Chernobyl exclusion zone with the eyes of a local guide.

[maquara]

I had the pleasure to be a guide/delegate in Chernobyl exclusion zone. It was one of the greatest times of my life. Yesterday I watched the new mini series Chernobyl. I decided to show my fellow local guides the zone with my eyes. For me the Zone is a place of peace. You can see the impact of one of the biggest accident in human history on one hand and the power of the nature on the other hand.

Here are my favorite places.

Years after the accident the wild life returned to the Zone. 

Przewalski's horses running wild in the exclusion zone.

Jupiter factory was producing radio systems in Pripyat. After the evacuation the factory was abandoned and a lot of equipment and machines are just rusting away.

Old bus in Jupiter factory.

In one of the unfinished cooling towers is a beautiful graffiti. It is a memorial for Igor Kostin. He was a very famous Russian photographer that was the first one that took pictures of the burning reactor. Since the accident he returned periodically. This was his famous photo of a tired liquidator. He died nearly 30 years after the accident in a car crash.

Gratify inside cooling tower .

Amusement park was never opened. It was prepared to be opened for the first time it the 1st of May ceremony. It is one of the most memorable places in Pripyat. 

Infamously famous Pripyat's Ferris wheel.

Swimming pool was next to school #3. After the accident it was used till 1995. Liquidators used it for relaxation. 

Swimming pool .

Propaganda painting and slogans where a big part of socialistic culture.

The main post office in Pripyat.

After the accident the remaining reactors continued to produce electricity. This was the control room of the reactor #3 that was fully operational till 2000. Nowadays it is used only partially and is used only for cooling down the reactor.  

Inside the control room of reactor #3.

The vision was to build in the Chernobyl are 12 power plants. They started to build the reactor number 5 and 6. After the accident all construction stopped.

Unfinished reactor #5.

The longest hall I have ever seen. Nearly one kilometer long.

Hallway at Duga.

Pripyat was only 3 kilometers from the power plat.

View from the roof in Pripyat at the new Sarcophagus.

Photographers are often arranging thing to get a better picture. They are destroying the authentic atmosphere. You are not allowed to rearrange things in a museum or in a gallery. Why they do it in the Zone.  

Nature taking over in Pripyat.

Nature taking over in Pripyat.

There a a lot of pianos in Pripyat but nearly all of them are destroyed by looters or thieves.

Remains of the cultural life in Pripyat.

Pripyat was a young city. Beautiful. and now it is a ghost town.

View from the rooftop.

Cranes in the port of Pripyat.

Most radioactive place in the Zone. It got a huge dose of radiation right after the accident and it turned red due to the radiation. 

The red Forrest.Semyon - the friendly Fox.

We are not only guiding. We try to help the local self settlers and to clean the garbage after tourists. 

Sometimes we do not guide... we simply help. and clean.

[Aruni]

Hi @maquara 

Welcome to Local Guides Connect!

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[VijayaNagesh]

Hey @maquara thank you for sharing the post with us.

This is one of the awesome post with pictures I have read.

I like each and every frame in your post.

Keep doing on. All the very best.

Cheers

VijayaNagesh

[KarolT]

Hi @maquara 

I read your post yesterday before it moved to spam.

Its brethtaking story with perfect pictures.

I rememer this time about 1. may 1986 when this tragedy happended.

I was just on military service.

Thank You for bringing details of this incident.

Regards from Slovakia

Karol

[DanniS]

Hi @maquara,

Thank you for sharing this post with us! It's really interesting to see how it is now with the unfortunate events that happened. You mentioned you are a guide there? That must be quite interesting? I've read a lot about Chernobyl and Fukushima as well, and it's important to share these stories and raise awareness. 

Thanks again!

[maquara]

Hi @Aruni

Thank you very much for your help. 

[maquara]

Thank you @DanniS. I am preparing also a post from Fukushima in the next days.  

[maquara]

Hi @KarolT 

Thank you. I remember it only partially. I was only a child but the last 3 years I spent a some time in the Zone. Incredible times.  

Igor 

[maquara]

Thank you @VijayaNagesh 

I am prepering now a post about Fukushima. 

Igor

[DanniS]

@maquara That's great! I really look forward to reading it. Thank you!