Pripyat ghost city

 Where Pripyat Chernobyl is Located and Its Environment

Pripyat is a city that is located in the northern part of Ukraine and is bordered by Belarus. The name of the city is derived from the nearby river called Pripyat River and was first founded in February 1970, February 4, 1970 to be exact.

Ukraine Pripyat map. Town near Chernobyl

It is very popular because it is a nuclear city that is associated with the Chernobyl Power Plant. In 1979, it was declared to be a city with a growing population. In 1979 Pripyat population was approximately 49,000 residents.

This is the resident count around the time of the evacuation due to the Chernobyl disaster in April of 1986. Many of the residents were very young, averaging in the 20s. Around 1000 children were born in this town which had only one hospital. Since then Pripyat Ukraine is abandoned and void of any residents. It has literally become a ghost town.

Chernobyl Pripyat before the Pripyat disaster at the Chernobyl plant

Pripyat got its name from the river. It’s called the Pripyat River and it winds through the Belarus as well as Polesiye. The waters of the river meet the Dnepr River. It came into existence thanks to the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl which got its name from Lenin.

If you see a Pripyat map, the maps of Pripyat will show where it is located and show you exactly how close in is to the power plant disaster. There are also Pripyat Ukraine maps that will depict exactly how far the effects of the disaster travelled.

The History of Pripyat Chernobyl: Ghost Town History

The city of Pripyat is located in and part of the Ivankiv Raion district and still holds importance and significance in the province of Kiev Oblast. It is manned by the Ministry of Emergencies and this is an agency that handles all of the activities for the exclusion zone in Chernobyl.

Ukraine Pripyat before and after the Chernobyl disaster

Today, it is a museum that houses evidence of the classic Soviet period. It is now home to unused and abandoned buildings including businesses, housing, hospitals and other structures. To this day, you can still see the belongings of the people who once occupied Pripyat, including the toys that children played with and other papers that signify the history of the city. It is no longer safe for inhabitance and has not been for many centuries. Because of the time it will take to eliminate all of the radioactive materials, it may not be an ideal place of residence for at least nine centuries into the future.

Even though Pripyat today is not safe to live in, you can still use the roads to pass through it without having any negative health effects.

There are places in the city near Chernobyl where you can see military equipment that was left behind by the Soviet Union’s Army such as helicopters, tanks and all-terrain vehicles. They were left in the dumps of the city because they were contaminated by radiation.

The site no longer brings in tourism income because of the silence that has overtaken the Pripyat ghost city and this silence makes visitors uncomfortable.

In Pripyat Ukraine Chernobyl, the city was devastated by one of the worst nuclear mishaps that occurred on April 26, 1986. This Pripyat disaster occurred because of a safety test that was not necessary. It was discovered that employees at the plant had turned off the cooling system to do a test on the grid systems responsible for keeping the core cool. They wanted to know if they would have enough electricity even if the power were to go out to allow the unit to still work. Due to this and other issues including improper design and operating the equipment incorrectly, the Pripyat disaster took place. It began with a power surge and an explosion of steam that set of a nuclear explosion. More than 500 tons of the roof and other toxic material were dispersed into the environment in the early hours of this day.

Even today, long after the Pripyat disaster, we still don’t have an assessed damage figure. They do know that the power of the explosion was nearly 100 times worse than the blow experienced from the Hiroshima bombing. Many other areas in the vicinity were affected, including other countries like Poland, Ukraine, Russia and Belarus. News of this accident had not been announced to anyone including those who were affected so people continued with their daily lives as normal. The truth was revealed at the time of the Soviet Union collapse.

Because of the lack of communication, the residents were killed due to illnesses that occurred from the radioactive materials that made their way into the environment. People died even long after the accident took place.

Thousands of people volunteered to help put out the flames of the burning reactor but it took several months to put it out. Even now, it is not known how many people were there to help and how many people have died due this unfortunate incident only because studies have not been done. The government even asked people to participate in festivities even though the radiation level was thousands of times higher than normal.

During the time when the fire was being extinguished, it is known that more than 500 people died because of the radiation contamination because the fire could not be extinguished with the use of just water.

It has been nearly twenty years since the mishap and even though it is safer than it was before, it’s not safe enough to eat the crops that can be grown in the area. You may be physically affected by radiation by doing so. It is best to avoid this. The worst areas are closely controlled and monitored.

Pripyat Ghost City near Chernobyl. Pripyat Disaster

At one time, the city of Pripyat housed the people who worked at the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant as well as their family members. Pripyat population was over 40000 when the explosion occurred. Pripyat before the accident was beautiful. The people awoke to the smoke that was release from the explosion of the reactor, they were in the Zone of Alienation. The day after the nuclear disaster, there was Pripyat evacuation, the people were evacuated and told to take their belongings and look elsewhere for shelter. They left under the assumption they would be allowed to return a few days later. Unfortunately, the residents would never see their homes again and never went back to the city. Some people did not take their belongings so they were left to start over again from scratch.

There were people who believed that the government did not act properly and should have warned the people earlier of the consequences set forth by the accident. Many lives and huge losses may have been prevented. The city is now abandoned and remains an eerie sign of the sufferings of the people who left their homes and lost their lives.

Later, Prypiat became known as a ghost city that was left to decay, all of its previous beauty was taken away.

The town now has overgrown grass in the sidewalks and lots of weeds exist in a town that was once full of joy. The buildings and homes are now damaged with water leaking in. You can see the evidence of why the people loved it so much. In photos, there are images of the Ferris wheel that once entertained the residents. It is said that there are ghost children around the area. The buildings that were left to decay are believed by some to be haunted by the spirits of those whose lives were taken away by the Chernobyl Power Plant. Some people still visit the area, even though this isn’t recommended. Pripyat is believed to be one of the most haunted parts worldwide. Some footage was also captured on camera.

What You’ll See in Pripyat Ukraine. Pripyat Tour

Ferris wheel Pripyat Chernobyl in Amusement park

The Pripyat Amusement Park opened shortly after the Chernobyl Plant disaster but unfortunately, it was hardly visited because of the evacuations that turned out to be permanent. The Pripyat Ferris wheel still stands in the same place as before and remains unused. Ferris wheel Pripyat still looks like it’s in good condition but remains idle. There are also images where you can see the Pripyat School and the Pripyat Hospital in ruins over the years. The Pripyat park where this is located was once a very beautiful site that heard the sounds of laughter coming from the children. Other activities included swimming in the Pripyat pool but just like all other features, this is also idle and unused.

When the city was originally built, it consisted of several districts or neighborhood that resembled a radial. It had many signs that were illuminated , ceramic decorations on the buildings and also bright panels.

Every effort was made by the builders to preserve the natural botanicals such as the trees and then landscaping was added. It was an ideal place for entertainment and recreation. There were people of various ethnic background living in Pripyat. The town had a rich history and had several libraries, art school, vocational schools, a cultural center, and bookstores. There was a cinema and hotel as well for entertainment and non-resident accommodations.

Even though people do not live in Prypiat, there are people who live in the Exclusion Zone that returned to their homes. This is the older generation who did not want to adjust to change. Today, there are only three hundred fifty people in this zone.

Pripyat Ukraine – ghost town near Chernobyl

Though Prypiat is abandoned by people, there is still wildlife living in the area. These animals weren’t able to survive well near Chernobyl. After reactor #4 exploded, the animals moved into the area. Pripyat animals such as deer, lynx and wolves could be seen. There was a high level of radiation but they showed no effects from the high-radiation environment. You will also see Pripyat dogs roaming around as well. Today, it seems like a wildlife safari. The animals enjoyed having the land to themselves without any people around.

Pripyat Tours: See it in Person

The city is located approximately one hour away from one of the most popular cities, Kiev.

It’s constantly discussed, even today because it is where the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant is located there. The site is extremely popular amongst tourist who visit Ukraine.

Chernobyl Pripyat City today

The town is void of life but the good thing is that though the radiation levels are dangerous if you stay too long, they have decreased enough that you can spend a few hours there.

You can now opt for guided tours. Thousands of people from all corners of the world have done just this, just to set their sight on the famous plant.

Chernobyl Pripyat today. Pripyat tours

If you’re planning to visit Pripyat, there are tours you can get to see the city as well as its surrounding towns. The tours include transportation to and from the area, passes to the zones and additional transportation for the tour. The tours need to be booked in advance with the tour operators since all of the tours are regulated. The reason for it is the contamination that is still in existence. Can you visit Pripyat? The answer is yes, anytime you wish with a tour guide.

The tours of Pripyat and Chernobyl last for one day and leave early in the morning. From here, you can see places like Kiev and then you will visit the area called the Exclusion Zone in Chernobyl. When you visit the area, you’ll actually have the honor of seeing the Chernobyl Power Plant in person, from the outside of course.

When it comes to the tours and visiting Prypiat, the tour guide must have a Geiger counter available so they know where the tour group can go and where the group cannot go. Another important aspect is that all people are scanned to check radiation levels before departure from the site that is visited.

During the duration of your tour, you will see the Pripyat pool as well as the Pripyat Amusement Park. You can also have the opportunity to see the river boats on the Pripyat River. The most fascinating part is that you’ll see the ghost town Pripyat.

If you want to visit Chernobyl and Pripyat – place order for Tour or contact with me and we will do it!

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