Villa Epacuen - Argentine village that has been under water for 25 years
Villa Epacuen - Argentine village that has been under water for 25 years

Video: Villa Epacuen - Argentine village that has been under water for 25 years

Video: Villa Epacuen - Argentine village that has been under water for 25 years
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Villa Epecuen is an Argentine resort that went under water 25 years ago
Villa Epecuen is an Argentine resort that went under water 25 years ago

On the eve of the impending end of the world, it is natural to recall those cities that have already experienced a local apocalypse. One of these Dead Cities - Villa Epecuen, a resort located 600 km from Buenos Aires (Argentina). It was built in the 1920s, and after half a century it became very popular among tourists, because there was an opportunity to relax on the unique salt lake Lago Epecuen. Today, on the site of this village - only ruins, 25 years ago, it went under water as a result of a flood.

Bird's eye view of Villa Epecuen (photo taken in 2011)
Bird's eye view of Villa Epecuen (photo taken in 2011)

It is not for nothing that Lake Lago Epekuen has become a tourist Mecca, it has truly unique properties. The lake is ten times saltier than any of the oceans, and only slightly inferior to the Dead Sea. The therapeutic properties of water have been known for a long time: people came here to treat depression, rheumatism, skin diseases, anemia and even diabetes mellitus.

Photo of Villa Epecuen taken in the 1970s
Photo of Villa Epecuen taken in the 1970s

The first inhabitants settled in the village of Epekuen at the end of the 19th century, and soon the settlement expanded. There was a rail link to Buenos Aires, and soon travelers from South America flooded the Argentine resort. In the middle of the 20th century, about 2,500 thousand people came here annually for vacation, in the 1970s more than 5,000 people lived in the village, about 300 enterprises operated, including hotels, hostels, swimming pools, shops and museums.

Ruins of Villa Epecuen
Ruins of Villa Epecuen

However, nature was not favorable to this land. Gradually, due to the increased amount of precipitation, the water level in the lake rose, this led to the fact that on November 10, 1985, a huge stream of salt water broke through the dam and flooded most of the settlement. By 1993, the village of Epekuen was washed off the face of the earth, the water level was 10 meters. Only by 2009, due to a gradual change in climatic conditions, the water began to recede, and the ruins of the town became visible.

Pablo Novak is the only resident to return to Villa Epecuen after the flood
Pablo Novak is the only resident to return to Villa Epecuen after the flood

By the way, out of one and a half thousand indigenous residents of Villa Epecuen, only one, 81-year-old Pablo Novak, wished to return to his native land. He has lived here alone for several years, reads the newspapers and remembers how the village flourished three decades ago.

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