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s13e12 · 2026-03-26
Running · US
Mysteries of the Abandoned
Science Documentary
What it is
Some of the world's most incredible engineering projects now lie in ruins. These deserted places are home to extraordinary mysteries and untold secrets, and we revisit them to understand how they were built, and why they were abandoned.They were once some of the most advanced structures and facilities on the planet, standing at the cutting-edge of design and construction. Today they are abandoned, dangerous, some of them even deadly. From uninhabited cities to empty factories, these long-forgotten engineering marvels are scattered around the globe. Science Channel uncovers why some of the world's most advanced architectural achievements were eventually left behind in the all-new series Mysteries of the Abandoned.Each of the six, hour-long episodes of Mysteries of the Abandoned features stories behind engineering wonders, why they were built, and the reasons they were eventually left to crumble. Each story recalls the people who originally designed the structure, their historical significance, and why they were ultimately no longer of use. The premiere episode explores California's Goat Canyon Trestle railway, known as the 'Impossible Railroad,' that required the biggest wooden trestle bridge in the world; Ukraine's Duga, the notorious anti-ballistic missile radar, known as the 'Russian Woodpecker,' that still stands in within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone; and the Grand Goulets Road in the French Alps, an astonishingly narrow and perilous mountain passageway.
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Episode guide
16 this season · 142 totals10e01 Penthouse Palace 2023-06-08 03:00
Penthouse Palace
In 1972, the porn baron Bob Guccione, founder of Penthouse magazine, established the Haludovo Palace Hotel on the Croatian island Krk north of Malinska. The resort was a hedonistic paradise to avert nuclear catastrophe - attracting rich and infamous clients in the process, like Saddam Hussein.
s10e02 Castle Kingdom 2023-06-15 03:00
Castle Kingdom
587 half-built castles near Mudurnu, Turkey, stand as a whimsical reminder of a residential development that was supposed to feature thermal baths and panoramic views. The ambitious Burj Al Babas project ended abruptly in 2019 when the Sarot Group construction company faced financial difficulties.
s10e03 Rock 'N' Roll Island 2023-06-22 03:00
Rock 'N' Roll Island
Famous Beatles producer George Martin envisioned this Caribbean mecca for rock legends. AIR Studios Montserrat opened in 1979, and many legendary records were created there. The studio had to close after a series of natural disasters rocked the small island of Montserrat.
s10e04 K-Pop Dreamland 2023-06-29 03:00
K-Pop Dreamland
This Seoul amusement park is full of rusted-out rides and unfinished renovations. Forced to close due to financial problems, the park has found a second life after being used as the setting of K-pop album covers and music videos.
s10e05 The True Cross 2023-07-06 03:00
The True Cross
In a California desert, a once glittering Hollywood hotspot, the Byron Hot Springs Hotel, gets converted during World War II into a top-secret interrogation center for high-value German and Japanese POWs. Before being shuttered, this high-tech facility called Camp Tracy gathered reams of valuable wartime intelligence.
s10e06 Blues Prison 2023-07-13 03:00
Blues Prison
Formerly known as one of the toughest prisons in America, this massive complex was once home to medical experiments and a chaotic hostage situation; it's better remembered as the setting for the iconic opening scene of 'The Blues Brothers.'
s10e07 Fake News Fortress 2023-07-20 03:00
Fake News Fortress
Graffiti scratched into the walls of a military base on the British coast sheds light on a secret raid against the Nazis; the story left behind by the soldiers does not match the rosy picture that was painted by the media...
s10e08 Turkish Wonderland 2023-08-03 03:00
Turkish Wonderland
In the Turkish capital of Ankara, an ambitious new theme park (Wonderland) is plagued by budget problems, mechanical issues, and political conflicts before ultimately being shuttered. Decaying rides and old dinosaurs stand as symbols of excess on the city skyline.
s10e09 The Montauk Conspiracy 2023-10-21 03:00
The Montauk Conspiracy
Conspiracies swirl around Camp Hero, an abandoned military base on Long Island established in 1942. There, alleged covert government experiments occurred underground in the so-called Montauk Project. Experts discuss the critical role that the base played in defending America's coastline by air and sea from World War II well into the Cold War.
s10e10 The Ruins of Troy 2023-10-28 03:00
The Ruins of Troy
In modern-day Turkey, on the coast of the Aegean Sea, archaeologists discovered hilltop ruins that are believed to be the site of one of the world's most enduring stories -- the legend of Troy and the Trojan Horse...
s10e11 Hell Island 2023-11-04 03:00
Hell Island
On a picturesque island off the coast of Brazil, this penal colony was once the site of a dramatic prisoner uprising; among the ruins lies the story of the violent rebellion and the recapturing of the island by military forces...
s10e12 The Ruins of Archaeopolis 2023-11-11 04:00
The Ruins of Archaeopolis
This decaying fortress once stood between the Ancient Roman and Persian Empires; though the stronghold's location attracted great wealth, it also attracted attention from unfriendly neighbors...
s10e13 Korea's Joan of Arc 2023-11-25 04:00
Korea's Joan of Arc
In 1920, a teenage girl in Japanese-occupied Korea is martyred in prison and becomes a national hero. Seodaemun Prison, the facility in Seoul that held Yu Gwan-sun, stands in remembrance of her bravery and the Korean struggle for independence.
s10e14 Gunslingers and Gangsters 2023-12-02 04:00
Gunslingers and Gangsters
Notorious gunslinger John Dillinger once made a daring escape from this unassuming Lake County Jail in Crown Point, Indiana, in 1934. Today, the story of his clash with Sheriff Lillian Holley, Indiana's first female sheriff, and his dramatic getaway continues to fascinate the public.
s10e15 Gangbusters and Gun Battles 2023-12-09 04:00
Gangbusters and Gun Battles
A building in Colorado is still marked with bullet holes from a Wild West shootout between union members and state militia; the ruins of the old mining town tell the heated story of a labor dispute that ended in sabotage and murder.
s10e16 Propaganda Palace 2023-12-16 04:00
Propaganda Palace
In the former Soviet Union, this theater and others like it were used to influence the minds of the masses; though its grand auditorium is now empty, the building still serves as a testament to the power of cinema...