Hotel "Del Salto" (Colombia, El Hotel del Salto) is one of the most amazing and mysterious sights of South America, causing conflicting feelings. On the one hand, the French-style building captivates with the grace and grace of its lines; on the other hand, the devastation and dilapidation inherent in the abandoned building gives it a gloomy and eerie hue. The hotel is a few dozen kilometers southwest of the Colombian capital Bogota. The building was built in a fantastically beautiful place - on the edge of a cliff, surrounded by mountains covered with foggy haze, opposite the rumbling Tequendama waterfall.
Historical facts
The construction of the hotel began at the beginning of the XX century, in 1920, by the then famous architect Carlos Arturo Tapia. The place for the construction was chosen very picturesque - not far from the tumultuous Tekviendama waterfall located in the municipality of San Antonio del Tekviendama (in the Colombian department of Cundinomarco). The building was originally built as the suburban residence of Colombian President Pedro Nel Ospin Vazquis, 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 XX century, the building was gradually rebuilt as a hotel, which is known today as the Del Salto Hotel (Colombia), specialists from Bogota Gabriel Largach and Dominic Parmo. The renovated building had 6 floors: 4 floors were above the ground, and 2 floors were located underground. In the basement there were laundries, utility and storage rooms. The hotel was equipped with 18 luxurious rooms, each of which had a private bathroom and a fireplace, the building also had a restaurant with a cozy terrace, from where an amazing panorama of the waterfall and mountains opened. Hotel guests who stayed here noted the special inspired atmosphere of this unique place, excellent living conditions and excellent service.
This place was very popular among local rich and wealthy foreigners.
The prosperity and decline of Del Salto Hotel
The hotel flourished until the 70s. Hotel "Del Salto" (Colombia) rating at that time was quite high. According to the reviews of tourists, everyone was attracted by its mysterious and mysterious appearance, the luxury that reigned in it. But in the next decade, as noted by travelers, the hotel gradually began to decline. The official version explaining this fact was that industrial sewage and sewage began to flow into local rivers. Because of this, Tekviendama began to grind and emit unpleasant odors. Naturally, as tourists note, this could not please. The stream of those who want to relax in this hotel has come to naught.
In the late 70s, Roberto Arias became the new owner of the mansion. He converted the hotel into a restaurant, which he worked for about 7 years. After that, Arias left Colombia and the restaurant closed.
Rumors and legends
Takviendama's 140-meter 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 Indians of Muiska (or, as they were called Chibcha) living here in the 12th-16th centuries believed that there is a door to the other world, near which spirits live, accompanying the dead on the way to the eternal refuge. For this reason, they preferred to bypass Tekviendama tenth road.
According to one legend, the waterfall was created by the Muiski god Bochika, breaking his huge stone with his staff, 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 from 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 people who want to take their own lives. The mystical atmosphere literally drove people crazy, and they jumped down from the cliff. The local population believes that the souls of suicides take away to the other world spirits living by the waterfall and protecting the “open door” from overly noisy and curious onlookers. There are also rumors of numerous ghosts living in the building of the former hotel.
New life of the hotel "Del Salto"
At the beginning of our century, at the abandoned Hotel Del Salto (Colombia), whose address today is Santa Marta, p. Bogotá, the Colombian government drew attention, 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, the foundation responsible for ecology, and the National Columbian University. These organizations rebuilt the hotel and made the Museum of Biological Diversity and Culture of Tekviendama Falls (Musee de la biodiversite et de la culture des chutes de Tequendama) here. The European Union has allocated about 310 thousand euros (more than 400 thousand US dollars) to restore and improve the structure and its surrounding territory.
Museum
The Institute of Natural Sciences, with the support of the National Columbian University, has done tremendous work, purifying water in the rivers that feed the ill-fated waterfall.
At the end of 2009, the first architectural exposition, which tells about the many inhabitants of ecological systems underground, was held in the renovated architectural monument, which became a museum. In the summer of 2013, an anatomical exhibition was held, at which sketches and sketches of Dr. Francois Antomarca were exhibited, and in the autumn of the same year, a museum exposition dedicated to the biological diversity of the Tatakoa desert.
Local authorities actively urge tourists not to be afraid of the notoriety that has been inherent in the Del Salto Hotel for a long time, but feel free to visit these amazing places to leave an unforgettable experience for life.
Hotel Del Salto (Colombia): how to get
You can get to the museum complex and Tekviendama waterfall located in the municipality of San Antonio del Tekviendama from the Colombian capital Bogotá on your own - by bus or by personal transport, or as part of an excursion group.