Town Square
Pripyat. Припять in Russian. This was once called the 'City of Roses' and was quite a desirable place to live, housing many of the Chernobyl workers and their families in middle class comfort. Now it could be called the 'City of Trees' as the forest has begun to reclaim the places where it was once cut down. Lying just a few kilometres from Chernobyl, the entire 50,000 population was evacuated some days after the explosion. In keeping with Soviet censorship at that time, the residents believed they were being bussed to an outside location for only a few days and thence they could return home. Will it ever be decontaminated? Well, yes and no. The natural decay of the isotope Plutonium 239 has a half life of 24,100 years meaning it could all disappear in just over 48,000 years.
Hotel California
Here, nature has returned to engulf the hotel. Everything within is highly radioactive; the beds, the chairs, the beautiful marble floor, even. New Tree on the Block
All the buildings in Pripyat have their doors removed and windows broken. Presumably, this is to ensure no one can remain trapped in a building, but then, people can only get to those very same buildings by being there legitimately anyway. | Ghost Town
The urgency to evacuate meant apart from peoples' possessions being hastily left behind, pets too, were abandoned. Cats and dogs were left to roam the streets until a forced cull of all animals. It's quite telling whilst walking around that even the birds have disappeared. Our Secure Zone tour guide, Vladimir, lived here. |
