Чорнобиль та Прип'ять | Chernobyl and Pripyat

Vertigo · October 7th, 2006, 08:40 PM

This summer I made a journey through Ukraine and Moldova, which I enjoyed thoroughly. I'll make some threads with pics from this journey.

This is the first one, with some pics from Chernobyl. As you probably know, there are nowadays tourist excursions towards the evacuated area. We also booked such an excursion. It turned out to be a bizarre and unforgettable experience. It's very weird to walk in such an area, knowing about the radiation and the horrible things that happened there, but of course you don't see or feel the radiation... it all looks pretty normal, and that what actually makes it such a bizarre experience.

01. On the road towards the area. About 15 tourists, mostly foreigners but also some crazy Urkainians from Kiev... cool dudes who provided some humor on this otherwise quite serious trip. They even provided everyone with beer on the way back.

02. After a journey of about 1,5 hour we arrived at the border with the evacuated area. Everyone is registered here, and on the way out everyone is checked for radiation. They don't do that in a very serious manner though... our driver wasn't checked at all.

03.

04.

05. The central square of Chernobyl. This small town is actually located quite some distance from the power plant. While it is located in the evacuated area, it is actually outside the '10-km zone', to which access is even more restricted. Radiation levels in Chernobyl are pretty low nowadays, and therefore the town is used to house people who work in the area. Because of this, the town looks well maintained, you see people walking in the streets, etc.

06.

07.

08. On the road towards the border with the 10-km zone. This bus is transporting workers back from the area. Working in this area on a daily basis doesn't seem to be very healthy to me...

09. A second power plant, which was being built when the disaster happened. It was never completed.

10. And then: the power plant itself, the infamous building that killed so many people. On the front side you see the sarcofagus, which was built over the destroyed reactor. The sarcofagus is crumbeling due to heavy radiation inside. Therefore there are plans for a second one, to be built over this one.

11. Chernobyl in 2006: a disaster area turned into a tourist attraction. It feels a little bit ironic, doesn't it?

12. Now some pics from the town of Pripyat. This town was built for workers of the power plant. All 30,000 inhabitants were evacuated a couple of days after the disaster.

13. Typically 'commie block' architecture everywhere. It doesn't look so different from other commie block areas in eastern europe, except that nature has now taken over this town. I took this pics from the top of a 15 story tall apartment building.

I also recorded a short movie inside one of the apartments in this building. You can download it here (approx. 22.5 MB).

14.

15. Inside the former school in town...

16.

17.

18. The former gymnasium.

19.

20. Graffiti in Pripyat. No, that wasn't there when the disaster happened. Some German weirdo's illegaly stayed in the area after a tourist excursion and put 'tags' everywhere during the night. Crazy people...

21.

22. Hope you enjoyed this report from Chernobyl!

VelesHomais · October 7th, 2006, 10:54 PM

Is that you on the last pic?

Interesting photo coverage of Chornobyl, I knew you'd go there, knowing your interest in unconventional places

Waiting for your impressions on normal Ukraine

Pavlo · October 8th, 2006, 01:35 AM

Great pictures, very good perspective from a foreigner. I haven't been to Prypyat yet but I just dying to go!

Vertigo · October 8th, 2006, 02:07 AM

@Dr Mesofius: yep, that's me.

Quote:

Waiting for your impressions on normal Ukraine

I understand, this of course isn't the best place in Ukraine to see pics from... as a foreigner I found it very interesting to visit this area, but of course I understand it's loaded with emotions because of all the human tragedies behind it.

Fortunately I also have loads of pics of better places in Ukraine... there's more to come.

Corrupt Dictator · October 8th, 2006, 02:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vertigo

Some German weirdo's illegaly stayed in the area after a tourist excursion ....

Pablitisimo Maximo · October 9th, 2006, 09:20 AM

Very perspective business for Ukraine

Quicksilver · October 9th, 2006, 11:08 AM

Good pictures, thanks.
Also I heard that you can only make photographs of sarcofagus from that one point, you've made it from. Pictures from other points are forbidden. Is it true? I am also planning to go there, may be on my next visit to Kyiv. I've lived in Kyiv then this disaster happened. I was evacuated within two days.
I've come back to Kyiv only 4 years after, spending them mostly in Siberia

VelesHomais · October 9th, 2006, 06:09 PM

I stayed in Kyiv the whole time after it happened. But I was very little. We kept windows shut, which was terrible because of the extreme hot weather that summer. People tried avoiding going onto the streets. Many, I think 1/3 of Kyivans left it for some time, many went to south of Ukraine, others went to relatives in Belarus and Russia.

Vertigo · October 9th, 2006, 09:48 PM

Quote:

Also I heard that you can only make photographs of sarcofagus from that one point, you've made it from. Pictures from other points are forbidden. Is it true?

Yes, that's true... I'm not sure why. They were very strict about that.

VelesHomais · October 13th, 2006, 04:05 AM

We're waiting for your other photo coverages

jacek_t83 · October 13th, 2006, 08:17 AM

Damn! You lucky gay Vertigo

I have to go to Chernobyl and Pripyat next year!
We want more pictures

Zaqattaq · October 16th, 2006, 02:50 AM

Amazing coverage there Vertigo, curious though how safe is it to actually go there?

Vertigo · October 29th, 2006, 10:11 PM

^ Well, they say it's safe. I guess I'll know more about it in 10 years or so...

Seriously: there are thousends of people working in the area on a regular basis, so one day in the area cannot pose a great danger to your health. I am not sure if I would go there every day, though....

LSyd · November 9th, 2006, 05:38 AM

YOU THE MAN!!! another great tour. that gymnasium shot's my favorite. i hope you stay healthy and keep taking great photo tours.

-

Abbil · November 9th, 2006, 05:56 PM

Wow, very interesting thread.

Thanks Vertigo!!

Yeah, is curious see the tourists photographing the old central and the destroyed buldings of Pripyat.

USSR-UA · September 11th, 2009, 02:43 PM

Якби не катастрофа, то Чорнобиль входив до міст-хмарочосів України.

До катастофи в місті було 10 Шіснадцятиповерхівок, дві з яких так і залишились недобудовані. Ще десь 15-25 10-ти поверхівок.

Denicka · September 11th, 2009, 04:19 PM

Хочу туда!

6opuC · September 11th, 2009, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Denicka

Хочу туда!

Pripiat

ne Chornobyl

nikolas1 · September 12th, 2009, 08:29 AM

Так это всё-таки Припять?

USSR-UA · September 12th, 2009, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikolas1

Так это всё-таки Припять?

Так Припять, я з Google Earth фото взяв.

October 7th, 2006, 08:40 PM	#1
Vertigo shinkansen Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Utrecht Posts: 2,174	Чорнобиль та Прип'ять \| Chernobyl and Pripyat This summer I made a journey through Ukraine and Moldova, which I enjoyed thoroughly. I'll make some threads with pics from this journey. This is the first one, with some pics from Chernobyl. As you probably know, there are nowadays tourist excursions towards the evacuated area. We also booked such an excursion. It turned out to be a bizarre and unforgettable experience. It's very weird to walk in such an area, knowing about the radiation and the horrible things that happened there, but of course you don't see or feel the radiation... it all looks pretty normal, and that what actually makes it such a bizarre experience. 01. On the road towards the area. About 15 tourists, mostly foreigners but also some crazy Urkainians from Kiev... cool dudes who provided some humor on this otherwise quite serious trip. They even provided everyone with beer on the way back. 02. After a journey of about 1,5 hour we arrived at the border with the evacuated area. Everyone is registered here, and on the way out everyone is checked for radiation. They don't do that in a very serious manner though... our driver wasn't checked at all. 03. 04. 05. The central square of Chernobyl. This small town is actually located quite some distance from the power plant. While it is located in the evacuated area, it is actually outside the '10-km zone', to which access is even more restricted. Radiation levels in Chernobyl are pretty low nowadays, and therefore the town is used to house people who work in the area. Because of this, the town looks well maintained, you see people walking in the streets, etc. 06. 07. 08. On the road towards the border with the 10-km zone. This bus is transporting workers back from the area. Working in this area on a daily basis doesn't seem to be very healthy to me... 09. A second power plant, which was being built when the disaster happened. It was never completed. 10. And then: the power plant itself, the infamous building that killed so many people. On the front side you see the sarcofagus, which was built over the destroyed reactor. The sarcofagus is crumbeling due to heavy radiation inside. Therefore there are plans for a second one, to be built over this one. 11. Chernobyl in 2006: a disaster area turned into a tourist attraction. It feels a little bit ironic, doesn't it? 12. Now some pics from the town of Pripyat. This town was built for workers of the power plant. All 30,000 inhabitants were evacuated a couple of days after the disaster. 13. Typically 'commie block' architecture everywhere. It doesn't look so different from other commie block areas in eastern europe, except that nature has now taken over this town. I took this pics from the top of a 15 story tall apartment building. I also recorded a short movie inside one of the apartments in this building. You can download it here (approx. 22.5 MB). 14. 15. Inside the former school in town... 16. 17. 18. The former gymnasium. 19. 20. Graffiti in Pripyat. No, that wasn't there when the disaster happened. Some German weirdo's illegaly stayed in the area after a tourist excursion and put 'tags' everywhere during the night. Crazy people... 21. 22. Hope you enjoyed this report from Chernobyl! __________________ Al wat beweegt zal in beweging blijven er op en of eronder een keuze is er niet niets dat beklijft en alles zal verdwijnen je leven een vuurwerk of niets

October 7th, 2006, 10:54 PM	#2
VelesHomais Завжди у столицях. Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: NYC \| KYIV \| MINSK Posts: 16,154	Is that you on the last pic? Interesting photo coverage of Chornobyl, I knew you'd go there, knowing your interest in unconventional places Waiting for your impressions on normal Ukraine __________________ Acknowledging past but looking ahead

October 9th, 2006, 06:09 PM	#8
VelesHomais Завжди у столицях. Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: NYC \| KYIV \| MINSK Posts: 16,154	I stayed in Kyiv the whole time after it happened. But I was very little. We kept windows shut, which was terrible because of the extreme hot weather that summer. People tried avoiding going onto the streets. Many, I think 1/3 of Kyivans left it for some time, many went to south of Ukraine, others went to relatives in Belarus and Russia. __________________ Acknowledging past but looking ahead

October 13th, 2006, 04:05 AM	#10
VelesHomais Завжди у столицях. Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: NYC \| KYIV \| MINSK Posts: 16,154	We're waiting for your other photo coverages __________________ Acknowledging past but looking ahead

October 13th, 2006, 08:17 AM	#11
jacek_t83 tule króliczka Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Katowice, Upper Silesia, Gůrny Ślůnsk Posts: 800	Damn! You lucky gay Vertigo I have to go to Chernobyl and Pripyat next year! We want more pictures __________________ MMSilesia.pl קטוביץ - עיר שלי

October 8th, 2006, 01:35 AM	#3
Pavlo Мейсон Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 4,642	Great pictures, very good perspective from a foreigner. I haven't been to Prypyat yet but I just dying to go!

October 9th, 2006, 09:20 AM	#6
Pablitisimo Maximo BANNED Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Харукань (Kharkiv, Ukraine) Posts: 6,870	Very perspective business for Ukraine

October 9th, 2006, 11:08 AM	#7
Quicksilver Yanukovich nash boh Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Aberdeen-Kyiv Posts: 4,266	Good pictures, thanks. Also I heard that you can only make photographs of sarcofagus from that one point, you've made it from. Pictures from other points are forbidden. Is it true? I am also planning to go there, may be on my next visit to Kyiv. I've lived in Kyiv then this disaster happened. I was evacuated within two days. I've come back to Kyiv only 4 years after, spending them mostly in Siberia

October 16th, 2006, 02:50 AM	#12
Zaqattaq Registered User Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Firenze, Italia Posts: 2,898	Amazing coverage there Vertigo, curious though how safe is it to actually go there? __________________ Transatlantic Gooner MY PHOTOGRAPHY

October 29th, 2006, 10:11 PM	#13
Vertigo shinkansen Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Utrecht Posts: 2,174	^ Well, they say it's safe. I guess I'll know more about it in 10 years or so... Seriously: there are thousends of people working in the area on a regular basis, so one day in the area cannot pose a great danger to your health. I am not sure if I would go there every day, though.... __________________ Al wat beweegt zal in beweging blijven er op en of eronder een keuze is er niet niets dat beklijft en alles zal verdwijnen je leven een vuurwerk of niets

November 9th, 2006, 05:38 AM	#14
LSyd Megalomaniac Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Augusta, Georgia and Columbia, South Carolina Posts: 3,712	YOU THE MAN!!! another great tour. that gymnasium shot's my favorite. i hope you stay healthy and keep taking great photo tours. - __________________ "To be fair to LSyd, he does have an eye for graffiti, dereliction and stray souls." - gleegieboy

November 9th, 2006, 05:56 PM	#15
Abbil Panoramik Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Lleida Posts: 1,936	Wow, very interesting thread. Thanks Vertigo!! Yeah, is curious see the tourists photographing the old central and the destroyed buldings of Pripyat. __________________ Lleida,Barcelona,Zaragoza,Valencia,Bilbao,Donostia,Ibiza Praga,Viena,Budapest

September 11th, 2009, 02:43 PM	#16
USSR-UA Я українець! Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Україна: Бровари Posts: 647	Прип'ять - місто хмарочосів! Якби не катастрофа, то Чорнобиль входив до міст-хмарочосів України. До катастофи в місті було 10 Шіснадцятиповерхівок, дві з яких так і залишились недобудовані. Ще десь 15-25 10-ти поверхівок. __________________ Говори не говори краще місто Бровари! Любіть Україну, як сонце, любіть, як вітер, і трави, і води… В годину щасливу і в радості мить, любіть у годину негоди!

September 11th, 2009, 04:19 PM	#17
Denicka I am from the Heartland Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Ukraine/Dnipropetrovsk Posts: 3,310	Хочу туда! __________________ Architecture is a symphony of a stone.

September 12th, 2009, 08:29 AM	#19
nikolas1 Registered User Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Donetsk Posts: 1,087	Так это всё-таки Припять?

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes	Rate This Thread
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode	Rate This Thread: