Pripyat

Prypiat (Ukrainian Прип'ять, Russian Припять / Pripyat pronunciation? / I)) is a ghost town in the Kiev Oblast ( Rajon Chernobyl ) in Ukraine, which was established in 1970 in connection with the construction of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, and as a result of the nuclear accident of 1986 was cleared. At the time of the disaster on 26 April 1986 lived here about 49 360 people, including 15,500 children. Most of the inhabitants were workers in the nuclear power plant and their families.

As a replacement for the city of Pripyat Slavutych was rebuilt after the disaster.

Location

The city lies on the River Pripyat and is at a distance of about four kilometers to the reactor closest settlement. This Pripyat is surrounded by uninhabitable 30 - kilometer zone around the power plant.

Attractions

In Pripyat, there is still a fairground with a Ferris wheel and bumper cars. The hype was to be opened on 1 May 1986, for which it did not come because of the nuclear disaster, as the city was evacuated on 27 April 1986. Furthermore, is about a kilometer straight-line distance of the festival place a swimming pool.

In the vicinity of the reactor existed for a long time a huge junkyard, because after the cleanup and construction of the sarcophagus were hundreds of vehicles (trucks, fire trucks, helicopters, off-road vehicles ) so contaminated that a further use was impossible. Today, this junkyard is resolved in the context of decontamination, the vehicles have not been disposed of due to their high radioactivity until today. Many vehicles, however, are exploited over time by looters and some have even been taken away completely (see also: situation today).

Fair

Bumper Cars

Swimming pool

History of the City

1970 to April 26, 1986

Prypiat was founded on 4 February 1970. The city was planned as a place of residence for the workers of the first nuclear power plant in Ukraine - the Chernobyl nuclear reactor, named after the nearby small town. The majority of the population were workers and their families. This could achieve a faster growth of the city. At the time of the disaster Pripyat was a relatively rich, particularly young city - the average age at the time of the disaster at about 26 years.

The city consists of five micro- districts, the circularly arranged around the city center. The area is estimated at 600 ha, on which 149 multi-storey buildings are located. The approximately 13,500 apartments cover an area of ​​approximately 520,000 m². Originally Pripyat should be parallel to the expansion of nuclear power plant - Block 5 and 6 were already under construction - up to 80,000 inhabitants grow. The expansion area northeast of the city is still visible as a non -grown field, were carried out after the accident on the precautionary measures to prevent wind erosion of contaminated soil as far as possible.

Pripyat immediately after the accident

Due to the sluggish information and emergency management Pripyat was evacuated until 36 hours after the accident. A result, many residents were exposed to a high radiation and often suffered from long-term consequences. So a short radio message was sent around noon of April 27, in which the population was invited to set up a three-day absence. The evacuation took place from 14 clock and was conducted with 1,200 buses within two and a half hours.

Because of the accident Pripyat was contaminated several times and by different radioactive materials. Due to favorable winds, however, the strongest contamination of the city by radioactive fallout was only after the evacuation - between 27 and 29 April - instead.

Dekontaminierungsaktivitäten were carried out throughout the city, with the most detailed work took place in micro- district 4. The work was undertaken at various stages and reduced the average level of radioactive contamination in the city of an estimated 0.2-0.4 mGy / h to 0.028 mGy / h in December 1986.

Situation today

Since the 49 360 residents were left in the belief that they could soon return home, many buildings still stand in their original condition. However, it came over time to vandalism and looting. Thus homes were looted and damaged after the evacuation. In addition, there is an increasing risk that especially the growing tourism made ​​its mark will be left - in 2009, according to official figures were already 7500 people as a tourist spot. The US-based Forbes Magazine called Pripyat / Chernobyl already as a tourist destination in the category "world 's unique places to visit " ( globally unique places to visit ).

The contaminated zone is guarded by the militia until today, few people still live in the area around the reactor. Most of them are members of the army, scientists or illegal residents, but is usually tolerated. As part of guided tours of the nuclear power plant can now be visited Pripyat, as the main roads were decontaminated. The remaining areas of the city have not been decontaminated.

Even today, the infrastructure Prypjats obtained by permanent construction to roads and electricity in case of another accident in reactor 4 (eg the collapse of the sarcophagus ) to be able to provide. But around 4000 workers are employed, most of whom work in two-week shifts to prevent damage to health from hazardous radiation.

End of July 2011, the area was opened to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant permanently for tourism. According to Spiegel Online Go tourism experts of up to one million visitors per year who plan to pursue this kind of " extreme tourism ". Representative of the UN Development Programme, which is coordinating on-site since 2004, welcomed this decision as a much needed investment could reach in the region.

Against the background of the intensification of interest, the question arises, as will be dealt with in the city. For one thing, the region will remain uninhabitable due to the contamination with radioactive material for at least the next 300 years. On the other hand, the place has become a symbol of the anti - nuclear movement, and thus represents a memorial that will pay most attention to the monuments present interesting discussions. Already today there are voices that want to leave the city to add to the World Heritage List of UNESCO.

Graffiti project " Radiating Places "

In 2005 a project was initiated by Sergey Abramchuk and Vitali Shkliarou who had lived through the disaster as children, initiated, which sees itself as " A Requiem of a special kind ". Seven artists from Moscow, Minsk and Berlin went to Pripyat to remember with their graffiti art to the disaster.

" The project will be hoping to draw new attention to the scene. With the images from the center of the disaster she wants to maintain the thinking of the suffering of the people. Contain forget to stop - and understand the responsibility for the future alone in our hands lies ".

Pripyat as a subject in popular culture

• Chernobyl Zone II, writers Wolfgang Kil, Esther Ruelfs, Andrej Krementschouk, Kehrer Verlag, German / English, 2011. ISBN 978-3-86828-210-8
• Chernobyl Zone I, Kehrer - Author Andrej Krementschouk - ISBN 978-3-86828-200-9
• Chernobyl - Emerging - Soviet Documentary 1989
• Chernobyl Diaries is an American horror movie from the year 2012
• Chernobyl Heart - Documentary 2003 - won the Oscar for Best Documentary
• The Door - Short Film 2008
• On a Saturday - Feature film 2011 (participation in the Competition of the Berlinale 2011)
• Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (two distinct single-player missions in Pripyat and multiplayer maps ); Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 ( includes multiplayer maps in the area around Pripyat )
• Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl, Stalker: Clear Sky and Stalker: Call of Pripyat - Video Games
• This Momentary - Music Video (2009) the British music group Delphic
• Pripyat - home of lilith - album of the German band SynthiePop Nova -Spes
• Transformers: Dark of the Moon - Action Movie 2011 - ( A four-minute excerpt in Pripyat )
• Pripyat. Documentary by Nikolaus Geyrhalter, Austria 1999.