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Enclaves, loaned territories, disputed areas and microstates: This is the series that looks at places with absurd borders.

More absurd geopolitics: A new season of Crazy Borders

The series that looks at 10 places with complicated and absurd borders.

Crazy Borders

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During the Cold War, when Germany was split between West and East, people still fell in love across the physical and ideological border. Some risked everything to cross over to join their partners.

Despite the Berlin Wall, people from East and West fell in love and wanted to live together. But how?

Love in the Cold War

Rowing, and the eight in particular, has a long tradition that is not just about sport: political influence, relationships and women's fight for equal rights have also played a major role. This documentary follows the German men's eight as it prepares for Paris 2024 as well as the historic Boat Race between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge.

With all eyes on the Olympic Games in Paris, the documentary sheds light on the myth of the eight-man rowing team.

Eight on Board: A History of Rowing

Various symbols accompany protest movements and social change. But where do their origins lie? The peace sign is universal and yet few people know its origins. The rainbow flag symbolises hope, freedom, and resistance for queer people, while the raised fist is a sign against police violence and racism.

Where do protest symbols come from?

Striking symbols often accompany protest movements and social change. But how were they created?

I Saw the Sign

In April 1974, left-wing factions in the Portuguese military staged a coup against the authoritarian regime which had been in power for half a century. The uprising was largely peaceful and went down in history as the Carnation Revolution. But the path to a democratic Portugal was not easy and not without obstacles.

Carnations against Dictatorship

On the night of 24 April 1974, a peaceful uprising put an end to the Salazar dictatorship, paving the way for a democratic Portugal.

Portugal

The Marchioness Casati was admired throughout Europe for her incredible parties and expensive tastes. She was an eccentric patron of the arts, and her face appears again and again in the works of all the notable painters of her day. But she would rip through her inheritance by the age of fifty and end up wondering the streets of London, going though rubbish bins.

The Lost Ones

The Marchioness Casati went from living in a palace to eking out an existence on the streets of London

Luisa Casati, the Ruined Marchioness

Prospector Jakko Isola went to the icy wilderness of northern Finland in the hope of finding gold. What he found instead was inner peace in the beauty and tranquillity of the far North. That is until he finally did uncover gold…

Prospector Jakko Isola went to the icy wilderness of northern Finland in the hope of finding gold. He found enlightenment instead.

Jaakko Isola's Search for Riches

In 1924, a woman entered the capital of Tibet after having travelled thousands of kilometres on foot. It was the first time a foreigner had crossed the border of the sacred city. This mythical feat, one of many by Alexandra David-Néel, made the reputation of this explorer, writer, anarchist, feminist and traveller.

In 1924, a woman entered the capital of Tibet after having travelled thousands of kilometres on foot. It was the first time a foreigner had crossed the border of the sacred city. 

Alexandra David-Neel: An Adventurer in Tibet

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As a tattoo or worn as a pendant, the Hamsa or Hand of Fatima can symbolise many things. Originally from North Africa and the Middle East, its symbolism and religious significance varies widely.

The Hand of Fatima: A Universal Symbol?

As a tattoo or worn as a pendant, the Hamsa or Hand of Fatima can symbolise many things.

Making History

Historians reveal the fascinating history of objects: Documents, materials, devices or clothes, everything has a tale to tell.

Why is Lucrezia Borgia, daughter of Pope Alexander VI, still viewed as a Machiavellian manipulator? By marrying into the family her father wanted to forge an alliance with, she became forever associated with the worst scandals of Renaissance Italy.

Lucrezia Borgia vs Pope Alexander VI

Why is Lucrezia Borgia, daughter of Pope Alexander VI, still viewed as a Machiavellian manipulator? 

Duels of History

In 1972, in Germersheim, West Germany, the second edition of the British Rock Meeting saw some of the most prestigious bands of the day take to the stage, including Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, Rory Gallagher and Status Quo at an enormous gathering of the hippie generation.

The 1972 British Rock Meeting was an important cultural event for the hippie generation in Germany.

The German Woodstock - Germersheim '72

How did a simple tennis match between a woman, tennis star Billie Jean King, and a man, ex-player Bobby Riggs, become a television phenomenon and change the face of women's sport?

Billie Jean King vs Bobby Riggs

Two thousand years after the fact, can we really say that Messalina and Agrippina, two empresses of Roman antiquity, were the criminals and depraved women described by chroniclers of the time?

Messalina vs Agrippina

Were the two empresses of Roman antiquity really the criminals and depraved women described by chroniclers of the time?

Why did French President Jacques Chirac chase Israeli police from a church in Jerusalem? Strangely for a secular nation, France owns property in the Holy Lands which the country ealously guards.

France's Holy Lands

Why did French President Jacques Chirac chase Israeli police from a church in Jerusalem? 

The village and West Berlin exclave of Steinstücken was less than a kilometre from West Berlin, surrounding by the GDR. During the height of the Cold War, they had real problems…

Steinstücken: A West Berlin Exclave in East Germany

During the height of the Cold War, a German village with just one fridge had problems... 

A circle with three intersecting lines: the emblematic logo of nuclear disarmament and the hippy movement, the peace sign is one of the most famous in the world. But its inventor, activist and graphic designer Gerald Holtom has remained a little-known figure.

Peace

Originally designed as a symbol for nuclear disarmament, it is now a widely recognised sign of peace.

Why does a Russian region in the far east have Yiddish as an official language? The region of Birobidzhan was the Soviet Union’s plan for a Jewish homeland within the socialist world.

Birobidzhan: A Jewish State in the USSR

Why does a Russian region in the far east have Yiddish as an official language? 

In one day in April 1974, the Carnation Revolution in Portugal put an end to the Salazar dictatorship and five centuries of colonisation. This documentary is a blow-by-blow account of this momentous day that marked a turning point in the history of a nation and its people.

A blow-by-blow account of one momentous day that marked a turning point in the history of a nation and its people.

Portugal: April 1974

Could the Spanish have conquered Mexico without the help of Malinche, a Native American slave who became Hernan Cortés' translator? Enslaved by the Mayas and then the Spaniards, doomed to be sacrificed, Malinche made herself indispensable by becoming the conquistadors' interpreter.

Malinche vs Moctezuma

Could the Spanish have conquered Mexico without the help of Malinche, a Native American slave who became Hernan Cortés' translator? 

If a woman gave birth at the top of Mont Blanc, what nationality would the child be? For France, of course, the baby would be French. But not for Italy! The quarrel has been going on since 1860, when the divison of territory at the top of the mountain was unclearly defined... leaving each country to interpret the boundary more or less as they saw fit. This really is a case for Crazy Borders!

Mont Blanc: A High Altitude Dispute

If a woman gave birth at the top of Mont Blanc, what nationality would the child be?

An enclave of one country in an enclave of another country, itself within an enclave… This oddity was located on the border between India and Bangladesh in the mad patchwork of enclaves in Cooch Behar. This is a case for Crazy Borders!

Enclave Chaos in Cooch Bechar

An enclave of one country in an enclave of another country, itself within an enclave…

A thin strip of Belgian territory in the German countryside which marks out five German enclaves? How did the Vennbahn, actually a cycle lane, come into being?

The Vennbahn: German or Belgian?

How did a Belgian cycle lane come to exist within Germany?

Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong was the most densely populated area on Earth. 33,000 people settled on 2.5 hectares of land that was disputed between Chinese and British - meaning neither country asserted its authority there. This vertical slum was a hotbed of crime, but also full of factories, cheap shops and a strong community. This is a case for Crazy Borders. 

Kowloon: The Lawless Super City

This vertical slum was a hotbed of crime, but also full of factories, cheap shops and a strong community.

Sleep in one country and have lunch in the neighbouring country? This is possible at the Hotel Arbez on the Franco-Swiss border - a self-proclaimed micronation with its own coat of arms.

Hotel Arbez: A Chocolate Frontier

Welcome to the Hotel Arbez, it’s a lovely place straddling the Franco-Swiss border.

The Lost Ones are stories of people who were born in the wrong place at the wrong time. Their individual fates give insight into big, dramatic events in world history.

The Lost Ones are stories of people who were born in the wrong place at the wrong time.

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Skiing, a popular winter sport for Europe’s middle-classes, is much older than many people think: Remains of wooden skis have been found in Scandinavia dating back thousands of years. Skiing began as a means of survival in prehistoric times, only becoming synonymous with glamour and leisure in the modern era.

Skiing began as a means of survival in prehistory, only becoming synonymous with glamour and leisure in modern times.

Skiing - A History

A small island in the Rio de la Plata is shared by Argentina and Uruguay. But why does this binational island have two different names?

Martin Garcia & Timoteo Dominguez - One Island - Two Countries

On a map, the village of Nahwa looks like a fried egg: An Emirati enclave in the Omani territory of Mahda, itself landlocked in the United Arab Emirates. The reason for this? The choice of local people decades ago at a time when water was more precious than oil.

Nahwa and Madha: An Enclave within an Enclave

An Emirati village surrounded by an Omani enclave was mapped out at time when water was more valuable than oil.

A territory whose inhabitants were stateless? That's what happenede in the territory of Moresnet, co-managed by Germany and Belgium. A tax haven with a major zinc mine, which was also a den of smugglers…

Neutral Moresnet

A tax haven with a major zinc mine, which was also a den of smugglers…

Why are two Royal Marines standing guard on this tiny rock covered in bird droppings? Around Rockall, the continental shelf is disputed by British, Irish, Danish and Icelandic governments. Unless Greenpeace get in on the act... This is a clear case for Crazy Borders!

Rockall: A North Atlantic Dispute

Why are two Royal Marines standing guard on this tiny rock in the North Atlantic covered in bird droppings? 

England in 1883, the working-class team from Blackburn Olympic beat the elite Old Etonians in a surprise win. What was the significance of this event in British social history and in the history of sport?

Football and the Industrial Revolution

What was the significance of football match in England in 1883?

Sports Stories

In Groß-Umstadt, a small town in the Oberwald region of central Germany, a community of Portuguese workers arrived in the 1960s. Legend has it that a young Portuguese man was travelling through the area in 1962 when his motorbike broke down… and he never left, becoming the first Portuguese person to settle there. This documentary looks at the immigrant story between Portugal and Germany.

The story of post-war Portuguese migration to the small town of Groß-Umstadt in central Germany.

The First Portuguese in a German Town

"Somewhere over the Rainbow”... The song created for Judy Garland in the film "The Wizard of Oz" became the anthem of the American gay community in the 1970s. The rainbow flag did not appear until the end of the decade, under the impetus of the American artist and activist Gilbert Baker.

The Pride Flag

Appearing in the 1970s, the rainbow flag symbolised the LGBT movement.

The 1968 Olympic Games were marked by a powerful image: Tommie Smith and John Carlos, two black athletes raised their fists in protest against the oppression of African-Americans in the United States. More than fifty years later, the gesture of the raised fist has been taken up by the Black Lives Matter movement. But where does the raised fist originate?

Black Lives Matter

The raised fist has become associated with Black Lives matter movement, but where did it originate?

Most recent

From the first English colonisation to the latest difficult negotiations over the British-Irish border, the story of the Northern Irish conflict

Ireland: Colonisation to Brexit

From the first English colonisation to the latest difficult negotiations over the British-Irish border, the story of the Northern Irish conflict.

Stories of Conflict

With independence came partition, as the new nations of India and Pakistan came into being as British rule ended. But these young nations quickly came to blows and the contested region of Kashmir was stuck right in the middle.

India vs Pakistan

With independence came partition, as the news nations of India and Pakistan came into being as British rule ended. But these young nations quickly came to blows and the contested region of Kashmir was stuck right in the middle.

For 35 years President Tito kept Yugoslavia’s diverse population living in peace. But after the fall of communism thinks started to fall apart.

Yugoslavia: War of the Exes

For 35 years President Tito kept Yugoslavia’s diverse population living in peace. But after the fall of communism thinks started to fall apart.  

Forget bombardments, skirmishes, ambushes and attacks: The future of warfare is online.

Cyberwarfare

Understanding the European union and how it came to be can seem difficult. Here is an attempt to explain everything in six minutes.

European (De)Construction

Turkey is often seen as a bridge between East and West. But at the moment this bridge seems unstable with war in the Middle East, a refugee crisis, and an increasingly bellicose president Erdogan. Understanding Turkey today in five minutes.

Turkey and its Neighbours

A coming together of nations in peaceful competition, respect and harmony? Or a ruthless geopolitical tussle for the top spot where doping becomes the norm? A history of the Olympic games in 5 minutes.

The Olympic Games

A coming together of nations in peaceful competition, respect and harmony? Or a ruthless geopolitical tussle for the top spot where doping becomes the norm? 

Forget about polar bears and their pristine icy wilderness. As the icecap melts with climate change the arctic is becoming a strategic region for maritime traffic, oil and gas.

An Arctic Cold War

As the icecap melts with climate change the arctic is becoming a strategic region for maritime traffic, oil and gas.

At a concert in 1992 paying tribute to Freddy Mercury, who had died of AIDS a few months earlier, many famous artists wore a red ribbon. It soon became an international symbol of solidarity with people living with HIV/AIDS.

Red Ribbon

April 1992: At a concert paying tribute to Freddy Mercury, who had died from AIDS, many famous artists wore a red ribbon.