This article is missing information about Geography. Please expand the article to include this information. Further details may exist on the
talk page.(May 2024)
Panoramic view of Pripyat in May 2009View of the Chernobyl power plant including 2003
radioactive level of 0.763
milliroentgens per hour
Access to Pripyat, unlike
cities of military importance, was not restricted before the disaster as the Soviet Union deemed
nuclear power stations safer than other types of power plants. Nuclear power stations were presented as achievements of Soviet engineering, harnessing nuclear power for peaceful projects. The slogan "peaceful atom" (
Russian: мирный атом,
romanized: mirnyy atom) was popular during those times. The original plan had been to build the plant only 25 km (16 mi) from
Kyiv, but the
Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, among other bodies, expressed concern that would be too close to the city. As a result, the power station and Pripyat[6] were built at their current locations, about 100 km (62 mi) from Kyiv.[7]
A panorama of Pripyat during summer. The Chernobyl power plant, currently undergoing decommissioning, is visible in the distance, at top center.
Post-Chernobyl disaster
Pripyat amusement park, as seen from the City Center GymnasiumAerial view of PripyatThe
Azure Swimming Pool was still in use by
liquidators in 1996, a decade after the Chernobyl incident.In 2009, over two decades after the Chernobyl incident, the Azure Swimming Pool shows decay after years of disuse.
In 1986, the city of
Slavutych was constructed to replace Pripyat. After
Chernobyl, this was the second-largest city for accommodating power plant workers and scientists in the
Commonwealth of Independent States.
One notable landmark often featured in photographs in the city and visible from aerial-imaging websites is the long-abandoned
Ferris wheel located in the
Pripyat amusement park, which had been scheduled to have its official opening five days after the disaster, in time for
May Day celebrations.[8][9] The
Azure Swimming Pool and
Avanhard Stadium are two other popular tourist sites.
On 4 February 2020, former residents of Pripyat gathered in the abandoned city to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Pripyat's establishment. This was the first time former residents returned to the city since its abandonment in 1986.[10] The
2020 Chernobyl Exclusion Zone wildfires reached the outskirts of the town, but they did not reach the plant.[11]
During the 2022
Russian invasion of Ukraine, the city was occupied by Russian forces during the
Battle of Chernobyl after several hours of heavy fighting.[12] On 31 March Russian troops withdrew from the plant and other parts of
Kyiv Oblast.[13][14] On 3 April Ukrainian troops took control of Pripyat again.[15][16]
Infrastructure and statistics
The following statistics are from 1 January 1986.[17]
The population was 49,400. The average age was about 26 years old. Total living space was 658,700 m2 (7,090,000 sq ft): 13,414 apartments in 160 apartment blocks, 18 halls of residence accommodating up to 7,621 single males or females, and eight halls of residence for married or de facto couples.
Education: 15 kindergartens and elementary schools for 4,980 children, and five secondary schools for 6,786 students.
Healthcare: one hospital could accommodate up to 410 patients, and three clinics.
Trade: 25 stores and malls; 27 cafes, cafeterias, and restaurants collectively could serve up to 5,535 customers simultaneously. 10 warehouses could hold 4,430 tons of goods.
Sports: 10 gyms, 10 shooting galleries, three indoor swimming-pools, two stadiums.
Recreation: one park, 35 playgrounds, 18,136 trees, 33,000 rose plants, 249,247 shrubs.
Industry: four factories with annual turnover of 477,000,000 rubles. One
nuclear power plant with four reactors (plus two more planned).
Transportation: Yanov railway station, 167 urban buses, plus the nuclear power plant car park with 400 spaces.
Telecommunication: 2,926 local phones managed by the Pripyat Phone Company, plus 1,950 phones owned by Chernobyl power station's administration,
Jupiter plant, and Department of Architecture and Urban Development.
Safety
The
external relative gamma dose for a person in the open near the Chernobyl disaster site. The intermediate lived
fission products like Cs-137 contribute nearly all of the gamma dose now after a number of decades have passed, see opposite.The impact of the different isotopes on the
radioactive contamination of the air soon after the accident. Drawn using data from the OECD report
[1] and the second edition of 'The radiochemical manual'.Pripyat 2007
A concern is whether it is safe to visit Pripyat and its surroundings. The Zone of Alienation is considered relatively safe to visit, and several Ukrainian companies offer guided tours around the area. In most places within the city, the level of radiation does not exceed an
equivalent dose of 1 μSv (one
microsievert) per hour.[18]
The drone manufacturer
DJI produced Lost City of Chernobyl (May 2015), a documentary film about the work of photographer and cinematographer Philip Grossman and his five-year project in Pripyat and the Zone of Exclusion.[22]
Filmmaker Danny Cooke used a drone to capture shots of the abandoned amusement park, some residential shots of decaying walls, children's toys, and gas masks, and collected them in a 3-minute short film Postcards From Chernobyl (released in November 2014), while making footage for the
CBS News60 Minutes episode "Chernobyl: The Catastrophe That Never Ended" (early 2014).[23][24]
With the help of drones, aerial views of Pripyat were shot and later edited to appear as a deserted
London in the film The Girl with All the Gifts (2016).[25]
The documentary White Horse (2008) was filmed in Pripyat.[26]
Lyubov Sirota’s novel
"The Pripyat Syndrome"; Language: English, Publisher: Independently published (February 18, 2021), Paperback: 202 pages,
ISBN979-8710522875 – Lyubov Sirota (Author), Birgitta Ingemanson (Editor), Paul Brians (Editor), A. Yukhimenko (Illustrator), Natalia Ryumina (Translator)
Much of the
James Rollins' novel The Last Oracle takes place in Pripyat and around Chernobyl. The story revolves around a team of
American "Killer Scientist" special agents who must stop a terrorist plot to unleash on the world the radiation of
Lake Karachay, during the installation of the new
sarcophagus over the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
Ash, the rock band from Northern Ireland, has a song titled Pripyat included in their album A–Z Vol.1.
The song "Dead City" (
Ukrainian: Мертве Місто) by the Ukrainian Symphonic Metal band DELIA is about Pripyat, and scenes from the music video were shot in the city. DELIA's vocalist, Anastasia Sverkunova, was born in Pripyat just before the Chernobyl disaster.[28]
In 2006, musician
Example featured Pripyat in his 18-minute documentary of the ghost town and in his promotional video for his track, "What We Made".
The Italian Rapper
Caparezza has a song titled "Come Pripyat" on his album Exuvia, released in 2021.[29]
The Belarusian post-punk band
Molchat Doma released a music video for their song titled, "Waves" (
Russian: Волны) as part of their album Etazhi. The music video was filmed in Pripyat through a series of varying drone shots; displaying famous landmarks of the abandoned city.[30]
Television
(Alphabetical by series)
The 60 Minutes episode "Chernobyl: The Catastrophe That Never Ended" (early 2014) aired on
CBS.[23][31]
HBO's drama miniseries Chernobyl (2019) is based on the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster. The scenes set in 1986 Pripyat were filmed in
Vilnius,
Lithuania.
in the Chris Tarrant: Extreme Railways Season 5 episode "Extreme Nuclear Railway: A Journey Too Far?" (episode 22),
Chris Tarrant visits Chernobyl on his journey through Ukraine.
Discovery Science Channel's Mysteries of the Abandoned episode "Chernobyl's Deadly Secrets",[32] produced and hosted by Philip Grossman,[33] was filmed over a four-day period in Pripyat and the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, in 2017.
The
Animal Planet nature investigation series River Monsters conducted an extensive 2013 investigation within Pripyat, the exclusion zone, and the Chernobyl Power Plant in search of a radioactive mutated
wels catfish.[34]
The city was served by
Yaniv station on the
Chernihiv–Ovruch railway. It was an important passenger hub of the line and was located between the southern suburb of Pripyat and
Yaniv. An electric train terminus of Semikhody, built in 1988 and located in front of the nuclear plant, is currently the only operating station near Pripyat connecting it to
Slavutych.[35]
Notable people
Markiyan Kamysh (born 1988) writer, illegal Chernobyl explorer ("stalker")
This article is missing information about Geography. Please expand the article to include this information. Further details may exist on the
talk page.(May 2024)
Panoramic view of Pripyat in May 2009View of the Chernobyl power plant including 2003
radioactive level of 0.763
milliroentgens per hour
Access to Pripyat, unlike
cities of military importance, was not restricted before the disaster as the Soviet Union deemed
nuclear power stations safer than other types of power plants. Nuclear power stations were presented as achievements of Soviet engineering, harnessing nuclear power for peaceful projects. The slogan "peaceful atom" (
Russian: мирный атом,
romanized: mirnyy atom) was popular during those times. The original plan had been to build the plant only 25 km (16 mi) from
Kyiv, but the
Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, among other bodies, expressed concern that would be too close to the city. As a result, the power station and Pripyat[6] were built at their current locations, about 100 km (62 mi) from Kyiv.[7]
A panorama of Pripyat during summer. The Chernobyl power plant, currently undergoing decommissioning, is visible in the distance, at top center.
Post-Chernobyl disaster
Pripyat amusement park, as seen from the City Center GymnasiumAerial view of PripyatThe
Azure Swimming Pool was still in use by
liquidators in 1996, a decade after the Chernobyl incident.In 2009, over two decades after the Chernobyl incident, the Azure Swimming Pool shows decay after years of disuse.
In 1986, the city of
Slavutych was constructed to replace Pripyat. After
Chernobyl, this was the second-largest city for accommodating power plant workers and scientists in the
Commonwealth of Independent States.
One notable landmark often featured in photographs in the city and visible from aerial-imaging websites is the long-abandoned
Ferris wheel located in the
Pripyat amusement park, which had been scheduled to have its official opening five days after the disaster, in time for
May Day celebrations.[8][9] The
Azure Swimming Pool and
Avanhard Stadium are two other popular tourist sites.
On 4 February 2020, former residents of Pripyat gathered in the abandoned city to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Pripyat's establishment. This was the first time former residents returned to the city since its abandonment in 1986.[10] The
2020 Chernobyl Exclusion Zone wildfires reached the outskirts of the town, but they did not reach the plant.[11]
During the 2022
Russian invasion of Ukraine, the city was occupied by Russian forces during the
Battle of Chernobyl after several hours of heavy fighting.[12] On 31 March Russian troops withdrew from the plant and other parts of
Kyiv Oblast.[13][14] On 3 April Ukrainian troops took control of Pripyat again.[15][16]
Infrastructure and statistics
The following statistics are from 1 January 1986.[17]
The population was 49,400. The average age was about 26 years old. Total living space was 658,700 m2 (7,090,000 sq ft): 13,414 apartments in 160 apartment blocks, 18 halls of residence accommodating up to 7,621 single males or females, and eight halls of residence for married or de facto couples.
Education: 15 kindergartens and elementary schools for 4,980 children, and five secondary schools for 6,786 students.
Healthcare: one hospital could accommodate up to 410 patients, and three clinics.
Trade: 25 stores and malls; 27 cafes, cafeterias, and restaurants collectively could serve up to 5,535 customers simultaneously. 10 warehouses could hold 4,430 tons of goods.
Sports: 10 gyms, 10 shooting galleries, three indoor swimming-pools, two stadiums.
Recreation: one park, 35 playgrounds, 18,136 trees, 33,000 rose plants, 249,247 shrubs.
Industry: four factories with annual turnover of 477,000,000 rubles. One
nuclear power plant with four reactors (plus two more planned).
Transportation: Yanov railway station, 167 urban buses, plus the nuclear power plant car park with 400 spaces.
Telecommunication: 2,926 local phones managed by the Pripyat Phone Company, plus 1,950 phones owned by Chernobyl power station's administration,
Jupiter plant, and Department of Architecture and Urban Development.
Safety
The
external relative gamma dose for a person in the open near the Chernobyl disaster site. The intermediate lived
fission products like Cs-137 contribute nearly all of the gamma dose now after a number of decades have passed, see opposite.The impact of the different isotopes on the
radioactive contamination of the air soon after the accident. Drawn using data from the OECD report
[1] and the second edition of 'The radiochemical manual'.Pripyat 2007
A concern is whether it is safe to visit Pripyat and its surroundings. The Zone of Alienation is considered relatively safe to visit, and several Ukrainian companies offer guided tours around the area. In most places within the city, the level of radiation does not exceed an
equivalent dose of 1 μSv (one
microsievert) per hour.[18]
The drone manufacturer
DJI produced Lost City of Chernobyl (May 2015), a documentary film about the work of photographer and cinematographer Philip Grossman and his five-year project in Pripyat and the Zone of Exclusion.[22]
Filmmaker Danny Cooke used a drone to capture shots of the abandoned amusement park, some residential shots of decaying walls, children's toys, and gas masks, and collected them in a 3-minute short film Postcards From Chernobyl (released in November 2014), while making footage for the
CBS News60 Minutes episode "Chernobyl: The Catastrophe That Never Ended" (early 2014).[23][24]
With the help of drones, aerial views of Pripyat were shot and later edited to appear as a deserted
London in the film The Girl with All the Gifts (2016).[25]
The documentary White Horse (2008) was filmed in Pripyat.[26]
Lyubov Sirota’s novel
"The Pripyat Syndrome"; Language: English, Publisher: Independently published (February 18, 2021), Paperback: 202 pages,
ISBN979-8710522875 – Lyubov Sirota (Author), Birgitta Ingemanson (Editor), Paul Brians (Editor), A. Yukhimenko (Illustrator), Natalia Ryumina (Translator)
Much of the
James Rollins' novel The Last Oracle takes place in Pripyat and around Chernobyl. The story revolves around a team of
American "Killer Scientist" special agents who must stop a terrorist plot to unleash on the world the radiation of
Lake Karachay, during the installation of the new
sarcophagus over the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
Ash, the rock band from Northern Ireland, has a song titled Pripyat included in their album A–Z Vol.1.
The song "Dead City" (
Ukrainian: Мертве Місто) by the Ukrainian Symphonic Metal band DELIA is about Pripyat, and scenes from the music video were shot in the city. DELIA's vocalist, Anastasia Sverkunova, was born in Pripyat just before the Chernobyl disaster.[28]
In 2006, musician
Example featured Pripyat in his 18-minute documentary of the ghost town and in his promotional video for his track, "What We Made".
The Italian Rapper
Caparezza has a song titled "Come Pripyat" on his album Exuvia, released in 2021.[29]
The Belarusian post-punk band
Molchat Doma released a music video for their song titled, "Waves" (
Russian: Волны) as part of their album Etazhi. The music video was filmed in Pripyat through a series of varying drone shots; displaying famous landmarks of the abandoned city.[30]
Television
(Alphabetical by series)
The 60 Minutes episode "Chernobyl: The Catastrophe That Never Ended" (early 2014) aired on
CBS.[23][31]
HBO's drama miniseries Chernobyl (2019) is based on the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster. The scenes set in 1986 Pripyat were filmed in
Vilnius,
Lithuania.
in the Chris Tarrant: Extreme Railways Season 5 episode "Extreme Nuclear Railway: A Journey Too Far?" (episode 22),
Chris Tarrant visits Chernobyl on his journey through Ukraine.
Discovery Science Channel's Mysteries of the Abandoned episode "Chernobyl's Deadly Secrets",[32] produced and hosted by Philip Grossman,[33] was filmed over a four-day period in Pripyat and the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, in 2017.
The
Animal Planet nature investigation series River Monsters conducted an extensive 2013 investigation within Pripyat, the exclusion zone, and the Chernobyl Power Plant in search of a radioactive mutated
wels catfish.[34]
The city was served by
Yaniv station on the
Chernihiv–Ovruch railway. It was an important passenger hub of the line and was located between the southern suburb of Pripyat and
Yaniv. An electric train terminus of Semikhody, built in 1988 and located in front of the nuclear plant, is currently the only operating station near Pripyat connecting it to
Slavutych.[35]
Notable people
Markiyan Kamysh (born 1988) writer, illegal Chernobyl explorer ("stalker")