The Lost City of Russia ::Chernobyl

“In matters nuclear one thing is certain: there is no protection in an iron curtain.” A letter in The Times May 3rd, 1986.

On the 26th of April 1986 shortly after midnight, to be precise, at 1:23 GMT, there occurred near the Ukrainian town of Chornobyl a tremendous explosion at a huge nuclear power plant, followed by a gradual meltdown of the reactor No. 4.

Chornobyl is situated 80 miles north-west of Kiev, the ancient capital of Ukraine and the Soviet Union’s third largest city.

It was by far the worst nuclear reactor accident ever, which immediately sent a radioactive cloud across neighbouring Byelorussia, Poland and the Baltic Republics towards Scandinavia.

Within days, borne by shifting winds, radioactive mists wafted beyond Soviet borders and spread across most of Europe causing anxiety, apprehension and fear.

The most badly affected were the Republics of Ukraine and Byelorussia. They suffered large scale involuntary irradiation, due to extensive secrecy, and great economic damage. Furthermore the contaminated air mass passed over large areas of Poland and also over parts of Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania and Yugoslavia and a number of West European countries.

Till now the land is abandoned, thousands of houses, thousands acres of the land, everything is now stays almost the same as it was 20 years ago.

Nowadays there guided tours are being conducted to this area. These photos are made by Alexandr Vikulov, pikul2001@mail.ru while participating in such a trip.

This Soviet Era sign indicates the entrance to Chernobyl county. Many of the things there stand unchanged since Soviet union times.

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This is also a sign from Soviet times on one of the buildings in Chernobyl. There is life now in Chernobyl, some people decided to return despite the radiation hazard. The members of this trip have noticed even one building was being renovated.

Still people are very rare on the streets of Chernobyl. All the pipes now are on top of the ground, because the soild is nuclear polluted.

This is the main square in downtown of Chernobyl.

It is the monument to the people who tried to shut down the nuclear station right after the accident happened. Many of the died - some same year (1986) others a little bit later.

This is also that monument. On the road to the monument there are a lot of signs warning about nuclear pollution, but trees and bushes grew all over them so it’s possible not to notice such signs. Nature is not afraid of radiation.

This is kindergatten kindergarten on the way to Chernobyl in one of the abandoned villages.

This is a bedroom in it.

Toys are lying all over the place.

Music notes.

How is it correct to cross a road?

One more bedroom.

This is a Chernobyl Nuclear Station itself. Even now people there work, they build a special cover on top of the blown up reactor, so that radiation could not spread further. They are allowed to work inside not more than 2 minutes a day in special protective uniform, and they get $1000 monthly salary for this 2 minute job a day, which is 5 times bigger than an average salary in this region. Many people try to tune their the dosage indicators so that they show less numbers than they got in reality so that they could work more and earn more.

This was a cultural center for Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant workers.

Coming inside…

Such huge pictures across the walls were very classy in Soviet 80s.

This is a gym, Soviet symbolics is left untouched. Probably no other places in former USSR where it can be found so.

Through the floor there is already a tree grew. Probably a result of some mutation?

Here is written “Brave ones”

Sport equipment.

And that’s a view to a side-show.

Leaving a gym..

More Soviet symbolics and portraits of some Soviet leaders.

“Love” is written here.

A lonely doll was lost on the asfalt.

Here were the tickets sold to the side-shows.

This was a star turn, the big dipper.

And this is the entrance to it. Some more toys are left..

And some more Soviet era signs.

A disposed fire extinguisher.

It has been said that some mad French artist visited an abandoned city and made series of crazy paintings on the walls all across the city.

This was the hotel.

Some more of French paintings.

Some tables are left on the middle of the square. Look at this Nuclear Hazard sign, it was previously used to be a peaceful sign, now it shows the real state of the things here.

This is a Soviet style mailbox.

Piece of the Soviet architecture…

Inside of School building. Look how many gas-masks!

Somebody left his shoe in a rush.

That’s a chemistry classroom.

And this is a teachers room.

This is a class log.

The building of the school suffers demolition…

Guess what it is.

This is inside a hospital.

Inside of a cubicle.

Chess and a medical thing.

Mattresses.

This is an elevator. It is stuck halfway.

This medical drug is left untouched for 20 years!

And some more drugs untouched.

Beds at the hostpital’s yard.

Walking across the city. All these trees weren’t here before the accident, 20 years ago. They are a new generation.

A dock.

This is another sample of Soviet architecture, 16 stored building with a Soviet state emblem.

Just another view of it.

Another street art on the walls of the abandoned city Chernobyl, all of them appeared after the accident, when first tourists appeared.

And some more on the roof of this 16 stored building from previous photos.

This is the view on the Chernobyl Power Plant. As it can be seen it stands right in the middle of the city.

This is that emblem.

Some giant letters are scattered across the roof. What for? Who knows..

A view of totally abandoned city.

Forest came into the city.

Another piece of art…