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Pripyat,[a] also known asPrypiat,[b] is an abandonedindustrial city inKyiv Oblast,Ukraine, located near the border withBelarus. Named after the nearby river,Pripyat, it was founded on 4 February 1970 as the ninthatomgrad ('atom city', a type ofclosed city in theSoviet Union that served the purpose of housing nuclear workers near a plant), catering the nearbyChernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The plant is located north of the abandoned city ofChernobyl, after which it is named.[3] Pripyat was officially proclaimed a city in 1979 and had ballooned to a population of 49,360[4] by the time it was evacuated on the afternoon of 27 April 1986, one day after theChernobyl disaster.[5]
Panoramic view of Pripyat in May 2009View of the Chernobyl power plant including 2003radioactive level of 0.763milliroentgens per hour
Access to Pripyat, unlikecities of military importance, was not restricted before the disaster as the Soviet Union deemednuclear 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) fromKyiv, but theUkrainian 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.
Pripyat amusement park, as seen from the City Center GymnasiumAerial view of PripyatTheAzure Swimming Pool was still in use byliquidators 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 ofSlavutych was constructed to replace Pripyat. AfterChernobyl, this was the second-largest city for accommodating power plant workers and scientists in theCommonwealth of Independent States.
One notable landmark often featured in photographs in the city and visible from aerial-imaging websites is the long-abandonedFerris wheel located in thePripyat amusement park, which had been scheduled to have its official opening five days after the disaster, in time forMay Day celebrations.[8][9] TheAzure Swimming Pool andAvanhard 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] The2020 Chernobyl Exclusion Zone wildfires reached the outskirts of the town, but they did not reach the plant.[11]
During the 2022Russian invasion of Ukraine, the city was occupied by Russian forces during theBattle of Chernobyl after several hours of heavy fighting.[12] On 31 March Russian troops withdrew from the plant and other parts ofKyiv Oblast.[13][14] On 3 April Ukrainian troops took control of Pripyat again.[15][16]
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 orde 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. Onenuclear 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.
Theexternal relative gamma dose for a person in the open near the Chernobyl disaster site. The intermediate livedfission 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 theradioactive 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 anequivalent dose of 1 μSv (onemicrosievert) per hour.[18]
The drone manufacturerDJI producedLost 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 filmPostcards From Chernobyl (released in November 2014), while making footage for theCBS 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 desertedLondon in the filmThe Girl with All the Gifts (2016).[25]
The documentaryWhite Horse (2008) was filmed in Pripyat.[26]
Much of theJames Rollins' novelThe Last Oracle takes place in Pripyat and around Chernobyl. The story revolves around a team ofAmerican "Killer Scientist" special agents who must stop a terrorist plot to unleash on the world the radiation ofLake Karachay, during the installation of the newsarcophagus over the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
Ash, the rock band from Northern Ireland, has a song titled "Pripyat" included in their albumA–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, musicianExample featured Pripyat in his 18-minute documentary of the ghost town and in his promotional video for his track, "What We Made".
German composer and pianistHauschka included a piece titled "Pripyat" on his 2014 albumAbandoned City (on which each track is titled after a different abandoned place.)
The Italian RapperCaparezza has a song titled "Come Pripyat" on his albumExuvia, released in 2021.[29]
The Belarusian post-punk bandMolchat Doma released a music video for their song titled, "Waves" (Russian:Волны) as part of their albumEtazhi. The music video was filmed in Pripyat through a series of varying drone shots; displaying famous landmarks of the abandoned city.[30]
The60 Minutes episode "Chernobyl: The Catastrophe That Never Ended" (early 2014) aired onCBS.[23][31]
HBO's drama miniseriesChernobyl (2019) is based on the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster. The scenes set in 1986 Pripyat were filmed inVilnius,Lithuania.
in theChris 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'sMysteries 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.
TheAnimal Planet nature investigation seriesRiver Monsters conducted an extensive 2013 investigation within Pripyat, the exclusion zone, and the Chernobyl Power Plant in search of a radioactive mutatedwels catfish.[34]
SCUM, developed by the Croatian studio Gamepires, features a radiation area than includes a fictional city of "Krsko," which is an accurate reproduction of Pripyat, including points of interest.
The city was served byYaniv station on theChernihiv–Ovruch railway. It was an important passenger hub of the line and was located between the southern suburb of Pripyat andYaniv. 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 toSlavutych.[36]
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