Ghost city in Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine
| 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
)
|
Ghost city in Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine
Pripyat
(
PREE
-py?t,
PRIP
-y?t
;
Russian
:
Припять
,
IPA:
[?pr?ip??t?]
ⓘ
), also known as
Prypiat
(
Ukrainian
:
Прип?ять
,
IPA:
[?pr?pj?t?]
), is an
abandoned city
in northern
Ukraine
, located near the border with
Belarus
. Named after the nearby river,
Pripyat
, it was founded on 4 February 1970 as the ninth
atomgrad
(a type of
closed town
in the
Soviet Union
) to serve the nearby
Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant
, which is located in the adjacent ghost city of
Chernobyl
.
[3]
Pripyat was officially proclaimed a city in 1979 and had grown to a population of 49,360
[4]
by the time it was evacuated on the afternoon of 27 April 1986, one day after the
Chernobyl disaster
.
[5]
Although it was located within the administrative district of
Ivankiv Raion
(now
Vyshhorod Raion
since the
2020 raion reform
), the abandoned municipality now has the status of
city of regional significance
within the larger
Kyiv Oblast
, and is administered directly from the capital of
Kyiv
. Pripyat is also supervised by the
State Emergency Service of Ukraine
, which manages activities for the entire
Chernobyl Exclusion Zone
. Following the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, the entire population of Pripyat was moved to the
purpose-built city
of
Slavutych
.
History
[
edit
]
Early years
[
edit
]
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. After the disaster, the city of Pripyat was evacuated in two days.
[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
[
edit
]
In 1986, the city of
Slavutych
was constructed to replace Pripyat. After the city of Chernobyl, this was the second-largest city for accommodating power plant workers and scientists in the
Commonwealth of Independent States
(CIS).
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.
[
citation needed
]
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.
[11]
On 31 March 2022, Russian troops withdrew from the plant and other parts of
Kyiv Oblast
.
[12]
[13]
On 3 April 2022, Ukrainian troops took control of Pripyat again.
[14]
[15]
Infrastructure and statistics
[
edit
]
The following statistics are from 1 January 1986.
[16]
- Population: 49,400 before the disaster. The average age was about 26 years old. Total living space was 658,700 m
2
(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 that could accommodate up to 410 patients, and three clinics.
- Trade: 25 stores and malls; 27 cafes, cafeterias, and restaurants that collectively could serve up to 5,535 customers simultaneously. 10 warehouses that could hold 4,430 tons of goods.
- Culture: Three facilities: a culture palace, the
Palace of Culture Energetik
; a cinema; and a school of arts, with eight different societies.
- 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 total 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
[
edit
]
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.
[17]
Climate
[
edit
]
The climate of Pripyat is designated as Dfb (Warm-summer
humid continental climate
) on the
Koppen Climate Classification System
.
[18]
Climate data for Pripyat
|
Month
|
Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sep
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
Year
|
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)
|
?3
(27)
|
?1.4
(29.5)
|
3.7
(38.7)
|
13.2
(55.8)
|
20.3
(68.5)
|
23.5
(74.3)
|
24.6
(76.3)
|
23.9
(75.0)
|
18.8
(65.8)
|
11.8
(53.2)
|
4.3
(39.7)
|
?0.1
(31.8)
|
11.6
(53.0)
|
Daily mean °C (°F)
|
?6.1
(21.0)
|
?4.7
(23.5)
|
0.1
(32.2)
|
8.4
(47.1)
|
14.8
(58.6)
|
18.0
(64.4)
|
19.1
(66.4)
|
18.4
(65.1)
|
13.7
(56.7)
|
7.8
(46.0)
|
1.8
(35.2)
|
?2.6
(27.3)
|
7.4
(45.3)
|
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)
|
?9.1
(15.6)
|
?9
(16)
|
?3.5
(25.7)
|
3.7
(38.7)
|
9.3
(48.7)
|
12.6
(54.7)
|
13.7
(56.7)
|
12.9
(55.2)
|
8.6
(47.5)
|
3.8
(38.8)
|
?0.7
(30.7)
|
?5.1
(22.8)
|
3.1
(37.6)
|
Source:
[19]
|
In popular culture
[
edit
]
Films
[
edit
]
(Alphabetical by title)
- The film
A Good Day to Die Hard
(2013) is partly set in Pripyat.
- The horror film
Chernobyl Diaries
(2012) was inspired by the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 and takes place in Pripyat.
[20]
- The majority of the film
Land of Oblivion
(2011) was shot on location in Pripyat.
- Pripyat is featured in the
History Channel
documentary
Life After People
.
- The majority of the Russian movie (originally a miniseries)
Inseparable
takes place in Pripyat.
- 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.
[21]
- 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 News
60 Minutes
episode "Chernobyl: The Catastrophe That Never Ended" (early 2014).
[22]
[23]
- 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).
[24]
- The film
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
(2011) shows a brief mission to Pripyat wherein the Autobots are first attacked by Shockwave while searching for a piece of alien technology which, in universe, is explained as being the catalyst to the Chernobyl disaster.
- The documentary
White Horse
(2008) was filmed in Pripyat.
[25]
Games
[
edit
]
(Alphabetical by game title)
- A portion of the
first-person shooter
video game
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
(2007) takes place in Pripyat, both in the campaign, and multiplayer. It also appears in the game's "Fifty thousand people used to live here. Now it's a ghost town"
title sequence
. The Azure swimming pool was featured as a point of interest in
Call of Duty: Warzone
(2020) on the fictional Verdansk City.
- The videogame
Chernobylite
is set in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.
- In the videogame
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
, the map named Cache sees the action in the Pripyat area, with the Terrorist team trying to blow up a warehouse which could presumably contain nuclear waste, while the Counter-Terrorist team tries to stop it.
- The
Azure Swimming Pool
in Pripyat is featured in the video game
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
(2017).
- The
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
video game series, consisting of
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
,
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky
, and
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat
, takes place entirely in and around Pripyat.
- One special forces mission of the multi-player shooter
Warface
features a mission in the Pripyat area, including locations like the Azure Swimming Pool and Pripyat Amusement Park.
Literature
[
edit
]
(Alphabetical by artist)
- In
DC Comics
'
Batwoman
(2011) comic book series, the final mission of Kate Kane's training to become the titular superhero consists of a hostage rescue in the city.
- Markiyan Kamysh
's novel,
Stalking the Atomic City: Life Among the Decadent and the Depraved of Chornobyl
, about illegal trips to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.
[26]
- The Chernobyl Poems of Lyubov Sirota
by the professor of Washington University
Paul Brians
- Lyubov Sirota
’s novel
"The Pripyat Syndrome"
; Language: English, Publisher: Independently published (February 18, 2021), Paperback: 202 pages,
ISBN
979-8710522875
? 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.
- The exclusion zone is the setting for
Karl Schroeder
's science fiction short story "
The Dragon of Pripyat
".
- A novel by R. D. Shah,
The 4th Secret
, includes a chapter (30) that takes place in Pripyat where a fictional group of
Skoptsy
heretics were holding two important people they had kidnapped.
[27]
- Martin Cruz Smith
's novel
Wolves Eat Dogs
uses Pripyat as the setting for an investigation by
Arkady Renko
.
Music
[
edit
]
(Alphabetical by artist)
- The Ukrainian singer
Alyosha
recorded most of the video for her
Eurovision 2010
entry, "
Sweet People
", in Pripyat.
- 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 М?сто
) 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".
- In 2021, a second music video for
Go_A
's
Eurovision 2021
entry "
Shum
" displayed the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant from a far distance.
- The German pianist and composer
Hauschka
features Pripyat on the second track of his album
Abandoned Cities
.
- The Scottish post-rock band
Mogwai
included a song called "Pripyat" on their album
Atomic
(2016), which is a soundtrack to
Mark Cousins
' documentary
Atomic, Living in Dread and Promise
.
- The Irish folk-rock singer
Christy Moore
included a song called "Farewell to Pripyat" on his album
Voyage
(1989), the song credited to
Tim Dennehy
.
- In 2014, for the 20th anniversary of the original release of
The Division Bell
, a music video for the song "
Marooned
" was produced and released on the official
Pink Floyd
website.
Aubrey Powell
of
Hipgnosis
directed the video, some parts of which were filmed in Pripyat
[29]
during the first week of April 2014.
[30]
- Marillion
guitarist
Steve Rothery
's first solo album is called
The Ghosts of Pripyat
(2014).
- The Australian rapper
Seth Sentry
included the two-part song "Pripyat" in his album
Strange New Past
(2015).
- The English rock band
Suede
used the city to shoot their music video clip
Life Is Golden
, including takes of the
Azure Swimming Pool
,
Pripyat amusement park
, and
Polissya hotel
.
- The Italian Rapper
Caparezza
has a song titled "Come Pripyat" on his album
Exuvia
, released in 2021.
[31]
- 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.
[32]
Television
[
edit
]
(Alphabetical by series)
- The
60 Minutes
episode "Chernobyl: The Catastrophe That Never Ended" (early 2014) aired on
CBS
.
[22]
[33]
- 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",
[34]
produced and hosted by Philip Grossman,
[35]
was filmed over a four-day period in Pripyat and the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, in 2017.
- In the
'Spider-Man
season five episode "Six Forgotten Warriors Part 2: Unclaimed Legacy", Spider-Man,
Silver Sable
, the
Wild Pack
,
Kingpin
and the
Insidious Six
later find themselves at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.
- 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
.
[36]
A David Attenborough
documentary
also depicts natural life in Pripyat.
[
vague
]
- Top Gear
series 21
episode 3 features a race to run out of fuel before reaching the city, with two of the presenters,
Jeremy Clarkson
and
James May
, driving through the abandoned city.
Transport
[
edit
]
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 the village of
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
.
[37]
Notable people
[
edit
]
- Markiyan Kamysh
(born 1988), writer, illegal Chernobyl explorer ("stalker")
- Alexander Sirota
(born 1976), photographer, journalist and filmmaker
- Lyubov Sirota
(born 1956), poet, writer, playwright, journalist and translator
Gallery
[
edit
]
-
Pripyat in winter
-
Pripyat in winter
-
A gate in Pripyat city, 2000
-
-
-
Pripyat city limit sign with a
radiation dosimeter
-
Palace of Culture Energetik
? artistic, cultural, entertainment and recreational activities center
-
The former football stadium of Pripyat
-
Abandoned football ground
-
Forest area near the city
-
Pripyat pier
-
Abandoned school
-
Pripyat after the disaster
-
Pripyat skyline
-
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Elevation of Pripyat, Scotland Elevation Map, Topography, Contour"
.
Archived
from the original on 16 August 2016
. Retrieved
26 July
2017
.
- ^
"City Phone Codes"
.
Archived
from the original on 15 August 2015
. Retrieved
2 December
2014
.
- ^
Pripyat: Short Introduction
Archived
11 July 2012 at
archive.today
- ^
"Chernobyl and Eastern Europe: My Journey to Chernobyl 6"
.
Chernobylee.com
. Archived from
the original
on 15 October 2013
. Retrieved
15 October
2013
.
- ^
"Pripyat ? City of Ghosts"
.
chernobylwel.com
.
Archived
from the original on 17 February 2016
. Retrieved
13 February
2016
.
- ^
"History of the Pripyat city creation"
.
chornobyl.in.ua
.
Archived
from the original on 22 July 2011
. Retrieved
2 December
2014
.
- ^
Anastasia.
"dirjournal.com"
.
Info Blog
.
Archived
from the original on 17 November 2014
. Retrieved
2 December
2014
.
- ^
Hjelmgaard, Kim (17 April 2016).
"Pillaged and peeling, radiation-ravaged Pripyat welcomes 'extreme' tourists"
.
USA Today
.
Archived
from the original on 29 April 2020
. Retrieved
27 March
2019
.
- ^
Gais, Hannah; Steinberg, Eugene (26 April 2016).
"Chernobyl in Spring"
.
Pacific Standard
.
Archived
from the original on 18 April 2020
. Retrieved
27 March
2019
.
- ^
LEE, PHOTOS BY ASSOCIATED PRESS, EDITED BY AMANDA (4 February 2020).
"AP Gallery: Chernobyl town Pripyat celebrates 50th anniversary"
.
Columbia Missourian
.
Archived
from the original on 24 November 2020
. Retrieved
24 August
2020
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link
)
- ^
"Fighting breaks out near Chernobyl, says Ukrainian president"
.
The Independent
. 24 February 2022.
Archived
from the original on 24 February 2022
. Retrieved
24 February
2022
.
- ^
"Russia Hands Control of Chernobyl Back to Ukraine, Officials Say"
.
Wall Street Journal
. 31 March 2022.
Archived
from the original on 3 April 2022
. Retrieved
2 April
2022
.
- ^
Ukrainian flag was raised at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant
Archived
2 April 2022 at the
Wayback Machine
,
Ukrainska Pravda
(2 April 2022)
- ^
Kyiv region: Ukrainian military take control of Pripyat and section of border
Archived
25 June 2022 at the
Wayback Machine
,
Ukrainska Pravda
(3 April 2022)
- ^
"Ukrainian forces regain control of Pripyat, the ghost town near the Chernobyl nuclear plant"
. 3 April 2022.
Archived
from the original on 3 April 2022
. Retrieved
3 April
2022
.
- ^
Припять в цифрах
Archived
13 October 2012 at the
Wayback Machine
("Pripyat in Numbers"), a page from Pripyat website
- ^
"Radiation levels"
.
The Chernobyl Gallery
. 24 October 2013.
Archived
from the original on 29 September 2014
. Retrieved
2 December
2014
.
- ^
Mindat.org
https://www.mindat.org/loc-271143.html
Archived
6 January 2020 at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
"Prypiat climate"
.
Archived
from the original on 14 February 2021
. Retrieved
18 November
2020
.
- ^
Chernobyl Diaries
at
IMDb
- ^
DJI (14 August 2015),
DJI Stories ? The Lost City of Chernobyl
,
archived
from the original on 25 August 2015
, retrieved
24 March
2016
- ^
a
b
"Witness a Drone's Eye View of Chernobyl's Urban Decay"
.
The Creators Project
. 24 November 2014.
Archived
from the original on 26 November 2014
. Retrieved
2 December
2014
.
- ^
"?? ???.. ??? ???? ?? ??? ?? ???????? ??? 30 ???? ?? ??????? ????????"
.
CNN Arabic
. December 2014.
Archived
from the original on 24 July 2015
. Retrieved
2 December
2014
.
- ^
Wiseman, Andreas (4 August 2016).
"The story behind 'The Girl With All The Gifts'
"
.
Screen International
.
Archived
from the original on 20 September 2016
. Retrieved
13 September
2016
.
- ^
White Horse
at
IMDb
- ^
"Stalking the Atomic City by Markiyan Kamysh"
.
Penguin Random House Canada
.
Archived
from the original on 18 August 2021
. Retrieved
19 August
2021
.
- ^
Shah, R. D. (10 July 2017).
The 4th Secret
. Canelo. p. 398.
ISBN
978-1-911591-68-9
.
Archived
from the original on 6 October 2023
. Retrieved
25 August
2019
.
- ^
"DELIA"
.
Archived
from the original on 11 December 2014
. Retrieved
2 December
2014
.
- ^
Johns, Matt (19 May 2014).
"Pink Floyd release new Marooned video...and TDB20 countdown!"
.
brain-damage.co.uk
.
Archived
from the original on 22 May 2014
. Retrieved
17 June
2014
.
- ^
"Pink Floyd to Release 20th Anniversary Box Set of 'The Division Bell'
"
(Press release). 20 May 2014.
Archived
from the original on 4 March 2014
. Retrieved
6 June
2014
.
- ^
"Exuvia"
.
Record Store Day
.
Archived
from the original on 7 May 2021
. Retrieved
7 May
2021
.
- ^
"Molchat Doma - Volny (Official Lyrics Video) молчат дома - волны"
.
YouTube
. 5 September 2020.
Archived
from the original on 20 September 2022
. Retrieved
18 September
2022
.
- ^
"?? ???.. ??? ???? ?? ??? ?? ???????? ??? 30 ???? ?? ??????? ????????"
.
CNN
Arabic
. December 2014.
Archived
from the original on 24 July 2015
. Retrieved
2 December
2014
.
- ^
"Philip Grossman - Mysteries of the Abandoned Cast"
.
Science
.
Archived
from the original on 23 June 2018
. Retrieved
23 June
2018
.
- ^
"Philip Ethan Grossman"
.
IMDb
.
Archived
from the original on 23 April 2022
. Retrieved
25 August
2019
.
- ^
"Atomic Assassin"
.
Animal Planet
.
Archived
from the original on 4 May 2021
. Retrieved
4 May
2021
.
- ^
"Radioactive Railroad"
.
Archived
from the original on 21 November 2015
. Retrieved
25 November
2015
.
External links
[
edit
]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Pripyat
.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for
Chernobyl
.