Located in the interior of the province of Buenos Aires, closer to La Pampa than to the National Congress, Villa Epecuén was founded in nothingness itself. 7 kilometers from Carhué, the closest town, Villa Epecuén was born at the beginning of the last century, between immigration, railways and a lagoon, which would give the town its name, and which would make it a tourist spot like no other. another in the area.
One of the reasons for this tourism was, without a doubt, the good temperatures of Lake Epecuén. In addition to being hot springs, They have high levels of salinity, similar to those of the Dead Sea (that is, between 350 and 370 grams of salt per liter of water). All this created an ideal environment to be with the family on hot summer days and, incidentally, treat any rheumatic ailment. For years, in fact, Lake Epecuén was more of an attraction for those seeking to regain their health than for sun worshipers.
A promising start
On January 21, 1921, More than 100 years ago, the lawyer and politician of the Conservative Party, Arturo Dalmacio Vatteone inaugurated the first spa in the area, which received the name “Mar de Epecuén”. Little by little the area began to be populated, largely thanks to the subdivision of many of the lands in the area.
Another key factor that influenced the rapid development of the town was, like that of many other towns in our country, the railway. In those years, the old Western Railway (today known as the Sarmiento Train, the one that connects the western area with Once) had among its stations the so-called “Lago Epecuén”, that with the creation of the town began to gain importance within the route. In turn, the neighboring town of Carhué had connection with the Midland Railway and the Southern Railway. Access to the town was assured.
In less than 10 years and by the beginning of the 1930s, Epecuén already had everything and more than any town of the time had: luxury hotels, gastronomy, and industries mainly destined for the exploitation of Sal del Lago.
The nightmare that became reality
In the 1970s, Epecuén was the place chosen by thousands of Argentines to spend their vacations. With a stable population of 1500 people (several sources differ and allege that at least 1,800 people lived in Epecuén), Between the months of January and February this number rose to 25,000 people, an incredible figure for that time. To put it in statistics: in the summers, the population of Epecuén increased by 1,700%, a percentage that today is a record in our country. But the good was short-lived.
At the beginning of 1975, The government of the Province of Buenos Aires began the construction of the Ameghino canal, with the objective of being able to regulate the flow of all the lagoons in the region (not just Epecuén). Although it sounded good, a decrease in the flow of the Epecuén lagoon brought with it a decrease in tourism and economic activity itself. The last civic-military coup caused the works to stop and be abandoned.
By 1980, the situation was already unstable. In that context, the The weather ended up deciding the fate of the town. That time, heavy rains caused the lagoon to grow 60 cm per year, which posed a threat to the town. Even with a defense against water, little could be done.
The historic, and catastrophic, overflow of the Salado River in 1985 put thousands of people in check and caused millions of economic losses. On November 10, Epecuén’s turn would come. In the blink of an eye, the embankment gave way and the water entered the town, flooding it in just minutes. After 15 intense days of evacuation and media coverage,
Epecuén had been left under water, and its inhabitants had been displaced to Carhué. In the coming years, the situation only worsened. The water continued to rise and the ruins of the town could not be seen for more than 20 years. Only at the beginning of 2010, the first houses and streets re-emerged. But among all this darkness, someone saw some light and hope. His name was Pablo Novak.
A movie life
Pablo Novak was born on January 25, 1930. He was the son of a brickmaker from Epecuén and had twelve siblings.. He and his family lived in the flesh the beginning and the end of Epecuén. When the tragedy occurred in November 1985, he and his family were transferred to Carhué, where everyone began a new life, except Pablo, who always knew that his heart was in Epecuén, whether on land or underwater. .
Pablo settled in one of the few buildings that were still standing, and there, among so much loneliness, he began to ride a bicycle and horseback, listen to the radio and have some baby deer. Even so, Pablo and his wife formed a gigantic family: They had 10 children, he was the grandfather of 25 grandchildren and the great-grandfather of another 9. He never left Epecuén. He lived in the ghost town while his family and children were in Carhué. Together with his dog Chozno, she lived her last years of life, full of cameras, interviews and appearances in the media, something that he would never have imagined.
His incredible story made many go to Epecuén to chat and meet Don Pablo. By searching for “Pablo Novak Epecuén” on YouTube, there are hundreds of videos – both in Spanish and other languages - where he can be seen talking about his life, his town and his hobbies. Among so many files, the video made by the Mexican YouTuber Luisito Comunica stands out, which has more than 20 million views and an advertisement for the Red Bull energy drink, where Pablo is seen riding his bicycle among ruins and next to your dog, your loyal companion.
In 2020 he broke his hip, and at the beginning of the pandemic, he had to be sent to a nursing home in Carhué, where his family regularly visited him. That same year, he was recognized as Cultural and Tourism Ambassador of the region. After recovering and after a hunger strike where Pablo requested a bicycle to return to Epecuén, in 2021 he was able to return home.
He spent his last days reading newspapers and welcoming visitors as he always did, and with incredible stories to tell. On January 22, 3 days after turning 94, Pablo Novak left the earthly world, but not something he could never abandon: his home, his beloved Epecuen.
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