The darkest conspiracy theories about Denver's bizarre airport

Even before the current Denver International Airport opened in 1995, even when it was a mere blueprint, it was the subject of countless conspiracy theories.

To this day, the notoriously bizarre airport is shrouded in secrecy, riddled with weird statues and creepy art, and abounding in myths.

There are some crazy conspiracy theories surrounding the airport's true purpose, many of which stem from the airport's confusing origins.

To start with, people don't understand why DEN airport was built in the first place, since there was a fully functioning one closer to downtown.

It's also enormous — the airport is twice the size of Manhattan — and was $2 billion over budget.

The airport also features a plethora of creepy art and strange décor that people don't understand.

It's famous for its terrifying, 32-foot-tall statue of a giant horse with fiery, glowing eyes. Even creepier, the red-eyed statue, called Blue Mustang, killed its sculptor, Luis Jiménez. It fell on him and severed an artery.

Inside the airport, there are also murals of a devil jumping out of a suitcase, as well as a statue of Anubis, the ancient Egyptian god of death. Some of the most controversial murals have now been removed, but they featured a character that resembled a Nazi officer in a gas mask, children in front of a burning building, and kids gathered around a knife.

Some have interpreted one mural as America submitting to Germany, as it depicts a Boy Scout handing a boy in Bavarian clothing his weapons.

Many people believe that this much money and space must be hiding something sketchy. Here are some of the craziest conspiracy theories surrounding the airport.

It was built by Nazi-group the New World Order

Some conspiracists point to the fact that the airport was built by a mysterious group.

A dedication marker and plaques around the airport maintain that it was funded by "The New World Airport Commission," but a little digging shows that no such group seems to exist, which is why people believe it is in actuality the Nazi group the New World Order.

naz.jpg, by Ben Kelly

It's the Illuminati's headquarters

Other theories suggest that since the plaques depict the Masonic square and compass symbol, it must be an Illuminati group.

Adding fuel to that fire is the date of the airport's dedication: March 19, 1994. If you add those numbers together — 1+9+1+9+9+4 — you get 33, the highest level one can achieve in Freemasonry and which represents perfection.

Theories posit that the $2 billion the airport went over budget went into building the Illuminati's HQ beneath the airport. Allegedly, when the airport was first built, it somehow screwed up the first five buildings. Instead of removing them, they're said to have been buried … which sounds like a pretty swank underground lair.

It's hiding fallout shelters

Other conspiracists claim that the airport is hiding underground tunnels and secret bunkers meant to house world leaders in case of some sort of disaster or apocalypse. Apparently, when the airport was first built, it housed a newfangled automated baggage system in its bowels, but the system never worked.

Despite its astronomic cost and the amount of space it takes up, it was never fixed, so many believe it was a way to cover up the existence of multiple tunnels leading to an underground bunker.

Its runways resemble a swastika when viewed from above

If you squint really hard, you'll see it.

Read more:

• This chart is easy to interpret: It says we're screwed
• How Uber became the world's most valuable startup
• These 4 things could trigger the next crisis in Europe

Read the original article on Business Insider UK. © 2016. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter.