Ghost Town: How the Tragedy of an Argentine Resort Turned into an Attraction – 09/17/2022
3 min read
Stairs that don’t lead anywhere, old cars that are junk, a fence that no longer defines anything and logs that still resist, this is Villa Epecuén today.
This small resort, located 520 kilometers from Buenos Aires, used to be one of the most visited destinations in Argentina. At that time, 1,200 people lived there, but in 1985 a tragic accident overwhelmed Epicion.
The village was flooded due to heavy rains and poor hydraulic planning at the time; The containment barrier disintegrated and the water from Lake Epequin destroyed everything. Within two weeks, the city was covered by seven meters of water and simply disappeared from the map.
Fortunately, no one died in the flood. Residents only had a few days to pack what they needed and to abandon their homes in a hurry. Many have rebuilt their lives in the neighboring town of Karhoei and had to wait 20 years to return to the small village to see what was left of their property when the waters began to recede.
movie scene? no. Epecuén is located about 500 kilometers from Buenos Aires
Photo: Nickalbi / Getty Images / iStockphoto
ghost town
Today it is just a moraine, but Epecuén is still an interesting place. The ghost town receives many tourists, mostly Argentines. Walking in this white landscape is almost like being in Movie: deserted and deserted streets. Almost horrific scene.
One of the most famous buildings in these ruins is Matadero, an ancient slaughterhouse that still preserves the facade, although inside is ruined. You can still see the lettering at the top of this building designed by the famous Argentine architect Francisco Salamon, a pioneer at the time.
One of the ruined streets of Epicuen: details of the car that was swallowed by the movement of time
Photo: Dimitri Berkut/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Before the flood, Ipekyon was famous for its seaside resorts. Many Argentines visited this place to bathe in the water that was famous for its medicinal properties rich in sulfur and salt.
While walking, you can see signs and photos that tell us what the city was like in the past. Cement benches and tables that may have been part of a square, facades still resisting, columns that once held electric wires, a rusty bathroom sink and streets showing us a path that leads us nowhere.
Imagine what life was like there when this resort lived through its golden age until the mid-1980s almost an inescapable exercise.
The city was destroyed, but no one died in the flood.
Photo: by_ems/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Tourism and Guinness World Records
The nearest town is Carhué, 8 kilometers away. This small town ended up taking advantage of the sad end of Epicyon because nowadays it receives tourists who visit the ruins and also take the opportunity to relax in its thermal waters.
Experts say that the waters of Karhoei have a concentration of salt four times greater than the concentration of salt in the sea. They claim that the waters of this Argentine lake have almost the same salt as the waters of the famous Dead Sea in the Middle East.
The flood formed many lakes that created reflections with the landscape.
Photo: Nickalbi / Getty Images / iStockphoto
That is why in the small town there are heated swimming pools, spas and hotels that offer baths that relieve symptoms of rheumatism and skin infections and help fight stress. Carhué also has the Museo Regional de Adolfo Alsina, which is an interesting stop to better understand the history of Epecuén. In addition, the city has a famous thermal park and an eccentric music record.
Carhué managed to collect the largest number of floating people at the same time without the help of any equipment. In January 2017, 1,941 people broke this record in the waters of Lake Epequin.
For those who want to visit this unique place, the right time to visit Epecuén is in summer because it is very cold in winter. However, the hotels in Carhué are open all year round.
Those in the know suggest that the best time to visit the ghost town is at the end of the day. There the sun is setting on the lake and the sight of nature reminds us once again that it is possible to find beauty even in adversity.
Epicuen Cemetery
Photo: Lucas Carrizo / Getty Images / iStockphoto
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