Inside Germania, Hitler's massive Nazi utopia that never came to be

In the years leading up to World War II, Adolf Hitler didn't just see Berlin as the capital of Germany — he envisioned it as the capital of the world. 

But according to historian Roger Moorhouse, Berlin was poorly organized and hardly the menacing giant the Nazi leader thought it should be.

So, in 1937, plans surfaced for "Welthauptstadt Germania," or World Capital Germania, an awe-inspiring metropolis inspired by ancient Roman architecture. 

Rooted in a spirit of intimidation, the designs were about as grandiose as urban planning gets.

According to Moorhouse, Berlin's lack of order and its many winding streets made it like most European cities at the time: big, random, and illogical.

Hitler recognized this, so in 1937 he called on architect Albert Speer — pictured on the far right — to help design a Nazi utopia fit for world domination.

The two became incredibly close, Moorehouse says. Speer and Hitler were professional colleagues, but also shared the same politics. They were almost friends.