Located in South America, Argentina is home to many beautiful destinationsfrom Heaven Patagonia Thrill-search to the top of the mountains of the Andes. In recent years, it has been a popular place for international tourists, with more than 13 million visitors in 2023.
However, far before millions of international tourists flock to Argentina, a certain place is considered a paradise for the locals. By the 1980s, Villa epecuén It is a hotspot for thousands of tourists every season who wants to take advantage of its salty water lake known for healing. But things changed shortly thereafter.
Today, the Villa Epecuén can be called the “Atlantis” of Argentina, as it is located left and is half swallowed by a lake that has been a resort sales point.
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Villa epecuén is one of the most popular resort cities in Argentina
Doc fishing Villa epecuén, Argentina.
Located 350 miles southwest of Buenos Aires, Villa Epecuén has been a popular holiday destination known for its healing waters and beautiful lake views. However, before it became a resort city, the area was known for its sulfate, which eventually sold to the people of Argentina’s capital for use in their home bath.
After finding out that the healing mineral came from the border lake, Lago Epecuén, a spa resort opened in 1921. The newly opened resort attracts Jewish tourists from Buenos Aires, as the lake offers similar health benefits to the Dead Sea, located between Israel and Jordan.
Bathers at Villa Epecuén, Argentina in 1938.
By the 1960s and 70s, Villa Epecuén was one of Argentina’s most popular holiday destinations. Up to 20,000 tourists visit each seasonHope to find relief from various skin conditions and rheumatism in salt -filled waters. And with the construction of the Ferrocarril Sarmiento train service from Buenos Aires in 1972, tourists continue to come.
Unfortunately, more than ten years later, things in Villa Epecuén took a worse turn.
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Villa epecuén suddenly —but turned into a left -sided land
Flood water at Villa Epecuén, Argentina.
Although those responsible for the Villa Epecuén infrastructure were provided for the possibility of flooding by building reinforcement in 1978, it was not enough to protect the city. On November 10, 1985, heavy rain and wind caused the fort failed.
Once the water breaks through the cavity, it rises almost half an inch every hour. After just two weeks, the lake has increased more than three feet, forcing the residents to move permanently.
The lake continued to rise over the years after the early floods, until 1993, as 32 feet of water covered the city. For 25 years, the roads and buildings of the Villa Epecuén building have never been seen.
The town finally reappeared after the waters began to recede in 2009But what lives in this city is very different from what its population remembers.
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The last population of Villa Epecuén
Many residents of Villa Epecuén have never forgotten the resort, but no one returns after the flood except one person. Pablo Novak, born in the city, returned in his 80s to live between ruins. Although the city is still inundated, Novak moves to one of the many houses left without electricity.
Pablo Novak, the last resident of Villa Epecuén.
Novak’s wife chose not to come back with her, but she was determined to call the Villa Epecuén home again. And despite living other than his family, Novak often remembers the city during his heyday.
“At my age, I just enjoyed life by walking through the ruins of the epecuén, hoping someone would ask me something … I saw this city born and I saw it die. It didn’t affect me anymore,” Novak told CNN in 2015.
Pablo Novak lived in Villa Epecuén until he died in 2024 at the age of 93.
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What’s left in Villa Epecuén today
Today, the ruins of the Villa Epecuén remain open to curious tourists. What was once a crowded city is now abandoned and filled with collapsed buildings, rusty cars, white trees, and a scary clam from slaughtering houses somehow avoiding complete destruction.
Grid Street is still clearly outlined, giving visitors a clear road to explore the resort city.
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While many tourists visiting Villa Epecuén lives in a nearby city of Carhué, this ghost city is also the perfect mid -stop for anyone who finishes Road trip from Buenos Aires to Patagonia. Are you going to visit this left resort on your next trip to Argentina?