Mysteries Of The Abandoned Season 2 Review: Those Who Fail To Learn From History Are Doomed To Repeat It

"Mysteries Of The Abandoned" airs on the Science Channel. Each episode highlights three abandoned structures. See my previous reviews here I continue to have challenges figuring out when the show airs since timing of series are irregular and there doesnt seem to be much publicity about them. Oh well, at least I found it now.

The intro to the show is as follows: 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 the even deadly. From uninhabited cities to empty factories, these long forgotten engineering marvels are scattered across the globe.

Highlighted structures include (note I didnt include ALL of them--just the ones I found interesting):

Presidio Madello Prison- from episode "Armageddon Highway". This abandoned prison in Cuba was built in 1926 and is actually five very large circular buildings. This means all prisoners could be observed at all times from a central guard tower. Most interestingly, there were no cell doors and the prisoners never see guards watching them. Entering and exiting the tower is done via an underground tunnel. This experience in improving behavior through surveillance ended in 1967. The site now serves as a museum and national monument. See more info here
Armageddon Highway- from episode "Armageddon Highway"- The abandoned Shoemaker Canyon Road is located in the hills above Los Angeles. It was designed as an escape route in the event of a nuclear disaster. The idea was to get the population away from the city as quickly as possible. The road was designed to be 25 miles long total (but only four miles and several tunnels were completed by 1961). The project was abandoned as builders began to realize it was impossible to evacuate a city the size of LA in the event of an emergency. See more info here
Vajont Dam- from episode "Armageddon Highway"- Located in the Alps of Northern Italy, Vajont was completed in 1959. Unfortunately in 1963 part of the mountain behind the dam slid off and sent a wall of water into the villages below-- killing some 2000 people. This incident remains one of the worst man made disasters in European history. See more info here
Kola Superdeep Borehole- from episode "Arctic Hell Pit". Located in an isolated area of the Kola Peninsula in Russia, this abandoned facility may not look like much from the outside. It is, however, the site of one of the deepest holes ever created by humans. Drilling began in 1970 and was halted in 1994 (at a depth of 40,230 feet or 7.5 miles) because the temperatures were too high to continue (356 degrees F). The site has yields a number of scientific discovers including biological life as well as water and rock samples. The borehole has been dubbed the "Door To Hell". Dont get too excited though. It's not like you can fall in or anything. The hole is actually 9 inches across and has since been capped. The Kola's record stood for some 20 years. It was surpassed by Exxon in 2012 (when they dug some 40,604 feet below the surface). See more info here
Nekoma Radar Pyramid- from episode "Curses Of The Haunted Prison". Officially known as the Stanley Mickelson Safeguard Program, this now abandoned Cold War facility is located in North Dakota some 15 miles from the Canadian border. It's goal was to shoot down ICBMs before they reached American cities. The idea was to intercept the missiles over Canada. Not sure how the Canadians felt about that? The facility was built at a cost of six billion dollars and only operated for three days before being shut down. This may be the single biggest waste of US taxpayer dollars in the history of our country. See more info here
Red Sand Sea Forts- from episode "Curses Of The Haunted Prison". These strange fixtures (also know as the Maunsell Forts) guard the mouth of the Thames River outside of London. Their job in WWII was the protect the vital North Seas waterway from the Nazis. Each of the seven tripods had an anti aircraft gun atop of it that was manned by a total of 165 soldiers. The forts were very effective against attackers (although the living conditions for workers were very difficult). See more info here.
Eastern State Penitentiary- from episode "Curses Of The Haunted Prison". The prison encompasses 9.8 acres inside the city of Philadelphia, PA. There are seven corridors attached to a central hub. Built in 1822 it cost $20 billion dollars in today's dollars. It is one of the most costly US public works projects ever completed. The idea was to isolate previously overcrowded prisoners so they could contemplate their crimes/repentance in individual rooms. Things didnt quite go as planned. Today the site is a museum and the focus of a number of ghost hunting tours. See more info here
Bayantal Soviet Air Base- from episode "Desert Ghost Fort"- In the middle of the Gobi Desert in Mongolia is a deserted air field. This site once housed 1800 Soviet activity duty troops (and accompanying planes). The runway is 2 miles long. The largest USSR base in Mongolia, the base was meant as a deterrent to nearby China intruding into Soviet territory. See more info here
Devil's Mountain/ Teufelsberg- from episode "Conspiracy On Devil's Mountain"- The tower and four domes are located in what was previously West Germany. Also known as "The Hill" this radio listening station was set up during the Cold War by the Americans to spy on Soviets. See more info here
Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse- from episode "Conspiracy On Devil's Mountain"- Built in 1899 the lighthouse sits atop the Lonstrup Klint cliff to warn ships away from the shore. Unfortunately a sand dune has now almost swallowed the lighthouse entirely. In 1968 it was decommissioned. It is expected to fall into the sea by 2023. The sand dune responsible is known as Rabjerg Mile and is the largest migratory dune in Northern Europe. Who knew? See more info here.
Buzludzha Monument/ House Monument- from episode "Secrets Of The Alien Shrine"- Looking like a UFO (with a long tower attached), the abandoned Buzludzha Monument stands alone atop Stara Planina Mountain. It is built on the site of the important Battle of Shipka Pass. Construction took from 1974-1981. The tower featured two large red stars which could be seen from miles away. There were massive mosaics depicting the history of the Bulgarian communist party. The monument's goal was to elicit support and compliance to Communism. Of course, after the fall of the USSR, all that went away. The building is not currently maintained. Visitors enter at their own risk as much of it is crumbling. See more info here.
Bannerman's Castle- from episode "Secrets Of The Alien Shrine"- This castle is on a small island in the Hudson River (near Fishkill, New York). It was built to store Bannerman's munitions/ military surplus. There were several explosions and fires over the years. The site was eventually abandoned as such business declined. It is now owned by the state of New York. See more info here
Mauerwald Bunkers- from episode "Amazon Ghost Town"- These 200+ secret bunkers were hidden in the woods outside Mamerki, Poland. They were built by the Germans during WWII to hide top military officers. There are of course LOTS of other secret facilities throughout Europe (including the most famous Wolf's Lair"). See more info here.
Petrobras Viaduct- from episode "Sea Fortress Of Doom"- This section of the BR-101 highway was abandoned in the 1970s. It was meant to connect the seaside communities of Rio and Santos but that never happened. It was abandoned in part due to an economic crash from increased oil costs (among other things). The part of the highway that was completed is only 300 meters long. See more here.
Patarie Prison- from episode "Sea Fortress Of Doom"- This prison is built on the Baltic coast of Tallinn, Estonia. It housed those who ran afoul of the KGB and the Soviet Union in general. It was also a staging area for prisoners (many of whose only mistake was being Estonian) before being sent to work in the gulags in Siberia. Needless to say, you wanted to avoid this place at all costs. See more info here.