggest city in the country... but it's got some dark secrets in its past. It was founded by covert groups, overrun with gangs and mob bosses, and ruled by secret societies. This is the true foundation of the city that never sleeps, and host Don Wildman is headed deep beneath the skyscrapers, taxicabs and street vendors into a New York that few have ever seen before. From a hidden Freemason tunnel and secret world of the Sandhogs, to mobster hideaways and gang escape routes, we're uncovering the secret societies that built New York--from the underground up.

The ancient world was shaped by people who believed they foresaw the will of God. Jerusalem is at the heart of all their fiery prophecies. From the outcome of bloody wars to the birth of saviors, Jerusalem has been at the center of prophetic revelations. Join host Don Wildman as he peels back the layers of this sacred subterranean landscape to uncover an ancient escape route, a secret bullet factory, and the birthplace of Jesus. He sets out to find the truth behind Jerusalem's most mysterious and enduring prophecies, the people who foretold them and what was left behind... underground.

Chicago was once a playground for mobsters and corrupt politicians. It wouldn't be the third largest city in the U.S. today if it weren't for the shady dealings that went on just beneath its streets. From vice dens and top-secret railroad lines to sunken shipwrecks and the spark that created the A-Bomb, host Don Wildman unearths the true history of the Windy City.

Before the mysterious disappearance of the ancient Maya, Belize was the nerve center of this advanced civilization. Hundreds of ruins dot the landscape and reveal clues to bloody Mayan rituals, advanced architecture and a belief in an unforgiving underworld of Mayan gods. Don ducks beneath the jungles of Belize to uncover burial tombs, sacrificial altars, ritualistic caves and the literal entrances to the Mayan underworld.

Be careful where you walk--history's afoot! Prague is a city cloaked in mystery, with an underground to match. Medieval castles line the streets and hide dark dungeons deep below them. From quarries where Hitler may have stored his most powerful secret weapon to mines that doubled as Communist slave camps, Prague has surprising stories to tell. Join host Don Wildman as he reveals the technological marvels that allowed the construction of one city upon another-- literally.

Dublin, Ireland is much more than a city full of pubs and pints. Pagan burial tombs, subterranean defense tunnels, and mysterious burial crypts line the underground below the rolling hills. Even an underground river runs through the heart of the city where you'd least expect to find it.

Tokyo, Japan is a city straight out of the future, above ground... and below. We'll go beneath the busy streets to see the latest technology that will save the city from the many natural disasters ready to strike. From there, we head back in time to World War II to see how Hiroshima's underground offered protection from the most powerful bombs... and get an inside look at the secret life of the Ninja. Don Wildman hosts.

Be careful where you walk--history's afoot! See a Vietnam that you've never seen before. During the Vietnam War the media flooded the world with images of soldiers and jungles. What wasn't seen were the tunnels, caves and passageways. Join host Don Wildman as he discovers the massive CuChi tunnel system that gave soldiers the upper hand to the super-bunkers and secret caves used as shelters.

For billions of people across the globe, Jerusalem is considered ground zero for Armageddon. And while most of the world's population considers it a holy land, it's also one of the bloodiest cities the world has ever known. From a hidden occult city built by the Knights Templar to the hiding place for the Dead Sea Scrolls, the evidence of the apocalypse is buried all over the holy city. Host Don Wildman has special access to a sacred stone said to keep the world from ultimate chaos, and finds evidence of John the Baptist's apocalyptic sermons... he's heading into a vast underground that ignited the violent visions of the end of the world.

Beneath the sunny façade of Sydney, Australia lies a dark past. Underground Sydney is explored. Included: a 19th-century prison; caves that were once home to fugitive outlaws; gold mines. Also: a secret World War II storage place for chemical weapons is toured by those who once worked there.

Located on the coveted gateway between the East and West, Turkey has a history marked by ambitious conquerors and great empires vying for control of the trade routes. Left behind was a rich mythology of gods and men with tales of epic battles which soaked Turkey's soil in blood. We'll uncover the truth behind these mysterious legends revealing how a nation at war turned underground for its only means of survival, a maniacal king's plot to overturn consecrated ground to build one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and even an ancient healing spa of the gods!

When you think of Egypt, you think of the Pyramids, vast deserts and infamous leaders like Cleopatra. But there's more to the story. Underground Cairo is explored, focusing on ancient structures that have withstood time and countless invasions. Included: a step pyramid built a century before the Giza pyramids; and a tomb containing 2000-year-old mummies. Also examined: the Book of the Dead.

While most people think of San Francisco as a haven for peace-loving hippies, this city by the Bay is actually one of the biggest military defense installations in America. We'll take you beneath its picturesque hills and uncover the biggest ammunitions depot on the West Coast before plunging into a deadly arsenal that once stored nuclear missiles with more than six times the destructive power of the atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima. From the secret Civil War fortification buried beneath Alcatraz to the human trafficking tunnels winding below Chinatown, San Francisco's underground is evidence of its sordid past.

Ethiopia is home to some of the oldest settlements in the world. This cradle of mankind is a country born from legend and shrouded in mystery. Underground Ethiopia is explored. Included: tombs of emperors; subterranean cathedrals; and the palace of the Queen of Sheba. Also: theories regarding the possible resting place of the Ark of the Covenant.

The gladiators of ancient Rome were the ultimate fighting machines. They waged bloody battles to the death for the entertainment of the masses--and to earn their freedom. From the depths of the vicious and magnificent Flavian amphitheater, to the buried brothel where they lived their last days, these are the secret lives of Rome's famed slave warriors. Peel back the layers to uncover the origin of these fierce fighters, as host Don Wildman heads into ancient crypts, subterranean chambers used for pagan worship, and to the school that taught the gladiators how survive... and how to kill.

He was the ringleader behind some of the most notorious murders in history. He terrified the world and plunged the city of Los Angeles into a state of paranoia and fear. He's Charles Manson, and the deserts around Los Angeles were his home... and he hoped the underground would be his haven. But Manson and his followers weren't the only things lurking beneath the streets of LA. We'll take you beneath the most congested streets in America, into the tunnels where corrupt cops ran the city in secret and the largest subway system in the world lays in waste. From earthquakes to UFOs, this city has to be ready for anything. But with military bunkers protecting our shores and subterranean disaster relief war rooms, LA's underground also holds the key to its survival.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, Europe was plunged into chaos for centuries, with vicious carnage and rampant disease regularly raging through the streets. However, below the streets was another world designed to keep the people alive and the enemy guessing. Join host Don Wildman as he uncovers immense quarries of a secret society, Templar torture chambers and the tunnels of medieval "ghost knights."

World War I was the bloodiest war the world had ever seen. A young Adolf Hitler served in the trenches and tunnels of Belgium's Western Front. Join host Don Wildman as he explores the subterranean web where 24,000 Allied soldiers waited to ambush the enemy, to the indestructible fortress that endured thousands of bombs daily. Discover the underground that made World War I one of the most brutal wars in history... and turned Hitler into the terrifying madman of World War II.

Welcome to Las Vegas, America's Sin City, where billions of dollars are lost and made every year on our national vices. In order to protect their cash, casinos have made security the highest priority. From underground vaults to secret surveillance nerve centers, we'll uncover how the latest technology beats the cheaters. But Vegas wasn't always this high-tech. We'll show how a massive engineering feat transformed the city from a barren desert into a mobster metropolis where thieves ran the show from underground tunnels dating back to Prohibition. And just when it looked like all the thugs were behind bars and the city would fall off the map for good, Vegas became the come back kid. It's the only city in the world where you can be in Egypt one moment and Italy the next, thanks to a secret underground that allows the show to get bigger and better every time.

The mafia instills fear around the world, but in Sicily, its presence can't be ignored. This is where the mob got its start, with the help of the underground. We'll trace the Mafia's roots back to a vigilante secret society that created an underground network where they would hold trials against corrupt city officials and execute the accused. We'll track the escape route of a most-wanted mob boss through ancient subterranean waterways, and discover a bone-crypt that holds the key to Sicily's violent past. We'll even find out how the mafia teamed up with the Allies during WWII, undermining the Axis' line of bunkers deep within the hillside and embedding themselves into Sicilian society for good.

The largest naval armada in U.S. history descended on the Japanese island of Okinawa in April of 1945. Instead of a swift victory for the American's it became the bloodiest battle of the Pacific. Much of the battle wasn't on land it was underneath it--from the beehive of combat tunnels to the caves where thousands of civilians hid. Join host Don Wildman as he discovers what it was like to live through the Battle of Okinawa. Watch as he delves into the subterranean tunnels, caves, and bunkers, and then dives to explore the lost naval destroyer sunken deep in the waters off Okinawa's coast.

Jack the Ripper terrorized the city with his gruesome slaughters. Secret pagan societies raised Hell. Thieves made a killing stealing fresh corpses. London's streets ran red with blood, and it seeped into the underground. It was a city filled with disease, misery and chaos, making it ripe for grisly murders and horrific rumors to spread like the plague. Tales of witches and killers, the Antichrist and pagan rituals filled the city... but behind every ghost story is the terrifying truth of what happened here. From creepy caves scrawled with warnings of witches to the sewers and crypts where murderers and thieves lurked beneath the city streets, London's underground is hiding dark secrets and clues to the bloody truth.

Don follows the clues hidden underground as he searches for evidence of 10,000 Aztecs who fled Mexico and disappeared somewhere in America.

Don explores the massive underground cities in the mountains of Turkey that may have been home to the first civilization on Earth.

Don goes deep beneath a Knights Templar stronghold in Turkey to explore a provocative theory that may link the fabled secret society to the founding fathers of America. English

Don explores newly discovered ruins and caves in Croatia as he uncovers the true story of a formidable queen who dared to defy the mighty Roman Empire.

Don goes deep beneath the great lakes and explores flooded caves as he searches for evidence of a mysterious, cave-dwelling society that may have been the first people to reach America.

Don uses brand-new mapping technology to expose the dark and deadly uncharted spaces beneath American cities. He explores the criminal underworld below Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington; Chicago, Illinois; and Los Angeles, California.

Don explores top-secret military and government tunnels and looks into classified technology that could be used to build entire cities... right under our feet.

Don Wildman explores deep below ancient ruins as he searches for clues pointing to the true fate of the once-mighty Mayan empire.