Villa Epecuén

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]

Villa Epecuén
Tourist village
2009 photo
Coordinates: 37°7′51″S 62°48′27″W
Country Argentina
ProvinceBuenos Aires
PartidoAdolfo Alsina
Founded1920
Elevation
97 m (318 ft)
Population
 (since 2009)[1]
 • Total1

On 6 November 1985, a seiche, caused by a rare weather pattern, broke a nearby dam, and then the dyke 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. It now has a sole 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 featured in a film featuring the street trials cyclist Danny MacAskill, released by Red Bull Media House on 27 May 2014.[7]

The town also featured in Season 4, Episode 1 of the TV show Abandoned Engineering.

References
  1. "The Ruins of Villa Epecuen". Atlantic. June 2011.
  2. Lauren Davis (Dec 23, 2012). "This Argentinian tourist village sat underwater for 25 years". io9.
  3. https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p07m9sl0/the-last-inhabitant-of-argentina-s-flooded-city
  4. Giambartolomei, Mauricio (22 March 2013). "Fotoreportaje: el cementerio olvidado del lago Epecuén". La Nacion. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
  5. "Sydney Film Festival - Filmmaker Q&A: Matthew Salleh, Pablo's Villa". Sff.org.au. Archived from the original on 2014-07-07. Retrieved 2015-11-11.
  6. Urtext Films (2014-03-10). "Pablo's Villa on Vimeo". Vimeo.com. Retrieved 2014-04-05.
  7. Red Bull Media House (2014-05-27). "Danny Macaskill's Epucuén". Retrieved 2014-05-28.
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