I’ve been hesitant to write trip reports about my visits to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Many people feel that this type of tourism exploits tragedy that changed others’ lives forever. There is some truth to that belief. Plus, I’m not Ukrainian (or Belarusian for that matter), so telling this story feels a bit disingenuous. However, it’s no secret that I’ve been to The Zone three times over the past seven years.

It’s not an exaggeration that I think about the accident at Chernobyl every day. I think about the people who’s lives were torn apart. About the plant operators who were unfairly blamed for the accident. About the first responders who sacrificed their health – and lives – to put out the fire at Reactor 4.

I also think about the indescribable beauty in The Zone. The wolves howling at night. The moose walking down the road. The mama dog with her puppies. The joy on checkpoint guards’ faces when they got to play with those puppies. The fall leaves subtly rustling in the cool breeze. And then I remember that this beauty is only here because of the horrible tragedy that happened on April 26, 1986.

This is the first of four posts about my time in The Zone. For the first post, I’m going to focus on Pripyat municipal buildings and a few surrounding structures.

GETTING THERE

There are, in total, three checkpoints that visitors need to pass through to get into Pripyat. You can’t photograph any of any of them, though I’ve seen a few sneaky pictures online. My guide said that it’s a request of the guards – they don’t want to be subjects of every tourist’s picture. Understandable…I wouldn’t want to be in millions of random pictures either.

You can take a picture of the zone map at Dytyatky Checkpoint, though. This is the first checkpoint situated at the edge of the 30km perimeter, and where the guards scrutinize passports before letting visitors in.

KOPACHI DAYCARE

While it’s technically illegal to enter buildings in the city of Pripyat, it’s not illegal to enter buildings in other villages. The deserted village of Kopachi is one of the first that you pass after getting through Dytyatky Checkpoint. There’s an old daycare – the first building that most tourists see on their visit. And what a first it is.

UPDATE: There are reports that this building was destroyed by the April 2020 wildfire.

Even though everything has most likely been staged by other photographers, the truth remains. Children did go to daycare in this building. There were beds for napping, books and toys here at one time.

CHERNOBYL REACTOR COMPLEX

To get to the Chernobyl reactor complex, visitors go through another checkpoint, called Leliv. Getting through Leliv Checkpoint is much easier, though there’s always the chance of a passport spot check. Only happened once in all of my visits, though. UPDATE: Leliv was unfortunately affected by the April 2020 wildfires.

REACTOR NO 5 COOLING TOWER

No words can describe walking around inside a reactor cooling tower. This tower was never completed, and you can even still see construction scaffolding around the top. The sound of echoing footsteps and quiet talking was wild…it traveled all around and came back again.

REACTOR NO 4 COMPLEX

The first time I visited The Zone, Reactor No 4 was still contained only by the crumbling sarcophagus that was built shortly after the accident. In 2015, I saw the construction of the New Containment Arch. In 2019, I saw the Arch in place. Another change happened in 2019. A mural artist was commissioned to paint on one of the complex buildings. Opinions about this mural are mixed, according to my guide.

PRIPYAT MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS

If you’ve seen anything of Pripyat, you’ve probably seen the amusement park and the main square. So I’m going to skip those and move on to equally well known but less internet famous buildings.

BUS STATION

This was the main bus station for anyone visiting Pripyat. Even in its overgrown state, the interior felt light and airy, thanks to the angled window wall. This building is basically gutted, but some lockers and other random junk remains.

Sometime between 2013 and 2015, this map fell off the wall and broke. I was lucky enough to see it when it was still in one piece.

POST OFFICE

In 2015, my guide said that there was something very special waiting for us in the Post Office. I could not have guessed at how spectacular that surprise would turn out to be. In the post office is a huge mural celebrating the Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. Even in 2019, this mural is in remarkable shape. It’s relics like this that make me wish that Pripyat could be turned into a museum site.

The post office was the communication center of Pripyat. In addition to handling mail, residents could come here to make phone calls…the phones were rumored to be tapped. This was the Soviet Union, after all.

PALACE OF CULTURE ‘ENERGETIK’

This was the community center of Pripyat. During my visits, I saw the gymnasium, boxing ring, music room and propaganda room. Oh, and a beautiful but fading wall mural. I’ve read of many more interesting things to see in this building, but sadly none of my tours have spent much time in here. Probably has something to do with tightening security…because once again, it is technically illegal to enter buildings in Pripyat.

CAFE PRIPYAT

It must have been so pleasant to visit the Pripyat Cafe on a warm, sunny day. First, you’d be able to admire the sun streaming through the stained glass window wall. Second, you’d be able to have your coffee overlooking the banks of the Pripyat River. Third, you could buy a water on your way out…but make sure not to take the communal cup with you.

LAZURNY POOL

Well, you’ve probably seen the pool, It’s featured in a popular video game, after all. An interesting tidbit – the pool was used until 1998, a full 12 years after the accident. Not only was there a pool in this building, but also a basketball court and a smaller lap pool in the basement.

FUJIYAMA APARTMENT

One of a group of high rise apartments in Pripyat, Fujiyama is on almost every tourist agenda. Rightly so…the view over Pripyat from the roof is stunning. Fujiyama had elevators, but they’re obviously not working now. So walking up 14 flights of stairs is the only option to get to the top. I heard that a tourist group gave this apartment its name, based on being as tall as Mount Fuji. Who knows if that’s true or just another Chernobyl Zone legend.

HOSPITAL 126 MATERNITY WARD

Hospital 126 contains several buildings, including the one where the liquidators clothing was stored. I was able to go into that hospital back in 2013, but by 2015 the entire first floor was contaminated. Here’s where I’m going to judge a bit…several people have gone into the basement where the liquidators clothing was stored. Over a couple of years, enough radioactive material was spread to make the first floor very dangerous. As of 2019, the entrances have been filled with sand, though the intrepid explorer can still get in. That’s not me, by the way.

Back to the maternity ward. In 2015, there were still several interesting artifacts scattered around. Not sure about now.