Chernobyl and Pripyat - May / June 2016
I first heard about Chernobyl in 1986; probably the same time as the rest of the world became familiar with the name and the slowly realised what had happened here at 01:23:44 on the 26th of April.
I remember the day well, aged 17 I was strolling around the Yorkshire Dales in the pissing rain for a few days on my own. It wasn’t until the 28th of April that news starting breaking in the UK about the Nuclear Disaster. I was sat in a pub in Hawes with 2 guys I had met at the Youth Hostel; both worked at Sellafield so it was a very informative evening.
To be honest it scared the shit out of me, I had grown up at the end of the Cold War, and there were still adverts on the TV showing you how to build a nuclear shelter out of doors and mattresses if the siren sounded. 2 years prior the BBC had shown a drama called Threads, this was about the effects of a nuclear war on Sheffield. I still remember my hackles standing up watching the drama unfold.
Roll on a few years and I ended up working at nuclear power stations; initially a scary prospect, but soon realised they were actually clean, safe and well controlled environments to work in. More recently I have been doing radiography myself so my understanding of the effects of radiation is pretty good.
Curiosity had also got the better of me so when the opportunity to visit Chernobyl as part of a small group I jumped at the chance. Visited with Stig, Auntiesknickers, Wombat and 2 others.
History (A very brief one)
1970 - Construction of the town of Pripyat begins, one of 9 “atom towns”, in March of that year construction of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant begins with reactors 1 and 2 being built in the following years. It wasn’t until the 20th December 1983 until the construction of Unit 4 at Chernobyl is complete. Reactors 5 and 6 are still under construction; in total 20 reactors are planned to be built at Chernobyl.
At 01:23:44 on the 26th April 1986 a catastrophic nuclear accident occurred in the No.4 reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in what was then part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic of the Soviet Union (USSR). This resulted in uncontrolled reaction conditions that flashed water into steam generating a destructive steam explosion and a subsequent open-air graphite "fire" that created updrafts for 9 days lofting plumes of radioactive isotopes into the atmosphere, which spread over much of the western USSR and Europe.
During the accident 2 deaths occurred after the explosion and 29 firemen and employees died in the days-to-months afterward from acute radiation syndrome, with the potential for long-term cancers still being investigated. A 30km exclusion zone was erected around Chernobyl resulting in 135000 being evacuated, never to return to their homes.
My Visit
After meeting the guide, having a quick safety brief we entered the Restricted Zone. Over the 3 days we visited around 33 sites. The photos are just my favourites and are in the order we visited them, not all the places made the final cut
First stop was Zalsye, an old timber village with a nice hall about 3km away from Chernobyl and our hotel.
Time standing still in one of the houses in Zalsye.
Decaying boats on the river.
The Duga Radar station was huge. It was an early warning station for nuclear attack also known as the Russian Woodpecker for the tell tale knock knock signal it made.
Over 1km of passages at the base of the radar.
Roof of the control building for Duga; what lies inside is special.
A beast with 2 backs, long horn beetles mating and not a mutation! Taking wildlife photos can get you a reputation.
Ferris wheel at Pripyat.
And the dodgems.
Outside one of the many kindergartens
Reactor 4, the bit that went bang.
Reactor 3 control room, identical to reactor 4.
View ofver the power station.
Pripyat school and gas masks
Class rooms.
Pripyat swimming pool
The wildlife is thriving here, plus a good distraction every now and then.
Maternity ward in the hospital
Town of Pripyat and Chernobyl Power Station on the horizon.
CCCP truck outside police station
Abandoned bus at the poilice station.
Mural at the post office.
Discarded post cards and letters.
Unusal mural at childrens hospital, wonder if the socket was deliberate?
Huge sports hall will rotten floor.
Recent graffiti in reactor 5 cooling tower for 30 year anniversary, by an Australian artist - Guido van Helton.
Time standing still in one of the houses in Zalsye.
Decaying boats on the river.
The Duga Radar station was huge. It was an early warning station for nuclear attack also known as the Russian Woodpecker for the tell tale knock knock signal it made.
Over 1km of passages at the base of the radar.
Roof of the control building for Duga; what lies inside is special.
A beast with 2 backs, long horn beetles mating and not a mutation! Taking wildlife photos can get you a reputation.
Ferris wheel at Pripyat.
And the dodgems.
Outside one of the many kindergartens
Reactor 4, the bit that went bang.
Reactor 3 control room, identical to reactor 4.
View ofver the power station.
Pripyat school and gas masks
Class rooms.
Pripyat swimming pool
The wildlife is thriving here, plus a good distraction every now and then.
Maternity ward in the hospital
Town of Pripyat and Chernobyl Power Station on the horizon.
CCCP truck outside police station
Abandoned bus at the poilice station.
Mural at the post office.
Discarded post cards and letters.
Unusal mural at childrens hospital, wonder if the socket was deliberate?
Huge sports hall will rotten floor.
Recent graffiti in reactor 5 cooling tower for 30 year anniversary, by an Australian artist - Guido van Helton.
Cooling tower and graffiti and 30 year old hanging death scaffold!
That's the end of the tracks for this report.
Glad I have seen some of Chernobyl, it's an interesting place to visit.
Cheap beer, great company, an excellent guide, perfect weather and many a laugh made this a trip I'll remember for a long time (hopefully)
Cheers,
TLR.
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