On a rocky outcrop in central Germany stands the forbidding ruin of a monstrous castle where a scientist conducted a series of sinister experiments that inspired a literary masterpiece. Hidden within one of England's most famous country manors is the story of long buried Egyptian treasure and the deadly curse unlocked by its discovery. And half a mile from the coast of France is the tiny island of Sainte-Marguerite, home to the forbidding Fort Royal, where a mysterious masked prisoner was locked up for decades, his identity hidden from the world.
From the seemingly impenetrable Tower of London comes the tale of a brazen plot to steal the British monarchy's invaluable Crown Jewels. A magnificent royal palace in Karlsruhe, Germany is said to be the birthplace of one of history's most infamous feral children. And a remote French stronghold once served as a prison for a notorious literary genius. Accused of indecent behavior, it was during his long incarceration that he penned some of literature's greatest and most scandalous works.
For generations, a series of supernatural events have plagued the aristocratic owners of England's Cromer Hall -- inspiring Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to write one of his most famous works, The Hound of the Baskervilles. Along the banks of the Hudson River, just north of New York City, the white stone mansion of Lyndhurst was the country retreat of the unscrupulous Wall Street baron, Jay Gould, who got a taste of his own medicine when he fell victim to a brazen act of fraud. High on a hilltop in central Germany, Colditz Castle once served as a prisoner of war camp, and during World War 2, it became the site of the one of the most daring escape attempts on record.
The English country estate known as Upton House became the subject of one of the most unusual inheritance disputes in history, when a crude stranger from Australia claimed to be deceased heir of the Tichborne fortune. On the banks of the Potomac River, the historic mansion Mt. Vernon may have been the setting for a bizarre medical experiment following the death of America's first president. The ancient ruins of Urquhart Castle overlook Scotland's Loch Ness, the home of the legendary Loch Ness Monster, and the site of a bizarre hoax that captured the world's attention.
Visit a giant fortress in Scotland where a 15th-century power struggle climaxed, explore an Italian villa that housed a mysterious manuscript, and tour an upstate New York mansion that belonged to one of Abraham Lincoln's closest advisors.
Your favorite shows, personalities and exclusive originals. All in one place.