The avenues little by little transformed into a forest. Destroyed roads. Moss and grass that cut through the asphalt. Empty apartment buildings that sprouted trees.
The cinema, which will never show movies. The observation wheel, which was not even turned on. The abandoned hospitals and schools. Libraries and kindergartens, where the wind stirs the pages of old Soviet books and the leaflets of scattered notebooks with school work. The shops with broken windows and furniture. Draughts that drew eerie unearthly sounds from the piano strings on the dilapidated warehouse of musical instruments. The forlorn children’s clothes and toys on the floor cause plaintive feelings, incomparable to anything. The grinding of rusty metal structures. The rustle of leaves. No children’s’ laughter or any other everyday sounds typical for a city with a population of nearly 50 thousands people. All the above are not the images from a post-apocalyptic movie, they are the unfortunate reality of Ukraine. Pripyat is the world-famous Ukrainian ghost town. Until now it is a symbol of pain which we will never get rid of.
Only 30 years ago the new city in the Kyiv Oblast, 4 kilometers from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, was full of life. The Chernobyl nuclear power plant, located 18 kilometers from the city of Chernobyl, 16 kilometers from Belarus and 110 kilometers from Kyiv, until a few decades ago produced 10% of Ukraine’s electricity. On the 26th of April 1986 the largest and most damaging nuclear accident in history occurred, rating 7 out of 7 on the INES scale. The explosion which destroyed the fourth reactor caused a terrible fire and released deadly radioactive substances into the atmosphere. The area of 130 thousand square kilometers with a population of over 5 million severely severe polluted. A huge radioactive cloud appeared and spread to the northern part of Ukraine, Belarus and to Europe.
At first, the leadership of the Soviet Union tried to hide the scale of the tragedy. However, after reports from Sweden, where they found radioactive particles from the east of the USSR and evaluated the extent of contamination, the evacuation of about 130 000 inhabitants of Kyiv Oblast from the contaminated areas started. About 600 000 people suffered the effects of radiation poisoning, and those who were primarily affected by disaster were the first responders to the catastrophe. According to official statistics, 31 people died and over 200 were hospitalized during the explosions and extinguishing of the fire, which lasted about ten days. Unofficially, in Ukraine as a consequence of the accident almost 15 thousand of people died.
Around Chernobyl, 30-kilometer ‘exclusion zone’ was established. The evacuation of Pripyat was not immediate; it started only a day after the disaster. The pine forest between the city and Chornobyl nuclear power plant under the effect of radiation became a “Red Forest” – 10 sq km area of trees killed and painted in brownish-red color because of the extremely high dose of radiation absorbed. During the work to decontaminate the area bulldozers demolished the forest then all the trees were buried. In order to reduce the amount of luggage, the inhabitants of Pripyat were told that the evacuation was only temporary and left many of their personal possessions in the city. People who left their hometown for only three days had no idea they would never return back to their homes and previous lives.
When the international media discussed the threat to the lives of people in Kyiv and other cities the demonstrations held were dedicated to the Day of International Solidarity of Workers. Only later, the work on clearing the territory and the burial of the destroyed reactor actually began. The concrete ‘sarcophagus’ (so-called “Shelter”) was built around the fourth reactor.
The land around Chernobyl was famous for its great panoramas, fertile gardens, and beautiful resting places. That was so until that terrible night of April 1986. Now it is an ‘exclusion zone’. Life goes on here, but the forms of it are quite different. The poignant messages of graffiti and installations that constantly appear in Pripyat ghost city; the natural reserve became home for 400 species of animals, birds and fish, 60 of which are listed in the Red Book of Ukraine; ‘stalkers’ who are illegally exploring the area and living in survived buildings.
Many people who could not face permanently leaving their homes in 1986 have returned here and settled in 11 settlements. However, probably the most affective thing is the number of tourists who come here. The Forbes Magazine listed Chernobyl among the most exotic tourist destinations. Travellers can stay up to 4-5 days on some routes without risk, and up to 24 hours in the 10km zone. All the entrances to the zone have checkpoints and at the exits the participants are dosimetrically controlled.
People from all around the world come to Chernobyl and none can stay indifferent. This apocalyptic disaster affected every Ukrainian. Yet it became a global symbol of nuclear danger, and moreover an all-important reminder that people are not all-powerful; we must learn to preserve our environment. Chernobyl is a bitter page in the history of Ukraine that can never be forgotten, like all those who saved the world and are paying the price with their lives. Nowadays Chernobyl is a popular tourist destination. From year to year thousands of people come here to see the ghost town by their own eyes. Beinside invites you to visit the town of Chornobyl, the territory of the Nuclear Power Station and walk through the town of Pripyat. Immerse into the events that marked global science and history with behistory activity!
