Hotel Del Salto (Colombia, El Hotel del Salto) is one of the most amazing and mysterious attractions South America, causing conflicting feelings. On the one hand, the building, built in the French style, captivates with the grace and elegance of its lines, on the other hand, the devastation and dilapidation inherent in a building abandoned by people gives it a gloomy and eerie shade. The hotel is located several tens of kilometers southwest of the Colombian capital Bogota. The building was built in a fantastically beautiful place - on the edge of a steep cliff, surrounded by mountains shrouded in misty haze, opposite the thundering Tequendama waterfall.
Historical facts
Construction of the hotel began at the beginning of the 20th century, in 1920, by the then famous architect Carlos Arturo Tapia. The location chosen for the construction was very picturesque - not far from the stormy Tequiendama waterfall, located in the territory of the municipality of San Antonio del Tequiendama (in the Colombian department of Cundinomarco). The building was originally built as country residence Pedro Nel Ospina Vasquiz, who ruled from 1922 to 1926. In 1923, the construction of the mansion was completed, and its opening took place only in 1927.
In the early 50s of the 20th century, the building was gradually rebuilt into a hotel, which is known today as the Hotel Del Salto (Colombia), by Bogotá specialists Gabriel Largach and Dominic Parmo. The updated building had 6 floors: 4 floors were above the ground, and 2 floors were located underground. The basements contained laundry, utility and storage areas. The hotel had 18 luxurious rooms, each of which had a private bathroom and fireplace; the building also had a restaurant with a cozy terrace, which offered an amazing panorama of the waterfall and mountains. Hotel guests who stayed here noted the special spiritual atmosphere of this unique place, excellent living conditions and excellent service.
This place was very popular among the local rich and wealthy foreigners.
The Prosperity and Decline of the Hotel Del Salto
The hotel flourished until the 70s. Hotel "Del Salto" (Colombia) had a fairly high rating at that time. According to reviews from tourists, everyone was attracted by its mysterious and mysterious appearance, the luxury that reigned in it. But in the next decade, as travelers note, the hotel gradually began to decline. Official version The explanation for this fact was that industrial waste and sewage water began to be discharged into local rivers. Because of this, Tekviendama began to become shallow and emit unpleasant odors. Naturally, as tourists note, they couldn’t like it. The flow of people wishing to relax in this hotel has dried up.
In the late 70s, Roberto Arias became the new owner of the mansion. He converted the hotel into a restaurant, which operated for about 7 years. After that, Arias left Colombia and the restaurant closed.
Rumors and legends
The 140-meter Tekviendama waterfall and its surroundings have been considered a strange and mysterious place since ancient times. Translated from the ancient Indian language, its name means “open door.” The Muisca Indians (or, as they were also called Chibcha), who lived here in the 12th-16th centuries, believed that here was the door to other world, near which spirits live, accompanying the dead on their way to eternal refuge. For this reason, they preferred to bypass Tekviendama by the tenth road.
According to one legend, the waterfall was created by the Mui god Bochika, breaking huge stone, which blocked the water on the way to the savannah.
Another myth says that when the Spanish conquistadors came to South American lands, the local freedom-loving residents did not want to submit to the conquerors and rushed down the cliff, and their souls turned into eagles, fiercely defending their homeland.
Mecca for suicides
In the 90s, when the Hotel Del Salto (Colombia), the photo of which you see in the article, became abandoned and uninhabited, this place mysteriously began to attract those wishing to commit suicide. The mystical atmosphere literally drove people crazy, and they jumped off the cliff. The local population believes that they are taken to the other world by spirits who live near the waterfall and guard the “open door” from overly noisy and curious onlookers. There are also rumors about numerous ghosts living in the former hotel building.
New life of the Hotel Del Salto
At the beginning of this century, the abandoned Hotel Del Salto (Colombia), whose address today is Santa Marta, r. Bogota, the Colombian government noted, the building was given the status of the country's architectural heritage and allocated a lot of money for restoration and restoration work. In 2011, the former hotel became the property of the Institute of Natural Sciences, a foundation responsible for the environment, and the National Colombian University. These organizations rebuilt the hotel and made it the Museum of Biodiversity and Culture of the Tequendama Falls (Musee de la biodiversite et de la culture des chutes de Tequendama). The European Union has allocated about 310 thousand euros (more than 400 thousand US dollars) to restore and improve the structure and its surrounding area.
Museum
The Institute of Natural Sciences, with the support of the National Institute, carried out a tremendous amount of work purifying the water in the rivers that feed the ill-fated waterfall.
At the end of 2009, the renovated architectural monument, which became a museum, hosted the first exhibition telling about the numerous inhabitants of ecological systems located underground. In the summer of 2013, there was an anatomical exhibition featuring sketches and sketches by Dr. François Antomarca, and in the fall of the same year, a museum exhibition dedicated to the biological diversity of the Tatacoa Desert.
Local authorities actively encourage tourists not to be afraid of the bad reputation that has been inherent in the Hotel Del Salto for a long time, but to boldly visit these Amazing places, to leave unforgettable experience for life.
Hotel Del Salto (Colombia): how to get there
You can get to the museum complex and Tequiendama waterfall, located in the municipality of San Antonio del Tequiendama, from the Colombian capital Bogota either on your own - by regular bus either by personal transport or as part of an excursion group.
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The hotel building was built in 1923 in the tiny town of San Antonio del Tequendama, 30 kilometers southeast of the country's capital. This is one of most beautiful places on the Bogota River - here is the Tequendama Falls. The name of the 137-meter waterfall means “open door” - the Indians who inhabited the river valley believed that the waterfall appeared after a wizard cut the mountain. The customer for the construction of an unusual mansion in the style of a French castle was the then President of the Republic of Colombia, Pedro Nel Ospina - the windows of the palace, built on the very edge of the cliff, overlooked the waterfall. In addition to four above-ground floors, the building had two underground floors, which housed storage rooms and a laundry room. Ospina's powers expired in 1926, and the palace acquired new owner, who opened a hotel within these walls. The heyday of the El Hotel del Salto came in the middle of the last century, when it was again resold, reconstructed and opened to guests. At that time, El Hotel del Salto had 18 apartments with bathrooms and fireplaces, and a restaurant with a terrace, where wealthy residents of the capital gladly came to relax. The attractiveness of the hotel directly depended on the magnificent view of the waterfall, so when Tekendama began to become shallow and polluted by runoff in the 1970s, the flow of people wishing to relax at the hotel also dried up.
In the absence of vacationers, interest in the abandoned hotel arose among those who decided to commit suicide. In general, the local Indians began to use the waterfall as a means of transition to another world - pursued by the conquistadors, they threw entire families off the cliff, and according to legend turned into eagles. In the 20th century, the slopes near the hotel were similarly used by romantics suffering from unrequited love, bankrupt businessmen and others for overly balanced categories of citizens - however, without subsequent reincarnation. At one time, they even wanted to move the police station to the building of the abandoned hotel, and local residents spread rumors about the ghosts of the dead - it was necessary to somehow fight the flow of people wishing to say goodbye to their lives at the hotel.
Recently, the state drew attention to El Hotel del Salto. The building received the status of an object cultural heritage Columbia, after reconstruction it is planned to open within its walls National Museum biological diversity of fauna and flora. As for the smell that once scared off vacationers from the hotel, the Institute of Natural Sciences of the National University of Colombia is doing a great job of cleaning up Bogota and its tributaries. The waterfall can be seen throughout the year, except December, when the river becomes almost completely shallow. The creators of the foundation, which is raising funds for the reconstruction of El Hotel del Salto, urge tourists not to be afraid of ghost stories and come to the palace for beautiful shots against the backdrop of a waterfall, because the only ghost that has long owned this picturesque place is human indifference and disregard for nature - left him forever.
One of the most mystical places The abandoned Hotel del Salto (El Hotel del Salto), located near the town of San Antonio del Tequendama, is considered to be abandoned. It was a luxurious hotel, which closed forever a few years after its pompous opening.
One of the most mystical places in the city is considered to be the abandoned Hotel del Salto, located near the town of San Antonio del Tequendama. It was a luxurious hotel, which closed forever a few years after its pompous opening. Over a long period of time, the building was overgrown with bushes and moss, and today it resembles a scene from a horror film.
Historical information
In 1920, a local architect named Carl Arturo Tapia began building the villa on the orders of President Marco Fidel Suarez. He chose a place on a picturesque site. On one side there was a cliff, and on the other there was the Tekendama waterfall, the name of which is translated from the Indian language as “open door.” The Aborigines believed that spirits lived here and helped them move to another world.
The building was built in 1923 in the Gothic style and resembled a French castle. Moreover, the official opening occurred 5 years later. In 1950, the building was converted into a 6-story hotel (4 above-ground and 2 underground levels). The design work was carried out by Gabriel Largacha.
Why was the Salto Hotel in Colombia abandoned?
In the middle of the 20th century, it gained great popularity; rich Colombians and tourists settled there. Guests were attracted by the royal apartments and the exquisite menu. They enjoyed admiring the local fauna, the surrounding area and the 137-meter waterfall.
In 1970, the flow of tourists decreased significantly. There are 2 versions why this happened:
- Visitors to the mansion began to die. They committed suicide in their rooms or jumped from the roof into a cliff. Hotel Salto in Colombia has acquired legends and began to attract lovers of mysticism. Locals They claim that they often hear voices here and see ghosts, which are the souls of suicides.
- The Tekendama waterfall began to dry up, as the rivers that fed it were heavily polluted with industrial waste and, in addition, emitted a terrible smell. Over time, a small stream remained from the powerful stream.
- In 1990, the Hotel del Salto, which closed forever, began to attract tourists not only from all over Colombia, but also from all over the world, only not as a hotel, but as a unique hotel.
Hotel Salto in Colombia today
No one lived in the mansion for a long time, so it was overgrown with wild plants and partially collapsed. Currently, it houses the Museum of Biodiversity and Culture of Tequendama Falls (Casa Museo del Salto del Tequendama). It was opened after a complete restoration, and environmentalists, together with local authorities, worked to clean up the river and its tributaries.
$410 thousand was spent on repair work and beautification of the territory. Significant financial assistance was provided by the European Union fund. After the work was completed, the structure was awarded the status of the country's cultural heritage. The museum has several exhibitions:
- Cavernas, Ecosistemas del Mundo Subterráneo - talks about the diverse biological species that live in underground ecosystems;
- La anatomía del cuerpo humano de Francesco Antommarchi – here you can see anatomical drawings created by the doctor François Antommarchi;
- Un día en el Desierto de la Tatacoa – introduces visitors to biological diversity.
Features of the visit
If you want to plunge into the past, see ghosts or modern exhibitions, then come to the museum any day from 07:00 to 17:00. Price entrance ticket is approximately $3. Tourists can move freely throughout the mansion, but photography inside the hotel is prohibited.
How to get there?
Hotel del Salto is located 40 km from the capital of Colombia -. You can get here via highways such as Av. Boyacá, Cra 68 and Av. Cdad. de Quito.
