Report of the exclusion zone: Bashny.Net

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Will 98 ph and text.

Almost immediately after the departure from the Chernobyl we move to the next checkpoint. It Lelёv, once a village of a thousand inhabitants on the banks of the cooling pond Chernobyl, and now border a 10-kilometer exclusion zone, the area affected by the disaster the most. Ahead of Chernobyl, railway station "Midsummer", the ghost town of Pripyat. Onliner.by continues a series of reports from Chernobyl, Pripyat and Slavutych.

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For tourists here watching warily as they have suffered from the ills already done. Many perceive the trip to the Chernobyl zone as a pleasure trip, comes to anecdotal cases, which, however, almost a tragedy does not end.

- What we are just not seen enough! - Sighs our guide Sergey Chernov. - Probably, the champion of stupidity has become a tourist from Moscow, who came to Pripyat sunbathing. I led a tour, look, one person is not enough, a young woman. We started to look for, see - she stripped down to a bathing suit and lay down on the moss, the place where most of the radiation is collected. Dosimeter, when I brought it to the moss, rolls over. A tourist has flatly refused to move from their seats, she said that her friend said, that Chernobyl tan, especially when lying on the moss, is not washed off for a year.



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Another tourist from Russia, the signature is lost in Pripyat. They were looking for a few hours, in the end the group with which he came and sat on the bus and went to Kiev, where he was booked plane.

- What about your friend? - I asked.

- Let Vanya himself as he wants, and is selected.

We were looking for this "stalker" all day long, hooked firefighters, police. In the evening, we saw the area where he disappeared, a pack of wolves, worried that they not only met us. Tourist found only about two in the morning - on a street in an abandoned town accidentally saw glimpses of fire in the distance. It turned out that behind the group, our Vanya "have used a little more," and went to sleep. I woke up - there is no one around. The evening, cold, empty city. He built a fire and warmed himself.

Vanya was brought to the hotel, he went to the hot tub to warm up a little and there drowned. In general, we said to him: "Please do not come here anymore».

A couple of kilometers after another stop CPR. On the horizon is one of the areas of interest. He is known as the "Chernobyl-2", "Doug," and in the "potential enemy" - as Russian Woodpecker, «Russian Woodpecker", the characteristic sounds produced when the work on the radio. The cult game S.T.A.L.K.E.R. He referred to it as "cautery brains."



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Horizon radar station "Arc", a huge array antenna height of 100 meters, designed for early detection of launches aggressive militarism in the capitalist countries of intercontinental ballistic missiles, was adopted on alert shortly before the accident on 26 April 1986. Amazes even at this distance, complex, apparently cost the Soviet Union in an astronomical sum, he stood on duty for about a year, then was preserved, partly dismantled, but still remains empty and inactive, but sensitive sites. Our guide tells about walking in the midst of working in the exclusion zone rumors that one of the Chernobyl NPP has worked exclusively for the energy facility "Doug."



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Cross the railway line technology, leading to the third stage of the Chernobyl NPP site and the building is not finished 5th and 6th power units. On the overpass through the spillway channel runs quietly about their business fox - further evidence of bubbling in the area of ​​wildlife with which to face both business travelers and professionals working here, and squatters.



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- Bred beast is really a lot - says Sergey Chernov on the road. - Twice I saw herds of wild boars with 50 goals. Famous huge catfish that are found in the channel leading from the reactor cooling pond, grew to such an extent not from radiation. And because they had not been caught, and tourists are fed for slaughter - the fish, consider, have become almost tame. But what to say - on the Pripyat constantly walk the animals, he saw, and deer, and deer and hares, and wolves.

The only change noted - have increased at a rate of insects. Several times already we have seen here a huge beetles, size, probably half the palm of my hand.

And ahead of it already, the station, the source of life for some and death for hundreds of thousands of power engineering, the liquidators and the ordinary residents of the surrounding villages, towns and cities. The fourth unit, on which the accident occurred, far left, stands tall object "Shelter".



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In January 1967, the State Planning Committee of the Ukrainian SSR has determined the place of erection of the first-born Ukrainian nuclear power. The selected site is located 110 km north of Kiev (and only 11 km from the border with the Byelorussian SSR), on the banks of the Pripyat, on unsuitable agricultural land near the village Kopachi Kiev region. Future Station giant the nearest district center was named as subsequent history proved prophetic - Chernobyl. In May 1970 starts marking and excavation pit for the first unit. So begins this building, which is, of course, immediately declared a "shock", "All-Union" and "Komsomol".



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Construction of the station was delayed. The first unit, plan to launch in 1975, brought into operation only two years later (12/14/1977), please take them approximately every two years. Notorious was the fourth new - at full capacity it was taken in the spring of 1984. By the time the Chernobyl disaster was one of the largest nuclear power plants of the Soviet Union, the installed capacity of 4000 MW, is actively built the third stage - the power unit №5 and №6. At the time of the accident the willingness of the fifth was about 80%, of course, to finish it was not fated. They never stand still in the form in which they are caught the morning April 26, 1986. To the right is visible cooling tower, unfinished to about half the height.



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Traditional excursions for all the Chernobyl stop on its observation platform. Hence it is easily visible exploding fourth unit, after 7 months after the accident covered sarcophagus. There is a monument to the victims of Chernobyl. Two arms around the sarcophagus under the swinging bell.



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This year, the project "Shelter" will celebrate 27 years. The huge structure, the construction of which lasted 400 thousand cubic meters of concrete, grows old. In February this year, above the engine room of the fourth power unit of collapsed area of ​​several hundred square meters. Currently, the neighborhood with the old sarcophagus is construction of a new protective structure, the so-called "confinement."



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An international project, the general contractor is a consortium NOVARKA, which includes 2 major French construction corporation Vinci and Bouygues, is to provide security for the population, workers and the environment functioning of the "Shelter" for the next 100 years. The construction of a huge steel arch of 150 meters, a height of 108 and 257 meters wide span scheduled for completion in 2015, and it will cost, according to some, in the amount of up to a billion euros.



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Chernobyl is far from the railway station "Midsummer". From 27-28 April 1986 the residents of the evacuated town of Pripyat and surrounding settlements in the future station has not been used for a long time, and it kept the ways radiation affected railway equipment.

Among ordinary people, "Midsummer" is reputed dangerous place, they say that tourists here very rarely manage to attend, mostly from the nearby station show the bridge. But our guide safely directs the machine to the right train.

Spring flooding that takes the water of Pripyat to a record level in twenty years, and got here. Meltwater pond formed near full, and the water slowly and inexorably moving to the station building. Toilet podtopilo have to get to it, we have to balance on a wobbly footbridge.



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We ran out to meet the dog barking and leaping. From the darkness of the doorway of one of the buildings there is an overweight man. We are trying to strike up a conversation.

- How long you work here?

- For many years, even in the time of the explosion at Unit ...

- Tell me more.

The man, seeing the tape recorder and camera, immediately loses interest in us, angrily waving his hand and, without saying a word, back into the darkness of the room.



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You have to inspect the station on their own. Currently I live back here. One way has been reconstructed, here performed Shuttle goods, used in the construction of a new sarcophagus. Some painted dark gray paint model vokzalchika 1950, the former was once central to the neighboring atomograda operates construction equipment, are bright yellow farm tower crane.



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To get to the abandoned city Pripyat residents, it is necessary to cross the road overpass over the railway leading to Janov. It is called "The Bridge of Death", and this is one of the most famous legends associated with the area.



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- Of course, I think it Baiken; probably some truth there, as in all folk art, - says our guide. - They say, they say that after the explosion, the morning of April 26, over the station was an amazing glow and to see him better, a lot of people come here. Mostly women and children - poor receive a lethal dose of radiation. Others say that the 26th there were policemen who were guarding the bridge. The dress standing near the Pripyat, survived, but those that have served on the other side of the bridge, at the Red Forest, all died.

The legendary forest is now a red recalls only a few withered trees. It is said that before it was dried radiation vast territory because of the characteristic color of dead pine needles and forest called Ginger.



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Before the third day, we stop at a check point of the former City Bus Terminal and is already beginning to feel the inexpressible no photos Pripyat atmosphere of a big city, suddenly abandoned by people and now is in the nature of disposal. Today, Pripyat - "hunting" stalkers.

- They really come here often - recognizes Sergei Chernov. - But to be honest, still do not understand who they are and why this so boasting. Sonorous word, of course, only for him - an empty phrase. I am here for the zone is not ten years go, I consider every day. Do I - a stalker? But pimply boy, wearing a camouflage, once here will walk (foolishly may also hvatanut radiation) and on the Internet puts pictures, it shows what he is a hero. Although he threatened a maximum penalty - $ 50-60.

There is no romance here. Houses in Pripyat looters ransacked their somehow also some stalkers called. But it happened in the first four years after the accident, when the city people are still working. Here are some of them did not hesitate to climb on abandoned apartments and make valuables. Now the looters rarely appear in Pripyat, trying to take out metal from here.



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Due to the old Soviet album with photos of Pripyat, we can try to at least roughly to imagine what it was - to live in atomograde to the very fateful April night.



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Now in the place where once daily sent dozens of manholes and "Ikarus" for suburban and intercity routes, devastation and desolation.



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New Town for the employees of the plant began to build 4 February 1970, when close to the railway station "Midsummer" and the eponymous village was packed traditional "first peg" and removed the symbolic "first bucket of soil" on the site of the future atomograda. Quickly give up the first houses, administrative and office buildings, engineering infrastructure laid. April 14, 1972 decree of the Presidium out of the Supreme Council of the Ukrainian SSR, which states: "Assign novovystroennomu locality Chernobyl Kyiv region name - Pripyat town." So the place-name appears on maps, which after only 14 years, along with Chernobyl had become known to the entire planet.

Hello atomostroiteley city!



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Now the entrance sign, still neatly painted, except that the staff welcomed the exclusion zone and not-so-frequent travelers.



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At the station grew and the satellite town. Atomograda Master Plan was developed in 1968-1970, the Institute "UralTEP" ("Uralteploelektroproekt"), since the beginning of the 1970s, the design of Pripyat was carried out architectural and planning department of Institute "Hydroproject" creative team headed by architect V. Grigoriev. The first sketches of buildings of Pripyat, developed by the institute "Uralteploelektroproekt" in 1968. Sports planned to name "Uranus".



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Like any new Soviet town of the 1960s-1980s, Pripyat is actually a single large living area, built mostly large-panel 5-16-storey houses typical series. Sleeping districts (a total of Pripyat in varying degrees, had to build five) surround formed in the center of the city at the intersection of its main thoroughfares (pr. Lenin Street. Kurchatov) social and administrative center, facing one of its sides to the Pripyat River and the river station. The layout of the city center and the first three districts.



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The picture of 1985, just a year before the accident, Pripyat looked not only as bright socialist future of the city.



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And now it looks like the same place.



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On the construction of the actual atomograda not saved. In a short time, only 15 years, in the fields of the local collective farm. Kalinin was elevated to a full-fledged city of 50 thousand inhabitants, provided everything necessary for the comfort of the living standards. Modern high-rises were accompanied by numerous shops, including specialized, dining room and a cafe. In Pripyat managed to build a developed community center with the Palace of Culture, hotel and restaurant, swimming pool "Azure", the stadium "Avangard" cinema "Prometheus", a music school, a hospital and dispensary, five middle schools, fifteen kindergartens and one vocational school, his Hothouse -teplichny plant.



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The city was beautifully landscaped, when it tried to preserve the building existed on the territory of the forest, many public buildings have received generous decoration, mosaics, stained glass windows, the streets were decorated with ornate sculptures. May 1, 1986 scheduled to open the city recreation park with rides, which never managed to earn.



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Like any atomograd, Pripyat is well supplied with food and manufactured goods, nuclear power plant workers received an excellent salary by Soviet standards, the city was young, its population was young. Old photos of Pripyat, its streets crowded with children.



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Where are these little football with an inscription "Pripyat" on his chest?



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- I Pripyat built together with his future wife, working in student teams. Here we got married - sighs Sergey. - Of course, very sad, remembering how this city was to observe what he has become.



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Literally, the physical sensation of the human tragedy is not leaving, probably one of those who arrive in this ghost town. Book House, the main bookstore Pripyat on the street. Friendship between nations.



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He's 27 years later, from behind a fence topped with barbed wire, which is enclosed on the perimeter of Pripyat. Right - the first nine-city, on the roof of which a fragment of the slogan "Glory to Labor».



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Monument of Friendship of Peoples in the beginning of the street of the same name.



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Now the trees it was almost not see.



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Check point at the entrance to the city is guarded by two men in camouflage. Our guide passes one of these documents and the barrier, blocking the road in the dead city, it rises.



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Having passed on Lenin Avenue, is exerted on the central square. So the main street of the city looked before.



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And it looks today.



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Kurchatov Street, at the intersection where the prospectus of Lenin was founded main social center of Pripyat. Right so-called "White House", where the population of the city authorities and the station on the ground floor shop "Rainbow".



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Bosses are long gone, the store was robbed and only two yellow phone booth on the corner reminiscent of the old picture of the life that was before the disaster.



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The scale of the disaster befell the Pripyat realize comparing archival photos of the city to its current state.



















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