The draining of a lake in northern Italy has revealed a “lost” village beneath.
The only sign of Curon’s 163 lost homes normally is a 14th century church spire that protrudes above the surface of the reservoir, Lake Resia, in the South Tyrol region.
Amid repair works, the lake has been emptied revealing the eerie ruins beneath after decades submerged.
Despite protests from residents, the artificial lake was made to provide hydroelectric power for the industries of northern Italy, sacrificing the village.
The village bordered Austria and Switzerland – meaning a lot of the residents didn’t speak Italian.
Confusion arose after the German-speaking villagers initially understood that the new lake would only be five metres deep leaving some houses safe.
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But the Italian notice put in the the village said that the lake would actually be 22 metres, drowning all homes.
In 1940, the 1,000 or so of Curon’s residents were given 10 years to relocate.
They were moved to temporary accommodation nearby and offered derisory sums in compensation for the loss of their homes and livelihoods.
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(Image: via REUTERS)
About 400 of those created a new village nearby while the rest are said to have moved away.
Lake Resia soon became a tourist attraction in its own right due to the spooky abandoned church tower sticking up in the middle.
Tourists and locals now have been able to walk over the site taking some spooky pictures.
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(Image: via REUTERS)
The village of Curon inspired a supernatural novel and a Netflix series, Curon, and is best known for the tower that rises eerily from Lake Resia.
The village was at the confluence of two natural lakes and was flooded in 1950, allowing the power station at Glorenza to generate 250 million kWh a year.
Italy annexed South Tyrol after the First World War and Mussolini’s regime later saw the two lakes of Val Venosta as a promising source of energy for the industries of the north.