Engineering Europe (2025) s01e05 Episode Script
The Netherlands
1
[Narrator] These are the
engineering wonders of Germany,
their secrets revealed in a way
never seen before.
Visionaries shaped this land
into the crossroads of Europe,
constructing
groundbreaking waterways,
world-beating machines
and pioneering structures.
Today, German engineers
continue this legacy
with record-breaking
infrastructure projects
and spectacular innovations.
In this series, we reveal
the secrets of the engineering
that built Europe's
great nations,
the wonders that shape
its cities,
landscapes and history.
We reveal the astonishing
innovations
and surprising connections
that helped to forge
this mighty continent.
♪
♪
Germany is located
in the heart of Europe.
It's surrounded by
nine countries
and stretches from the Alps
in the south
to the North and Baltic Seas.
Over the centuries,
Germany's central location
has brought wealth
and prosperity.
Today, its broad rivers and
canals connect European markets
for cars, heavy machinery
and electrical parts.
Its engineers built
a vast rail network
and one of the world's largest
superhighway systems,
the Autobahn.
♪
German engineers are also famed
for record-breaking
monster machines.
The largest terrestrial vehicle
ever built
is a German-made
bucket-wheel excavator.
And the dramatic Zugspitze
aerial tramway in the Alps
has the longest climb of
any cable car in the world.
Now, in Munich,
an innovative new project
takes engineering
to a whole new level.
♪
This is Europe’s largest and
most innovative surf park.
♪
This incredible high-tech pool
took over two years to build,
and it runs on a system
called Endless Surf
which uses compressed air
instead of paddles or plows
to generate waves.
The powerful wave generator
can create a custom wave
every 10 seconds, replicating
natural wave patterns
and achieving heights
of up to 2.2 meters.
Solar energy powers almost
all of the machinery.
This wonder of pneumatic
engineering creates waves
so accurate to nature
that Olympians use it
to help them train in the heart
of mainland Europe.
Chris Boehm-Tettelbach is
the park’s founder.
[Chris Boehm-Tettelbach] We had
about 60 architects and planners
to create this place,
because something like this
has never been built before.
[Narrator] The secret to
the park's miracle waves
lies hidden on the edge
of the pool.
34 water-filled chambers
fitted with high-powered
air pumps.
They blast pressurized air
into curved channels
and then release it
to push and pull
on a column of water
which generates waves
in the pool.
Together, the pumps can shift
up to 10,000 cubic meters
of water every second.
The park is coming out
of a four-week winter break.
Crewmembers are working flat out
to ensure that everything is
ready for the new season ahead.
Chief Surfing Officer
Michi Mohr and colleague Till
are gearing up for the most
crucial test of all:
the pneumatic wave generator.
[Michi Mohr] Maybe I'm
the only one in the world
that has the title
Chief Surfing Officer,
but basically I'm in charge
of all the surf experience here,
and so obviously now
comes the fun part,
testing those waves
that we created.
[Narrator] The team
operates the waves
from a control tower
above the pool.
[Michi] Ranja?
[speaks German]
♪
[Narrator] The operator
can generate
seven different preset patterns
from beginner waves
to expert level barrels.
♪
They start with
the beginner wave settings
and then ride progressively
bigger patterns
to check for wave height
and pacing.
♪
Michi then checks
the full expert settings.
The wave quickly powers up to
a height of over two meters.
Carrying Michi across
the entire length of the pool.
[Michi] The pressure,
the steepness of the wave
felt really good.
So we were really pleased
with the result.
So I think everyone
will be really stoked
to get into the new season.
[Narrator] With their tests
complete, the park opens
and quickly fills up with surf
fans from across the globe,
eager to try out
this one-of-a-kind
engineering wonder.
♪
♪
Throughout history, German
engineers have broken ground
on some of Europe’s greatest
infrastructure projects.
German engineers have pioneered
travel by rail,
inventing the diesel engine
and the first electric tramway.
In Wuppertal, they built
the world's first
electric suspension
public railway
at the turn of the 20th century.
And in the 1980s,
a German high-speed train
set a world speed record of
over 405 kilometers per hour.
Back in Munich,
engineers are creating
a new record-breaking
railway station
with an extraordinary twist.
This is the construction site
of Marienhof station.
It's part of Munich's brand new
rapid commuter line
and the deepest station
ever built in Germany.
The scale of the project is
unprecedented for the city.
Engineers need to dig down over
40 meters to excavate tunnels
beneath the city’s existing
subterranean metro lines.
The entire project is set to
cost nearly 11 billion euros,
and the underground station
itself will be enormous.
Johannes Jessen is a senior
project engineer on the site.
[Johannes Jessen, translated]
We’re building a cathedral
underground here,
at least in terms of the sheer
amount of earth we’re moving.
That’s 185,000 cubic meters.
[Narrator] The deeper
the team here dig,
the greater the challenge.
Water saturates the soil,
which could swamp machinery
or cause the excavation
to cave in.
To deal with the wet ground
under Munich,
The team must cast
massive concrete walls
deep into the ground.
Then they remove the earth
inside, layer by layer,
40 meters down,
to build the backbone
of the station.
But now, as they dig
their first tunnel,
they must venture outside
the concrete box.
To avoid groundwater
flooding in,
they must seal off the tunnel
and use compressed air
to push back the water.
♪
For the tunnel builders,
that means stepping through
a high-pressure air lock each
morning just to get to work.
It’s a scene straight
out of sci-fi.
The air pressure
inside the tunnel
can be up to twice the pressure
of the air outside.
Similar to the pressure
a diver feels
five to 10 meters underwater.
[Narrator] Tools and even
heavy machinery
must also enter the tunnel
via the pressure lock.
♪
[Marcin Russek, translated]
Air enters the chamber
through these flaps.
It's fed through compressors
at 0.5 bar
so that we can work here.
[Narrator] To combat the risk
of diesel fumes
poisoning
the pressurized tunnel,
all the heavy machinery used
on site is electric.
[Marcin] It's the first time
I've worked
on a construction site where all
of the devices are electrical.
And I’m really impressed by
how the electric machines work.
[Narrator] Marienhof station
is designed to be the hub
of a new rapid commuter line
that connects Munich's center
with its sprawling suburbs,
but 16 train and metro lines
already cross below the city,
transporting over one million
passengers a day.
So the new line has
to be dug even deeper
to avoid these existing
underground lines.
As each tunneling shift ends,
the team must depressurize
for around 10 minutes
before they head home
for the day.
[Marcin] When you get out
of the pressure zone,
it's simply a relief,
because you're happy
to see daylight again
and have completed the work.
[Narrator] It’s slow progress.
Working this way
means the team completes
a maximum of two meters
of tunnel a day.
But once finished,
this landmark station and line
will play a vital role,
easing the burden
on the city’s busy transport
system for generations to come.
♪
German engineers are
pioneers of aviation,
creating the first
practical helicopter
and the first airline.
Today, ingenious taxiway
bridges carry aircraft
over the Autobahn to help
the country's
busy airports to grow.
The Heligoland Archipelago
is home
to perhaps Germany’s
most dramatic airport.
Three runways here
stretch across a small
850-meter-wide island of sand
in the middle of the North Sea.
In Frankfurt am Main, engineers
are expanding an airport
to make it fit for
21st century air travel.
♪
Frankfurt Airport is the busiest
aviation hub in Germany.
Around 1,200 flights take off
and land here every day,
moving over 60 million
passengers a year.
Now, behind the scenes,
a massive transformation
is under way.
Engineers are building
a brand new terminal.
It's one of Europe's largest
infrastructure projects,
with a construction site the
size of 25 football pitches.
Once complete, passengers
will reach the terminal
via an autonomous Skyline train.
The terminal has
a vast check-in hall
and four massive concourses,
equipped to service a minimum
of 33 aircraft at once.
It will boost capacity
by an additional 25 million
passengers annually.
Building this record-breaking
structure is no simple task.
[Narrator] The biggest challenge
for the project's engineers,
like Alexander Betz,
is keeping planes flying
while this transformation
takes place.
[Alexander Betz, translated]
It is very challenging.
We’re in the middle
of the operational area.
So, the airplanes roll around
our construction site.
[Narrator] It's critical that
no construction dust
blows onto the live runways.
This could cloud
the pilots' vision,
or even worse, damage
the aircraft engines.
[Alexander] We have to make sure
that we don't stir up dust here
that blows onto the runway
or into an aeroplane.
[Narrator] The airport sits
on a vast, flat plain
that's waterlogged,
which makes building
the new terminal here
even more difficult.
To lay the foundations,
engineers have to dig
up to 11 meters deep.
But groundwater rushes in
as they excavate,
flooding the pit.
They have to work with divers
to help pour
nearly 40,000 cubic meters of
concrete to stabilize the site.
Then pump out the groundwater,
clearing the way
for construction to begin.
♪
It takes three years
to erect the walls
of the terminal building.
Construction space on site
is limited,
so the team have to divide
its enormous 10,000-ton roof,
the size of two and a half
football fields,
into five sections,
and use a hydraulic platform
to carefully slide them
into place.
♪
The new terminal is set to
redefine airport innovation.
♪
A pioneering system will
capture the heat generated
by the baggage handling system
and the thousands
of daily passengers
and redistribute it
to warm the building.
At its core are central heating
and cooling plants,
hidden below
the main terminal hall.
They connect to
the entire building
via a network of pipes.
A large array of solar panels
will cover the roof,
enabling the terminal to
generate its energy needs
largely from
sustainable sources.
[Worker] Stop!
[Narrator] After 10 years
of construction,
the new terminal will welcome
its first passengers
as Europe's most
advanced airport
finally opens its doors.
Over the centuries, German
engineers have developed
innovative ways for people
to traverse its rivers.
The double-decker
Oberbaum Bridge in Berlin
opened in 1896.
The Mungstener steel bridge
in Solingen
is the highest railway bridge
in Germany,
and the Magdeburg Water Bridge
is the world's longest
navigable aqueduct,
and passes over the River Elbe.
Now, a new crossing taking
shape on the River Ems
is set to be a record-breaking
engineering wonder.
[Narrator] This is
the construction site
of the Friesen Rail Bridge.
When complete, this brand new
artery will carry a train link
to the Netherlands
and also swing open to allow
ships to pass through
on their way
to the nearby North Sea.
[horn blows]
Measuring 337 meters long,
the new Friesen Bridge will be
the largest lift-swing bridge
ever constructed in Europe.
At its heart is
a hydraulic system
with six lifting cylinders
that raise the 1,800-ton
movable span.
Eight hydraulic motors
then swivel it 90 degrees,
allowing ships up to
50 meters wide to pass through.
The most challenging part
of the bridge's construction
is the installation
of the enormous
145-meter-long swinging span.
It is built from steel
and has been shipped to site
on giant floating pontoons
ready to anchor it
into position.
Right now, ties secure it
to the riverside.
The team needs to wait
until high tide
for the water
to raise the bridge
to the correct height
for installation.
High tide tonight
arrives after dark.
Stefan Schwede is
the lead engineer
on this high-stakes
nighttime operation.
[Stefan Schwede] There are many
people involved,
and they all have
to know what to do
and to really work as a team
and be motivated
over the whole time,
and that would be long,
because we have an operation
that takes probably
eight to 12 hours.
[Narrator] The team's first task
is to battle the currents
to rotate the two pontoons
90 degrees.
They use steel cables and
winches to turn the barges.
It's no simple task to keep
the 1,800-ton bridge section
balanced and centered.
[Stefan] The most challenging
thing is that we have to do
all operations at the same time,
and they have to be
synchronized.
Therefore, we have to do it
very slowly, but constant,
and that will be the challenge.
[Narrator] It takes
a nerve-racking two hours
to rotate the large span.
The next step is to carefully
line the bridge up
with its final resting place.
[Narrator] The team uses four
winches to haul the pontoons
close to the drop zone.
[Kees Kompier] The dark makes it
slightly difficult
to see everything, but we are
moving very smoothly
and controlled at the moment.
So far, so good.
[Narrator] Then, they use
remote-controlled trailers
to move the segment
the final 19 meters.
The operators on either side
must stay in constant contact
to move the trailers
at the same pace.
[Kees] In the end, we need
to position the bridge
very accurate in the middle.
That’s very critical.
♪
♪
[Narrator] It takes another
two hours for the team
to slowly inch the freezing
bridge to its fixing point.
Now they pump water
into the pontoons
to make them sink
and lower the load.
[Narrator] After a long
and challenging night
[Stefan] Whew! Yeah. That's it.
[Narrator] the moving span
of Europe's largest
lift-swing railway bridge
is finally in place.
[Stefan] Well.
[Narrator]
The team is exhausted,
but it’s a triumphant moment.
The next step is to test
the swing mechanism.
Then they can look forward
to the end of the project,
when the bridge is
put into action,
carrying trains
to and from Germany,
and swinging open to give
passage to giant cruise ships.
[horn blows]
Germany's position
at the crossroads of Europe
has not only fueled innovative
infrastructure projects,
but has also driven
breakthroughs
in megascale architecture.
German engineering
is responsible
for many of the world’s
tallest churches.
Cologne's twin-spired cathedral
reaches a dizzying height
of 157 meters,
and St. Nicholas' Church
in Hamburg
stretches to around 147 meters.
The city of Ulm
in southern Germany
is home to the tallest spire
of them all.
[Narrator] This is Ulm Minster,
the world’s tallest church.
Its steeple soars an
astonishing 161.5 meters high,
making it over 20 meters taller
than the Great Pyramid of Giza.
When work started on
the Minster back in 1377,
it was designed to hold
a congregation that was larger
than the population
of the town itself.
The funds to build it were
raised by the people of Ulm
to put their town on the map.
Little did they know
their creation would be
a record-breaker
over 600 years later.
Today, it's covered
in scaffolding,
because an extraordinary
engineering rescue is underway.
♪
Aaron Weisser has been
overseeing essential work
on the church’s main spire
for three years.
[Aaron Weisser, translated]
So, the special thing
about the Minster is that
it catches everybody's eye,
no matter which direction
you drive from.
That’s why they built it
as high as they could.
[Narrator] The main structure of
the church is made from brick,
topped with a lace-like skeleton
of finely carved sandstone.
This stonework is the focus
of the current renovations.
Deep inside the pillars
lie iron dowels
that hold the sections
of stone together.
But over time, the iron
can rust and expand
[cracking]
threatening
to crack the stone
they were designed to support.
Aaron's task is
to replace the old iron
with a new core of
non-corrosive stainless steel.
♪
Today, the team is attempting
to remove an iron dowel
that sits a dizzying
66 meters up the spire.
They mark accurate cut lines
using a laser.
♪
And chip out a section of
stone, exposing the iron dowel.
♪
♪
Finally, they use a chainsaw
to sever the dowel at the top.
[Aaron] Because the dowels
are relatively large,
we need a lot of saw blades
so that it comes out cleanly
and there’s no movement
in the top.
We want to lose as little stone
as possible
and preserve as much
of the old as we can.
[Narrator] Workers can now
remove the whole piece.
And Aaron drills out the remains
of the over-600-year-old
upper dowel.
The team sets off
on a vertiginous trip
down to the site’s workshop.
♪
In the workshop,
Aaron begins the restoration.
First, he adds new stone
to replace the section
he chipped away, and his team
prepares the cornice
that the restored stonework
will sit on.
Then he drills a hole
for the new metal dowel.
They haul the stonework
back up the tower.
Inside, it has a new dowel
suspended on the end
of a string.
They carefully line up the holes
and lower the new dowel
into place.
Now the junction must be
made watertight.
They line it with
a layer of molding clay
and then pour in molten lead,
just as the original builders
did centuries ago.
♪
The metal cools to reveal
a shiny new joint,
and the team celebrate
another perfect repair.
[Aaron] I’m very satisfied.
We’ve completely
achieved our goal.
It's a very beautiful
Gothic building,
and that’s what the Minster
is all about, the character.
♪
[Narrator] The invention of the
automobile by German engineer
Karl Benz in 1886
changed the world.
Today, Germany is still
the biggest
producer of cars in Europe.
Volkswagen's plant in Wolfsburg
is one of the largest
car factories in the world.
In Munich, there's one car
manufacturer that's engineering
their megascale factory
to new limits.
This factory,
in the heart of Munich,
is home to
the Bavarian Motor Works,
or BMW for short.
The workforce here
has been producing
high-performance motorcycles
and cars for over 100 years.
Around 1,000 vehicles roll off
the production line every day.
This plant is
a manufacturing powerhouse
packed with
cutting-edge technology,
from 1,200 high-precision robots
to pioneering
autonomous systems.
Now, BMW is embarking
on an astonishing challenge.
Engineers here are knocking
down outdated buildings
and replacing them
with state-of-the-art
production lines
for electric cars.
They're racing against the clock
to get the new lines
up and running in record time.
[Mohan Noronha] This project is
absolutely historic
in the history of Munich.
[Narrator] Mohan Noronha leads
this complex operation.
[Mohan] Shutting down the plant
is no option,
so we have to keep the plant
at a steady state,
producing full capacity,
and at the same time
building up the new facility.
[Narrator] But keeping
this complex project moving
creates massive
logistical problems.
[Narrator] A fleet
of heavy-duty trucks
delivers up to 70 segments
to the BMW construction site
each day with
clockwork precision.
[Fabian Weichselgartner,
translated] All delivery trucks
that enter the site are timed
via a digital system.
[Narrator] Each truck is
precisely scheduled to enter
and leave the construction site
within just 60 minutes.
This is critical
to avoid disrupting
around 800 daily deliveries
to the production line.
[Fabian] This construction site
is a massive
logistical challenge for us.
[Narrator]
Once delivered to site,
the team immediately
hooks the modules
to the 10 cranes in operation,
ready for liftoff.
[Fabian] We have about 7,200
parts that we need to install
in the largest hall here.
[Narrator] The team here aren’t
just fighting against time.
They’re also fighting space.
With little room to maneuver,
they use a compact crawler crane
to help build
in this tight spot.
It has steel tracks
and a low center of gravity
that allow it to lift materials
and access confined spaces
that larger fixed cranes
can’t reach.
[Operator] It's one
of the toughest sites
which I ever worked.
Check my left side
before I’m swinging.
Check my left side.
Here, before you touch
the joystick,
you have to watch twice,
because there is plenty
of every machine.
So you have to be careful
about every move.
[Narrator] The team has just
millimeters of space
to play with.
[Operator] Not enough, slow.
[Narrator] to slot
each beam into position.
[Operator] Okay.
[Narrator] Finally,
the beam is in place.
[Worker] Stop.
[Narrator] They then
quickly anchor it
to the rest of the structure.
So far, workers have
already completed
two of the new
production buildings.
If they keep up this pace,
the new Munich factory complex
will be completed
in just 18 months,
safeguarding Germany's
iconic car manufacturer
for the future.
Germany has not only led the way
with large-scale architecture
and infrastructure projects,
but is also home
to some of the world's
most remarkable machines.
Germany is one of Europe's
largest centers for logistics,
and it’s driven
by mega-scale machines.
Hamburg is equipped with
Europe's largest rail port,
handling around 200
freight trains a day.
And Duisburg, the largest
inland port in the world,
uses high-tech cranes
to distribute goods
across the nation’s vast
network of rivers and canals.
In Brunsbuttel,
on the north coast,
a series of vast machines
keep Germany's
most critical artificial
waterway moving.
♪
This is the Brunsbuttel
lock complex,
one of Germany’s largest
ship locks.
For over 110 years, it's
provided safe passage for ships
traveling between
the tidal River Elbe
and the world's busiest
artificial waterway,
the Kiel Canal.
The canal provides
a vital shortcut
between the North
and Baltic Seas
and handles over 100
seagoing vessels every day
through its four enormous
lock chambers.
Now, as part of a massive
modernization project,
the facility is about to get
a brand new lock.
♪
In the heart
of the Brunsbuttel complex,
a monumental new lock chamber
is taking shape.
It is longer than
three football fields,
with gates that are
seven stories tall
and weigh over 2,000 tons.
[horn blows]
The chamber can hold up to four
large ships at a time.
To move them to the level
of the River Elbe,
which changes with the tide
throughout the day,
the chamber either floods
with water to lift them up
or it releases water
to lower them down.
All in just 45 minutes,
so they can quickly
continue their voyage.
♪
[Narrator] Civil engineer
Annemarie Brandt
spearheads the project.
[Annemarie Brandt, translated]
A lock chamber of this size
is unique.
You only build something
like this once in a lifetime.
[Narrator] One of the team's
biggest challenges
is the location
of the construction site.
It sits on an island
right between
the busy existing lock chambers.
A ferry has to do 20 trips
a day to drop off trucks
carrying building materials
and equipment.
Right now, to construct
the massive interior walls
of the chamber, they need over
6,000 cubic meters of concrete.
[Narrator]
The Brunsbuttel island's
on-site concrete factory
mixes the raw ingredients
delivered from shore.
[Lasse Eichert, translated]
The types of concrete that
we use here were all specially
manufactured or tested
just for this construction site.
[Narrator] The chamber's walls
will be exposed to the elements
all year round,
so the concrete mix
must contain tiny air bubbles
to allow it to expand
without cracking
when it freezes.
The team must test each batch
to check it has the right
volume of bubbles.
This batch passes the test,
and they begin to pour.
[Lasse] The section
we are concreting today
is 27 meters long and holds
120 cubic meters of concrete.
♪
♪
[Narrator] It takes 10 hours for
them to complete this section.
They insulate the concrete
to help it cure in the cold
overnight.
It will take around 15 more
concrete pours like this
to complete the chamber.
The team is on track
to finish the new lock,
ready for a grand opening
in two years' time,
upgrading this historic
engineering wonder
for the 21st century.
♪
Germany's rugged and
mountainous landscape
was shaped over
millions of years.
Across the centuries,
its engineers have devised
innovative ways to keep vital
transport routes connected.
The historic Oberjoch Pass
in the German Alps
was built in the 16th century
to transport salt from Austria.
The Goltzsch Viaduct helped
connect Saxony and Bavaria
during the 19th century
and is the largest brick-built
bridge in the world.
Outside Berlin,
there's a unique site
that boasts not one,
but two engineering wonders.
These two extraordinary
machines are ship lifts:
supersized elevators that
raise and lower huge vessels.
They shuttle ships up and down
between the old Oder River
and the Oder-Havel Canal.
The two waterways act
as a key link between Berlin
and the Baltic Sea,
but are separated by
a 36-meter vertical gap.
The first lift here
was opened in 1934,
and in 2022, engineers
added a second,
next-generation elevator
to boost capacity.
Vast concrete slabs
counterbalance
the nearly 10,000-ton
lifting trough,
which can move everything from
river cruisers to cargo ships
up to 110 meters long.
The trough always
weighs the same,
no matter how heavy the ship is.
This is because
each ship displaces
exactly as much water
as it weighs.
Marco Richlowski is
one of the operators
in charge of running the new
500 million-euro megalift.
[Marco Richlowski, translated]
I'm on my way to
the control desk, which is at
the very top of the ship lift.
From there, everything that
has to do with the new ship lift
is controlled and directed.
[Narrator] The team operates
the high-tech machine
from a control tower
directly above the trough.
When a ship sails into the lift
from the upper canal,
Marco activates the partition
wall to seal off the trough.
Then the machinery fires up.
♪
Eight electric motors set
the nearly 10,000-ton trough
in motion.
Then the 14 sets of concrete
counterweights take over.
As the counterweights move up,
they control the descent of
the massive water-filled basin.
Thanks to this
counterweight technology,
the lift can move
a 2,300-ton ship
using the minimum
of electrical energy.
And the system works the same
no matter how big or small
the vessel.
♪
It takes less than
five minutes to lower.
The operator drops
the partition wall
so the boat can set sail
in the lower waterway.
[Marco] The structure is
undoubtedly
an engineering achievement.
It’s nice to operate
such a system.
We're talking about 10,000 tons
that I drive
back and forth here.
[Narrator] The original elevator
here is still in use.
Unlike its modern
concrete neighbor,
the 1930s lift is constructed
from 14,000 tons
of steel latticework.
It was opened five years before
the outbreak of World War II,
and although the area
saw heavy fighting,
it survived largely intact,
and now, in high season, the
two lifts move around 60 ships
between the two waterways
every day.
Thanks to these twin marvels
of maritime engineering,
traffic continues to flow
on this essential waterway
between Berlin
and the Baltic Sea.
♪
♪
Throughout history,
engineering prowess
has been instrumental
in connecting Germany
to its neighbors.
Today, this nation at the
crossroads of the continent
continues to drive innovation
and connectivity across Europe.
[Narrator] These are the
engineering wonders of Germany,
their secrets revealed in a way
never seen before.
Visionaries shaped this land
into the crossroads of Europe,
constructing
groundbreaking waterways,
world-beating machines
and pioneering structures.
Today, German engineers
continue this legacy
with record-breaking
infrastructure projects
and spectacular innovations.
In this series, we reveal
the secrets of the engineering
that built Europe's
great nations,
the wonders that shape
its cities,
landscapes and history.
We reveal the astonishing
innovations
and surprising connections
that helped to forge
this mighty continent.
♪
♪
Germany is located
in the heart of Europe.
It's surrounded by
nine countries
and stretches from the Alps
in the south
to the North and Baltic Seas.
Over the centuries,
Germany's central location
has brought wealth
and prosperity.
Today, its broad rivers and
canals connect European markets
for cars, heavy machinery
and electrical parts.
Its engineers built
a vast rail network
and one of the world's largest
superhighway systems,
the Autobahn.
♪
German engineers are also famed
for record-breaking
monster machines.
The largest terrestrial vehicle
ever built
is a German-made
bucket-wheel excavator.
And the dramatic Zugspitze
aerial tramway in the Alps
has the longest climb of
any cable car in the world.
Now, in Munich,
an innovative new project
takes engineering
to a whole new level.
♪
This is Europe’s largest and
most innovative surf park.
♪
This incredible high-tech pool
took over two years to build,
and it runs on a system
called Endless Surf
which uses compressed air
instead of paddles or plows
to generate waves.
The powerful wave generator
can create a custom wave
every 10 seconds, replicating
natural wave patterns
and achieving heights
of up to 2.2 meters.
Solar energy powers almost
all of the machinery.
This wonder of pneumatic
engineering creates waves
so accurate to nature
that Olympians use it
to help them train in the heart
of mainland Europe.
Chris Boehm-Tettelbach is
the park’s founder.
[Chris Boehm-Tettelbach] We had
about 60 architects and planners
to create this place,
because something like this
has never been built before.
[Narrator] The secret to
the park's miracle waves
lies hidden on the edge
of the pool.
34 water-filled chambers
fitted with high-powered
air pumps.
They blast pressurized air
into curved channels
and then release it
to push and pull
on a column of water
which generates waves
in the pool.
Together, the pumps can shift
up to 10,000 cubic meters
of water every second.
The park is coming out
of a four-week winter break.
Crewmembers are working flat out
to ensure that everything is
ready for the new season ahead.
Chief Surfing Officer
Michi Mohr and colleague Till
are gearing up for the most
crucial test of all:
the pneumatic wave generator.
[Michi Mohr] Maybe I'm
the only one in the world
that has the title
Chief Surfing Officer,
but basically I'm in charge
of all the surf experience here,
and so obviously now
comes the fun part,
testing those waves
that we created.
[Narrator] The team
operates the waves
from a control tower
above the pool.
[Michi] Ranja?
[speaks German]
♪
[Narrator] The operator
can generate
seven different preset patterns
from beginner waves
to expert level barrels.
♪
They start with
the beginner wave settings
and then ride progressively
bigger patterns
to check for wave height
and pacing.
♪
Michi then checks
the full expert settings.
The wave quickly powers up to
a height of over two meters.
Carrying Michi across
the entire length of the pool.
[Michi] The pressure,
the steepness of the wave
felt really good.
So we were really pleased
with the result.
So I think everyone
will be really stoked
to get into the new season.
[Narrator] With their tests
complete, the park opens
and quickly fills up with surf
fans from across the globe,
eager to try out
this one-of-a-kind
engineering wonder.
♪
♪
Throughout history, German
engineers have broken ground
on some of Europe’s greatest
infrastructure projects.
German engineers have pioneered
travel by rail,
inventing the diesel engine
and the first electric tramway.
In Wuppertal, they built
the world's first
electric suspension
public railway
at the turn of the 20th century.
And in the 1980s,
a German high-speed train
set a world speed record of
over 405 kilometers per hour.
Back in Munich,
engineers are creating
a new record-breaking
railway station
with an extraordinary twist.
This is the construction site
of Marienhof station.
It's part of Munich's brand new
rapid commuter line
and the deepest station
ever built in Germany.
The scale of the project is
unprecedented for the city.
Engineers need to dig down over
40 meters to excavate tunnels
beneath the city’s existing
subterranean metro lines.
The entire project is set to
cost nearly 11 billion euros,
and the underground station
itself will be enormous.
Johannes Jessen is a senior
project engineer on the site.
[Johannes Jessen, translated]
We’re building a cathedral
underground here,
at least in terms of the sheer
amount of earth we’re moving.
That’s 185,000 cubic meters.
[Narrator] The deeper
the team here dig,
the greater the challenge.
Water saturates the soil,
which could swamp machinery
or cause the excavation
to cave in.
To deal with the wet ground
under Munich,
The team must cast
massive concrete walls
deep into the ground.
Then they remove the earth
inside, layer by layer,
40 meters down,
to build the backbone
of the station.
But now, as they dig
their first tunnel,
they must venture outside
the concrete box.
To avoid groundwater
flooding in,
they must seal off the tunnel
and use compressed air
to push back the water.
♪
For the tunnel builders,
that means stepping through
a high-pressure air lock each
morning just to get to work.
It’s a scene straight
out of sci-fi.
The air pressure
inside the tunnel
can be up to twice the pressure
of the air outside.
Similar to the pressure
a diver feels
five to 10 meters underwater.
[Narrator] Tools and even
heavy machinery
must also enter the tunnel
via the pressure lock.
♪
[Marcin Russek, translated]
Air enters the chamber
through these flaps.
It's fed through compressors
at 0.5 bar
so that we can work here.
[Narrator] To combat the risk
of diesel fumes
poisoning
the pressurized tunnel,
all the heavy machinery used
on site is electric.
[Marcin] It's the first time
I've worked
on a construction site where all
of the devices are electrical.
And I’m really impressed by
how the electric machines work.
[Narrator] Marienhof station
is designed to be the hub
of a new rapid commuter line
that connects Munich's center
with its sprawling suburbs,
but 16 train and metro lines
already cross below the city,
transporting over one million
passengers a day.
So the new line has
to be dug even deeper
to avoid these existing
underground lines.
As each tunneling shift ends,
the team must depressurize
for around 10 minutes
before they head home
for the day.
[Marcin] When you get out
of the pressure zone,
it's simply a relief,
because you're happy
to see daylight again
and have completed the work.
[Narrator] It’s slow progress.
Working this way
means the team completes
a maximum of two meters
of tunnel a day.
But once finished,
this landmark station and line
will play a vital role,
easing the burden
on the city’s busy transport
system for generations to come.
♪
German engineers are
pioneers of aviation,
creating the first
practical helicopter
and the first airline.
Today, ingenious taxiway
bridges carry aircraft
over the Autobahn to help
the country's
busy airports to grow.
The Heligoland Archipelago
is home
to perhaps Germany’s
most dramatic airport.
Three runways here
stretch across a small
850-meter-wide island of sand
in the middle of the North Sea.
In Frankfurt am Main, engineers
are expanding an airport
to make it fit for
21st century air travel.
♪
Frankfurt Airport is the busiest
aviation hub in Germany.
Around 1,200 flights take off
and land here every day,
moving over 60 million
passengers a year.
Now, behind the scenes,
a massive transformation
is under way.
Engineers are building
a brand new terminal.
It's one of Europe's largest
infrastructure projects,
with a construction site the
size of 25 football pitches.
Once complete, passengers
will reach the terminal
via an autonomous Skyline train.
The terminal has
a vast check-in hall
and four massive concourses,
equipped to service a minimum
of 33 aircraft at once.
It will boost capacity
by an additional 25 million
passengers annually.
Building this record-breaking
structure is no simple task.
[Narrator] The biggest challenge
for the project's engineers,
like Alexander Betz,
is keeping planes flying
while this transformation
takes place.
[Alexander Betz, translated]
It is very challenging.
We’re in the middle
of the operational area.
So, the airplanes roll around
our construction site.
[Narrator] It's critical that
no construction dust
blows onto the live runways.
This could cloud
the pilots' vision,
or even worse, damage
the aircraft engines.
[Alexander] We have to make sure
that we don't stir up dust here
that blows onto the runway
or into an aeroplane.
[Narrator] The airport sits
on a vast, flat plain
that's waterlogged,
which makes building
the new terminal here
even more difficult.
To lay the foundations,
engineers have to dig
up to 11 meters deep.
But groundwater rushes in
as they excavate,
flooding the pit.
They have to work with divers
to help pour
nearly 40,000 cubic meters of
concrete to stabilize the site.
Then pump out the groundwater,
clearing the way
for construction to begin.
♪
It takes three years
to erect the walls
of the terminal building.
Construction space on site
is limited,
so the team have to divide
its enormous 10,000-ton roof,
the size of two and a half
football fields,
into five sections,
and use a hydraulic platform
to carefully slide them
into place.
♪
The new terminal is set to
redefine airport innovation.
♪
A pioneering system will
capture the heat generated
by the baggage handling system
and the thousands
of daily passengers
and redistribute it
to warm the building.
At its core are central heating
and cooling plants,
hidden below
the main terminal hall.
They connect to
the entire building
via a network of pipes.
A large array of solar panels
will cover the roof,
enabling the terminal to
generate its energy needs
largely from
sustainable sources.
[Worker] Stop!
[Narrator] After 10 years
of construction,
the new terminal will welcome
its first passengers
as Europe's most
advanced airport
finally opens its doors.
Over the centuries, German
engineers have developed
innovative ways for people
to traverse its rivers.
The double-decker
Oberbaum Bridge in Berlin
opened in 1896.
The Mungstener steel bridge
in Solingen
is the highest railway bridge
in Germany,
and the Magdeburg Water Bridge
is the world's longest
navigable aqueduct,
and passes over the River Elbe.
Now, a new crossing taking
shape on the River Ems
is set to be a record-breaking
engineering wonder.
[Narrator] This is
the construction site
of the Friesen Rail Bridge.
When complete, this brand new
artery will carry a train link
to the Netherlands
and also swing open to allow
ships to pass through
on their way
to the nearby North Sea.
[horn blows]
Measuring 337 meters long,
the new Friesen Bridge will be
the largest lift-swing bridge
ever constructed in Europe.
At its heart is
a hydraulic system
with six lifting cylinders
that raise the 1,800-ton
movable span.
Eight hydraulic motors
then swivel it 90 degrees,
allowing ships up to
50 meters wide to pass through.
The most challenging part
of the bridge's construction
is the installation
of the enormous
145-meter-long swinging span.
It is built from steel
and has been shipped to site
on giant floating pontoons
ready to anchor it
into position.
Right now, ties secure it
to the riverside.
The team needs to wait
until high tide
for the water
to raise the bridge
to the correct height
for installation.
High tide tonight
arrives after dark.
Stefan Schwede is
the lead engineer
on this high-stakes
nighttime operation.
[Stefan Schwede] There are many
people involved,
and they all have
to know what to do
and to really work as a team
and be motivated
over the whole time,
and that would be long,
because we have an operation
that takes probably
eight to 12 hours.
[Narrator] The team's first task
is to battle the currents
to rotate the two pontoons
90 degrees.
They use steel cables and
winches to turn the barges.
It's no simple task to keep
the 1,800-ton bridge section
balanced and centered.
[Stefan] The most challenging
thing is that we have to do
all operations at the same time,
and they have to be
synchronized.
Therefore, we have to do it
very slowly, but constant,
and that will be the challenge.
[Narrator] It takes
a nerve-racking two hours
to rotate the large span.
The next step is to carefully
line the bridge up
with its final resting place.
[Narrator] The team uses four
winches to haul the pontoons
close to the drop zone.
[Kees Kompier] The dark makes it
slightly difficult
to see everything, but we are
moving very smoothly
and controlled at the moment.
So far, so good.
[Narrator] Then, they use
remote-controlled trailers
to move the segment
the final 19 meters.
The operators on either side
must stay in constant contact
to move the trailers
at the same pace.
[Kees] In the end, we need
to position the bridge
very accurate in the middle.
That’s very critical.
♪
♪
[Narrator] It takes another
two hours for the team
to slowly inch the freezing
bridge to its fixing point.
Now they pump water
into the pontoons
to make them sink
and lower the load.
[Narrator] After a long
and challenging night
[Stefan] Whew! Yeah. That's it.
[Narrator] the moving span
of Europe's largest
lift-swing railway bridge
is finally in place.
[Stefan] Well.
[Narrator]
The team is exhausted,
but it’s a triumphant moment.
The next step is to test
the swing mechanism.
Then they can look forward
to the end of the project,
when the bridge is
put into action,
carrying trains
to and from Germany,
and swinging open to give
passage to giant cruise ships.
[horn blows]
Germany's position
at the crossroads of Europe
has not only fueled innovative
infrastructure projects,
but has also driven
breakthroughs
in megascale architecture.
German engineering
is responsible
for many of the world’s
tallest churches.
Cologne's twin-spired cathedral
reaches a dizzying height
of 157 meters,
and St. Nicholas' Church
in Hamburg
stretches to around 147 meters.
The city of Ulm
in southern Germany
is home to the tallest spire
of them all.
[Narrator] This is Ulm Minster,
the world’s tallest church.
Its steeple soars an
astonishing 161.5 meters high,
making it over 20 meters taller
than the Great Pyramid of Giza.
When work started on
the Minster back in 1377,
it was designed to hold
a congregation that was larger
than the population
of the town itself.
The funds to build it were
raised by the people of Ulm
to put their town on the map.
Little did they know
their creation would be
a record-breaker
over 600 years later.
Today, it's covered
in scaffolding,
because an extraordinary
engineering rescue is underway.
♪
Aaron Weisser has been
overseeing essential work
on the church’s main spire
for three years.
[Aaron Weisser, translated]
So, the special thing
about the Minster is that
it catches everybody's eye,
no matter which direction
you drive from.
That’s why they built it
as high as they could.
[Narrator] The main structure of
the church is made from brick,
topped with a lace-like skeleton
of finely carved sandstone.
This stonework is the focus
of the current renovations.
Deep inside the pillars
lie iron dowels
that hold the sections
of stone together.
But over time, the iron
can rust and expand
[cracking]
threatening
to crack the stone
they were designed to support.
Aaron's task is
to replace the old iron
with a new core of
non-corrosive stainless steel.
♪
Today, the team is attempting
to remove an iron dowel
that sits a dizzying
66 meters up the spire.
They mark accurate cut lines
using a laser.
♪
And chip out a section of
stone, exposing the iron dowel.
♪
♪
Finally, they use a chainsaw
to sever the dowel at the top.
[Aaron] Because the dowels
are relatively large,
we need a lot of saw blades
so that it comes out cleanly
and there’s no movement
in the top.
We want to lose as little stone
as possible
and preserve as much
of the old as we can.
[Narrator] Workers can now
remove the whole piece.
And Aaron drills out the remains
of the over-600-year-old
upper dowel.
The team sets off
on a vertiginous trip
down to the site’s workshop.
♪
In the workshop,
Aaron begins the restoration.
First, he adds new stone
to replace the section
he chipped away, and his team
prepares the cornice
that the restored stonework
will sit on.
Then he drills a hole
for the new metal dowel.
They haul the stonework
back up the tower.
Inside, it has a new dowel
suspended on the end
of a string.
They carefully line up the holes
and lower the new dowel
into place.
Now the junction must be
made watertight.
They line it with
a layer of molding clay
and then pour in molten lead,
just as the original builders
did centuries ago.
♪
The metal cools to reveal
a shiny new joint,
and the team celebrate
another perfect repair.
[Aaron] I’m very satisfied.
We’ve completely
achieved our goal.
It's a very beautiful
Gothic building,
and that’s what the Minster
is all about, the character.
♪
[Narrator] The invention of the
automobile by German engineer
Karl Benz in 1886
changed the world.
Today, Germany is still
the biggest
producer of cars in Europe.
Volkswagen's plant in Wolfsburg
is one of the largest
car factories in the world.
In Munich, there's one car
manufacturer that's engineering
their megascale factory
to new limits.
This factory,
in the heart of Munich,
is home to
the Bavarian Motor Works,
or BMW for short.
The workforce here
has been producing
high-performance motorcycles
and cars for over 100 years.
Around 1,000 vehicles roll off
the production line every day.
This plant is
a manufacturing powerhouse
packed with
cutting-edge technology,
from 1,200 high-precision robots
to pioneering
autonomous systems.
Now, BMW is embarking
on an astonishing challenge.
Engineers here are knocking
down outdated buildings
and replacing them
with state-of-the-art
production lines
for electric cars.
They're racing against the clock
to get the new lines
up and running in record time.
[Mohan Noronha] This project is
absolutely historic
in the history of Munich.
[Narrator] Mohan Noronha leads
this complex operation.
[Mohan] Shutting down the plant
is no option,
so we have to keep the plant
at a steady state,
producing full capacity,
and at the same time
building up the new facility.
[Narrator] But keeping
this complex project moving
creates massive
logistical problems.
[Narrator] A fleet
of heavy-duty trucks
delivers up to 70 segments
to the BMW construction site
each day with
clockwork precision.
[Fabian Weichselgartner,
translated] All delivery trucks
that enter the site are timed
via a digital system.
[Narrator] Each truck is
precisely scheduled to enter
and leave the construction site
within just 60 minutes.
This is critical
to avoid disrupting
around 800 daily deliveries
to the production line.
[Fabian] This construction site
is a massive
logistical challenge for us.
[Narrator]
Once delivered to site,
the team immediately
hooks the modules
to the 10 cranes in operation,
ready for liftoff.
[Fabian] We have about 7,200
parts that we need to install
in the largest hall here.
[Narrator] The team here aren’t
just fighting against time.
They’re also fighting space.
With little room to maneuver,
they use a compact crawler crane
to help build
in this tight spot.
It has steel tracks
and a low center of gravity
that allow it to lift materials
and access confined spaces
that larger fixed cranes
can’t reach.
[Operator] It's one
of the toughest sites
which I ever worked.
Check my left side
before I’m swinging.
Check my left side.
Here, before you touch
the joystick,
you have to watch twice,
because there is plenty
of every machine.
So you have to be careful
about every move.
[Narrator] The team has just
millimeters of space
to play with.
[Operator] Not enough, slow.
[Narrator] to slot
each beam into position.
[Operator] Okay.
[Narrator] Finally,
the beam is in place.
[Worker] Stop.
[Narrator] They then
quickly anchor it
to the rest of the structure.
So far, workers have
already completed
two of the new
production buildings.
If they keep up this pace,
the new Munich factory complex
will be completed
in just 18 months,
safeguarding Germany's
iconic car manufacturer
for the future.
Germany has not only led the way
with large-scale architecture
and infrastructure projects,
but is also home
to some of the world's
most remarkable machines.
Germany is one of Europe's
largest centers for logistics,
and it’s driven
by mega-scale machines.
Hamburg is equipped with
Europe's largest rail port,
handling around 200
freight trains a day.
And Duisburg, the largest
inland port in the world,
uses high-tech cranes
to distribute goods
across the nation’s vast
network of rivers and canals.
In Brunsbuttel,
on the north coast,
a series of vast machines
keep Germany's
most critical artificial
waterway moving.
♪
This is the Brunsbuttel
lock complex,
one of Germany’s largest
ship locks.
For over 110 years, it's
provided safe passage for ships
traveling between
the tidal River Elbe
and the world's busiest
artificial waterway,
the Kiel Canal.
The canal provides
a vital shortcut
between the North
and Baltic Seas
and handles over 100
seagoing vessels every day
through its four enormous
lock chambers.
Now, as part of a massive
modernization project,
the facility is about to get
a brand new lock.
♪
In the heart
of the Brunsbuttel complex,
a monumental new lock chamber
is taking shape.
It is longer than
three football fields,
with gates that are
seven stories tall
and weigh over 2,000 tons.
[horn blows]
The chamber can hold up to four
large ships at a time.
To move them to the level
of the River Elbe,
which changes with the tide
throughout the day,
the chamber either floods
with water to lift them up
or it releases water
to lower them down.
All in just 45 minutes,
so they can quickly
continue their voyage.
♪
[Narrator] Civil engineer
Annemarie Brandt
spearheads the project.
[Annemarie Brandt, translated]
A lock chamber of this size
is unique.
You only build something
like this once in a lifetime.
[Narrator] One of the team's
biggest challenges
is the location
of the construction site.
It sits on an island
right between
the busy existing lock chambers.
A ferry has to do 20 trips
a day to drop off trucks
carrying building materials
and equipment.
Right now, to construct
the massive interior walls
of the chamber, they need over
6,000 cubic meters of concrete.
[Narrator]
The Brunsbuttel island's
on-site concrete factory
mixes the raw ingredients
delivered from shore.
[Lasse Eichert, translated]
The types of concrete that
we use here were all specially
manufactured or tested
just for this construction site.
[Narrator] The chamber's walls
will be exposed to the elements
all year round,
so the concrete mix
must contain tiny air bubbles
to allow it to expand
without cracking
when it freezes.
The team must test each batch
to check it has the right
volume of bubbles.
This batch passes the test,
and they begin to pour.
[Lasse] The section
we are concreting today
is 27 meters long and holds
120 cubic meters of concrete.
♪
♪
[Narrator] It takes 10 hours for
them to complete this section.
They insulate the concrete
to help it cure in the cold
overnight.
It will take around 15 more
concrete pours like this
to complete the chamber.
The team is on track
to finish the new lock,
ready for a grand opening
in two years' time,
upgrading this historic
engineering wonder
for the 21st century.
♪
Germany's rugged and
mountainous landscape
was shaped over
millions of years.
Across the centuries,
its engineers have devised
innovative ways to keep vital
transport routes connected.
The historic Oberjoch Pass
in the German Alps
was built in the 16th century
to transport salt from Austria.
The Goltzsch Viaduct helped
connect Saxony and Bavaria
during the 19th century
and is the largest brick-built
bridge in the world.
Outside Berlin,
there's a unique site
that boasts not one,
but two engineering wonders.
These two extraordinary
machines are ship lifts:
supersized elevators that
raise and lower huge vessels.
They shuttle ships up and down
between the old Oder River
and the Oder-Havel Canal.
The two waterways act
as a key link between Berlin
and the Baltic Sea,
but are separated by
a 36-meter vertical gap.
The first lift here
was opened in 1934,
and in 2022, engineers
added a second,
next-generation elevator
to boost capacity.
Vast concrete slabs
counterbalance
the nearly 10,000-ton
lifting trough,
which can move everything from
river cruisers to cargo ships
up to 110 meters long.
The trough always
weighs the same,
no matter how heavy the ship is.
This is because
each ship displaces
exactly as much water
as it weighs.
Marco Richlowski is
one of the operators
in charge of running the new
500 million-euro megalift.
[Marco Richlowski, translated]
I'm on my way to
the control desk, which is at
the very top of the ship lift.
From there, everything that
has to do with the new ship lift
is controlled and directed.
[Narrator] The team operates
the high-tech machine
from a control tower
directly above the trough.
When a ship sails into the lift
from the upper canal,
Marco activates the partition
wall to seal off the trough.
Then the machinery fires up.
♪
Eight electric motors set
the nearly 10,000-ton trough
in motion.
Then the 14 sets of concrete
counterweights take over.
As the counterweights move up,
they control the descent of
the massive water-filled basin.
Thanks to this
counterweight technology,
the lift can move
a 2,300-ton ship
using the minimum
of electrical energy.
And the system works the same
no matter how big or small
the vessel.
♪
It takes less than
five minutes to lower.
The operator drops
the partition wall
so the boat can set sail
in the lower waterway.
[Marco] The structure is
undoubtedly
an engineering achievement.
It’s nice to operate
such a system.
We're talking about 10,000 tons
that I drive
back and forth here.
[Narrator] The original elevator
here is still in use.
Unlike its modern
concrete neighbor,
the 1930s lift is constructed
from 14,000 tons
of steel latticework.
It was opened five years before
the outbreak of World War II,
and although the area
saw heavy fighting,
it survived largely intact,
and now, in high season, the
two lifts move around 60 ships
between the two waterways
every day.
Thanks to these twin marvels
of maritime engineering,
traffic continues to flow
on this essential waterway
between Berlin
and the Baltic Sea.
♪
♪
Throughout history,
engineering prowess
has been instrumental
in connecting Germany
to its neighbors.
Today, this nation at the
crossroads of the continent
continues to drive innovation
and connectivity across Europe.