There are many legends about cities consumed by the waves. Every civilization has its Atlantis story, its deluge myth. Then there are the cities we have chosen to drown. Sometimes only the spires of submerged churches point above the water, to serve as reminders of those lost places.
In the modern era, our continued population movement into urban areas has led to an increased need for water in environments that simply cannot provide enough. Our solution? Dams. Unfortunately, in order to create reservoirs large enough for cities like New York, Shanghai, or Los Angeles, entire valleys need to be flooded, and in the early 20th century, little consideration was given to the populations of these valleys, whether human or animal.
Perhaps the most famous of these drowned towns is the “Lion City” of Shi Cheng in China. An ancient city, Shi Cheng dates back hundreds of years, and is now beneath the waters of Qiandao Lake. The city was drowned in 1959 to provide a reservoir for a hydroelectric dam, and now the white stone buildings seem to glow beneath the water.
Church of the old Petrolândia (photograph by Andre Estima/Flickr)
Old Petrolândia in Brazil is another drowned town, although it is nowhere near as well preserved as the Lion City. It was lost during the 1950s and 60s when vast construction programs and modernization works sprang up across Brazil. Critical to these advances was the construction of huge dams, to supply both hydroelectric power and vast reservoirs of fresh water. Entire towns were built as housing for those working on these construction projects, only to later be lost beneath the water.
Potosí revealed in 2009 (photograph by Edprada/Wikimedia)
The remains of St. Thomas are visible again, as the water levels in Lake Mead are now low enough for the town to be almost as dry as before.
Vilarinho das Furnas in ruins (photograph by Benkeboy/Wikimedia)
Templo de Debod, Madrid (photograph by Andrew J. Kurbiko/Wikimedia)