20 Strange Settlements Submerged Deep Underwater

About a century ago, a village was built along the edge of a lake in Argentina called Lago Epecuen. This settlement was Villa Epucuen and it grew to house something like 5,000 inhabitants at the height of its popularity during the 1970s. But there was a storm brewing, meaning the history of this village was about to come to a dramatic end.

The wider area started to see more rainfall, which meant Lago Epecuen became fuller and fuller. Eventually, in 1985 the water levels became so high that intense flooding followed. Slowly but surely, Villa Epecuen was swallowed up and concealed from view altogether. It was only around 2009, when conditions became drier, that the town began poking out of the surface once again.

During 1959 the Chinese city of Shicheng was sacrificed for the sake of the Xin’an Dam and the hydroelectric plant that accompanies it. Some 300,000 locals had to leave the city, as it was going to be flooded. The whole metropolis was then swallowed up by the water, though it wasn’t lost entirely.

You might expect all this water to have damaged the ruins of the city but actually it’s helped to preserve it. Sunshine, heavy downpours, and harsh winds couldn’t touch the structures of Shicheng, so it’s endured the decades underwater very well. Nowadays, the sunken city’s an amazing sight for the divers lucky enough to get close to it.

Back in its pomp Curon was home to several hundred residents but its days were numbered. By the middle of the 20th century, the Italian village was being offered up as a sacrifice to help construct a hydroelectric facility. Almost all the buildings in the area were swept underwater and confined to history — but one managed to stand up to the torrent.

The spire of the local church managed to endure the rush of water upon it — and it pokes out to this day. It’s a bizarre sight, though, seeing this structure emerging from the lake. It’s like something out of a fairytale at the best of times and it gets even weirder in winter. That’s because the water sometimes freezes during the colder months, meaning people can stroll on over to the strange, isolated tower.

Back in the 17th century, Port Royal in Jamaica had developed a grim reputation as “the most wicked and sinful city in the world.” That’s because of all the bleak and criminal activities that used to take place there. Yes, it was a home to genuine, real-life pirates and other dubious folk from Britain.

A massive earthquake then struck Port Royal in 1692, which totally devastated the place. One witness to the event wrote, “The earth opened and swallowed many people, before my face, and the sea I saw came mounting in over the wall, upon which I concluded it impossible to escape.” And from that moment on, much of the city’s remained underwater.

It’s claimed that the Greek city of Pavlopetri is the oldest urban center on Earth to be situated underwater. Most people only really heard about this place in 2011, after news reports started to spread about excavations taking place there. Thanks to hi-tech tools and gizmos, experts have finally been investigating the area in earnest.

It still isn’t entirely clear when the ancient city was swept underwater, though, with estimates varying widely. Some researchers say it went under at some point close to 1000 B.C., while others say it happened in 375 A.D. or thereabouts. Either way, a massive earthquake seems to have been responsible for the loss of Pavlopetri.

If you happen to be in the area around Lake Mead in Nevada, you should try to find the old settlement of St. Thomas. Not that you’ll see too much there — the place is a creepy ghost town. That’s because back when Lake Mead was being created during the 1930s, the town found itself in a bad position and was flooded.

St. Thomas was completely submerged, with all signs of life being completely swept from view. At its worst, something like 60 feet of water was between the roofs of the buildings and the surface. Nowadays, though, increasingly dry conditions in the area have brought this old town back from the depths.

Dwarka holds a special place in the culture of Hinduism. According to historic texts, this city was once a grand and beautiful site closely associated with Krishna. But when the deity left our world to enter the spiritual realm, the city and all who’d lived there were swept underwater.

It’s a fascinating story and in recent years evidence has been building to suggest ancient Dwarka really was swept underwater. Because though Dwarka’s a modern city today, there are signs that a old sunken section sits underwater nearby. Blocks and columns have been discovered along the seabed, suggesting the legend might well have some truth to it.

Though it was called Monument City, this community in Indiana was hardly a metropolis. It was only around 13 acres in size, with something like 30 people calling the place home. Still, that made it no less difficult for these inhabitants when they were forced to up sticks and leave.

That happened in 1865, after the repeated flooding of the nearby Salamonie Lake became too much to bear. A reservoir was necessary to keep the waters under control, but that meant destroying little Monument City. Buildings were torn down, but what remained soon came to be submerged underwater. Drought has meant the remnants of the community have been seen again.

The famous Egyptian queen Cleopatra once inhabited a part of the city of Alexandria that, eventually, came to become submerged in water. Thanks to a series of dramatic earth tremors that took place over the course of centuries, this area essentially just slid into the ocean. Nowadays, it’s an underwater metropolis.

Beginning in the middle of the 1990s, experts have been attempting to map out the sunken area. And with the help of technology, they seem to have made good progress. Some amazing artifacts have been retrieved from this underwater site over the years as well, helping to paint a picture of what it’d been like at its height.

Fabbriche di Careggine is a Tuscan village that dates back to the 12th century — but its history took a turn in 1946. Despite its heritage and history, the settlement was covered by the waters that now constitute Lake Vagli. That was necessary to allow for the creation of a new dam.

So Lake Vagli has hidden a complete village along its bed for decades. Having said that, Fabbriche di Careggine still becomes visible every now and then, because the lake must be drained so the dam can receive repairs. And when that occurs, the homes, bridge, and church of the village poke out of the surface once again.

At the bottom of the Mediterranean, not far from the shores of Israel, a remarkably old village can be found. The remains of ancient bugs and even humans can be unearthed at this site, lying in their graves along the seabed. A strange, circular structure made of stone’s here, too. This is Atlit-Yam — and it’s roughly 9,000 years old.

It was only in 1984 that Atlit-Yam was first recorded, after quarrying efforts revealed it. And you can imagine how excited archaeologists and historians were when this place was discovered, as it offers unique insights into how people lived during the Neolithic era. This was around the time humans started farming.

For many centuries, the German town of Rungholt existed only as myth. It was said to once have been an affluent, bustling urban center but it’d seemingly vanished in 1362. According to some accounts, it’d been condemned to lie underwater by God. But what was the truth? Had such a place ever even existed?

Well, recent underwater discoveries would seem to suggest that Rungholt really had once stood. And theories about how it came to be submerged have also been put forward. It seems to have been thanks to a number of factors, including climate change and the exploitation of the area’s natural resources. Perhaps there’s a lesson to be learned there?

Unfortunately, the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway required the loss of a whopping nine settlements in Ontario, Canada. In the summer of 1958 these places were flooded, all in the name of what was termed “progress” at the time. In addition to the seaway, a hydroelectric plant was also built.

Today, there’s a museum that remembers the nine villages lost to “progress.” Its displays include a number of buildings and artifacts that were actually salvaged from the watery sites of these old communities. Besides that, though, these sites remain underwater today, many decades after they were first submerged.

Akra was a city of ancient Greece but today its ruins lie in the territory we call Crimea. Though the settlement had a thousand-year history, it eventually came to be flooded by rising sea levels. The city was then lost for many centuries, only to be rediscovered toward the end of the last century.

Archaeologists proceeded to explore this ancient, underwater town and they uncovered a bunch of fascinating artifacts and structures. Among these were forts, pieces of ceramics, columns, and jewelry. In other words, discoveries that help to build a picture of what life would’ve been like in Akra long ago.

Vilarinho das Furnas in Portugal has a history stretching right back to Roman times but even with that impressive heritage it couldn’t be saved. A dam was needed, so in 1972 the old village was flooded. Something like 300 people lost their homes, as 80 or so houses were eventually swept underwater.

And whenever the reservoir that now covers Vilarinho das Furnas recedes a little, the village can sometimes be viewed poking through the surface. During those periods, buildings and even pathways can be discerned. But even when the settlement’s totally submerged, it’s still possible to catch a glimpse of the place aboard a glass-bottomed boat.

Thonis-Heracleion was once a hugely important city, linking the ancient civilizations of Egypt and Greece. It was a port, so lots of goods passed through. But that wasn’t the only reason it was so important, as it also held religious significance thanks to a special temple constructed there.

With a history stretching back to the 8th century B.C., the story of Thonis-Heracleion came to a close in roughly the 8th century A.D. A series of natural disasters condemned the city to the depths of the Mediterranean, where it remained for many centuries. It was only located once again around the year 2000.

Kalyazin still stands today, a modest settlement of around 13,000 inhabitants in the Russian region of Tver. But in the late 1930s a section of it was lost to the water. It was flooded for the sake of a hydroelectric plant, meaning plenty of monuments and constructions were condemned to lay underwater forevermore.

One structure, though, managed to endure. The tower of the St. Nicholas Cathedral stayed strong against the torrent of water cascading onto it and continued to poke out toward the sky. Dating back to 1800, this tower now holds a very special significance in the area, having become something of a symbol.

Back in ancient Roman times, Baia was a city of excess. This is where the rich came to flaunt their wealth and enjoy the hot springs that resulted from the area’s volcanic vents. Some of the empire’s most notorious leaders were known to frequent this place, including Caesar, Nero, and Cicero.

But the area’s fortunes started to change drastically around the 8th century, after the city was invaded and damaged. Decline set in, leading to Baia’s eventual abandonment around 1500. And eventually, the area’s volcanic activity led to flooding and the city was lost to the murky depths.

Along the seabed off the Greek island of Olous, an interesting underwater spot can be reached by those daring enough to try. These are the ruins of Olous, which can be seen first-hand only by swimming there. The settlement’s believed to date at least as far back as 780 A.D.

The watery site contains buildings and roadways, plus defensive structures and other artifacts such as coins. The history of Olous still isn’t entirely clear but plenty of archaeologists are interested to find out. Surveys of the area continue to attempt to uncover as much as possible to help tell the settlement’s story.

As with so many other sunken settlements, Potosi in Venezuela was sacrificed in the name of constructing a dam. This happened during 1984 and it led to 1,200 locals being displaced. In being forced from their hometown, these residents would’ve been leaving behind a church, a school, some storefronts, and their homes.

The flooding completely covered these places, except for the church. Because of its tall tower, this could still be seen from the surface. These days, at times of drought, more and more of the church tends to be visible. And during especially dry spells, the entire building’s exposed to open air once again.