The sunken holiday paradise that resurfaced

Why did the holiday paradise sink? The story of a catastrophe – and the resurrection of a place that had actually already been written off.

Weathered ruins, crosses on old graves that no one visits anymore and salt-encrusted tree stumps: Villa Epecuén is not a place that welcomes visitors these days. The paths are barely recognizable, and in many places you can find half-rotten objects, old bathtubs or cars belonging to residents who have long since died. Anyone who visits Villa Epecuén can hardly believe that holidaymakers from all over the country once came here. Because the small town in the Argentinian province of Buenos Aires was once a real tourist hotspot.

Thermal baths attract investors and holidaymakers

100 years ago, in 1921, a new holiday paradise was created on Lake Epecuén. In the coming decades, more than 200 hotels will be located here. The highlight, however, are the numerous thermal baths. Because Lake Epecuén is a special lake: it was once, after the Dead Sea in Israel, the body of water with the highest salt content in the world. And so the place, like the region around the Dead Sea, became a popular destination for spa holidaymakers. A railway line was even built so that the remote place could be reached more easily. With success: According to the Spiegel, 25,000 holidaymakers are said to have visited Villa Epecuén every year between December and March alone.

The catastrophe came in the mid-1980s

For decades, holidaymakers who wanted to cure diseases such as neurodermatitis or psoriasis came in droves. It is not surprising that the village’s 1500 or so residents once worked in the tourism industry. But there was a problem in the region: the unpredictable climate, which ultimately led to the catastrophe.

While there was hardly any rain in some decades, such as the 1930s, other years were characterized by heavy rainfall. The year 1985 was particularly rainy. For weeks, there was more rainfall than ever before. Finally, on November 10, 1985, the dam could no longer hold the masses of water. It broke – and Villa Epecuén was submerged, in the lake that was actually the basis of its success. In the worst times, the village was more than 10 meters under water. All residents lost their homes and their livelihoods. The former holiday paradise was submerged. But almost 30 years later, there was an unexpected turn of events.

The “second life” of Villa Epecuén

The rain once fell without ceasing, but today it no longer comes at all. For two decades there have been long dry periods – and the water level of the lake has dropped significantly again. So much so that the ruins of the sunken village have reappeared and have even been open to visitors again for a few years now.

In fact, tourists keep coming, strolling through the unreal world and, above all, taking photos. It is clear that people used to live here, from the many houses, churches and schools. But that it was once a holiday paradise? You need a lot of imagination for that – or the right background knowledge about the special history of Villa Epecuén.