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Villa Epecuén

Coordinates: 37°7′51″S 62°48′27″W / 37.13083°S 62.80750°W / -37.13083; -62.80750
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Villa Epecuén
Tourist village
2009 photo
2009 photo
Coordinates: 37°7′51″S 62°48′27″W / 37.13083°S 62.80750°W / -37.13083; -62.80750
Country Argentina
ProvinceBuenos Aires
PartidoAdolfo Alsina
Founded1920
Elevation
97 m (318 ft)
Population
 (since 2009)[1]
 • Total
1

Villa Epecuén was a tourist village in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, on the eastern shore of Laguna Epecuén, about 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) north of the city of Carhué. Developed in the early 1920s, Epecuén was accessible from Buenos Aires by train. The Sarmiento Railway line served Villa Epecuén station, while the Midland Railway and the Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway carried passengers to nearby Carhué station.[2] Tourism was developed by an Englishman after taking the land on lease. He marketed the lake as having healing properties, hiring Italian scientists to bolster the claim.[3] At its height, Villa Epecuén could accommodate at least 5,000 visitors.[4]

On 6 November 1985, a seiche, caused by a rare weather pattern, broke a nearby dam, and then the dike protecting the village; the water rose progressively, reaching a peak of 10 metres (33 ft). The village became uninhabitable and was never rebuilt. Many of the ruins are covered by a layer of white and grey salt. At the time, there were up to 280 businesses in Epecuén, including lodges, guesthouses, hotels, and businesses that 25,000 tourists visited between November and March, from the 1950s to the 1970s.

The town reached a population of 1,500 inhabitants at its peak. As of 2011 it had one resident, Pablo Novak, born in 1930, who returned to his home in 2009 when the waters receded after covering the town for 25 years.[1] Pablo's Villa, a 2013 documentary, chronicles the life of the town and of Novak.[5][6]

The town has been featured in the TV shows Abandoned Engineering (season 4, episode 1), and Mysteries of the Abandoned (season 4, episode 1). It was used as a location in the 2010 film And Soon the Darkness, starring Amber Heard and Karl Urban. The city features as the backdrop to one of Danny MacAskill's street trials cycling videos.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b Taylor, Alan (June 2011). "The Ruins of Villa Epecuen". The Atlantic. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  2. ^ Lauren Davis (December 23, 2012). "This Argentinian tourist village sat underwater for 25 years". io9. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  3. ^ "The last inhabitant of Argentina's flooded city". BBC Reel. September 3, 2019. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  4. ^ Giambartolomei, Mauricio (March 22, 2013). "Fotoreportaje: el cementerio olvidado del lago Epecuén". La Nacion (in Spanish). Archived from the original on February 3, 2013. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  5. ^ "Filmmaker Q&A: Matthew Salleh, Pablo's Villa". Sydney Film Festival. June 7, 2013. Archived from the original on July 7, 2014.
  6. ^ Urtext Films (October 3, 2014). "Pablo's Villa". Vimeo.com. Retrieved October 16, 2021.(registration required)
  7. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Danny MacAskill Brings A Forgotten City Back To Life | Epecuén | 2014. YouTube.
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