A unique complete map of the entire Chernobyl exclusion zone. Card size 113x80 cm, scale 1:100 000 ("kilometrovka"), made on the basis of declassified Soviet military maps. Being made on thick paper, the map has the most detailed topographical basis and displays the current state of all zones that make up the Chernobyl zone.

The card is double-sided and has two languages ​​- Ukrainian (original) and English (transliteration of names from the original KMU2010), available both in a wall-mounted and in a folding version.

The first limited edition made at the Kyiv Military Cartographic Factory. Each instance has its own serial number and a special field to indicate the owner of the instance.

Certificate public service intellectual property №63103 .

How to buy?

You can buy a card on the trip, or order by mail by contacting the sales department by email
The cost of sending a card within Ukraine is 3 USD ( , , ), shipping to other countries costs 8 USD ( , , ).

Map legend and attractions

Map of the Chernobyl zone contains special designations of objects adopted in Soviet cartography, the decoding of which we give below:

br. ford (across a river, swamp) pump. Art. pumping station
vdkch. water tower PTF poultry farm
water. water tower food. Ukrainian: pishchany kar "єr; Russian: sand quarry
klg. dv. Ukrainian: Kolgospniy dvir; Russian: collective farm yard sar. barn, barn
MTM machine and tractor workshop STF pig farm
ITF dairy farm ur. tract

Also, on map of the Chernobyl zone icons are attractions. Their list:

1. camp of the 25th chemical protection brigade (memo to eliminate the accident)

2.stele "Chernobyl region"

3.entry to the Zone (Checkpoint "Dityatki")

4. Cemetery of equipment "(PUSO) Rassokha"

5.pioneer camp (?) "Fabulous"

6. Highway to the Zeleny Mys (liquidation memo)

7. bypass road around the city of Chernobyl (liquidation memo)

8. St. Elias Orthodox Church (188_);

9.g. Chernobyl: Memorial "Star Wormwood", Administration of the Zone (place of work government commission for the elimination of the consequences of the accident and the Operational Group of the USSR Ministry of Defense, before the accident - the Chernobyl regional executive committee and the district committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine), the House of Culture (the place of trial of those accused of the accident), a post office, a Jewish cemetery with a mass grave of Holocaust victims, a former synagogue, the burial place of a Hasidic tzadik rabbi Menachem Nachum of Tver, founder of the Chernobyl Hasidic dynasty.

10. Monument to the Heroes of the liquidation of the Chernobyl accident "Those who saved the world"; fire department of the city of Chernobyl.

11. cemetery of river vessels, the bay of the river. Pripyat

12. exhibition of equipment and robots involved in the liquidation of the accident

13. Checkpoint "Lelev" 10-kilometer zone

14. "Chernobyl-2" - a memo of technology and " cold war”: antennas of the Duga-1 complex for detecting launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles, military City

15. "Circle" - auxiliary radar complex for antennas "Dugi"

16. The ruins of the anti-aircraft missile system S-75 "Volkhov", which defended the "Duga" and the Chernobyl nuclear power plant

17. Kopachi, buried village

18. Chistogalovka, buried village

19. concrete transfer unit for the construction of the Sarcophagus (object "Shelter")

20. 5th and 6th Chernobyl power units (unfinished)

21. Field base of the department of radioecology and radiobiology of animals

22. Chernobyl nuclear power plant (Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant) - a complex of objects: "Sarcophagus" over the exploded 4th power unit, "Arka" (new safe confinement" over "Sarcophagus"), power units 1, 2, 3, the building of the turbine (machine) hall, memorial to the dead nuclear power plant workers and firefighters, administrative building, canal with catfish

23. Open switchgear (OSG) 750 kV. It was intended for issuing the power of the 3rd and 4th units of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant to the power system.

24. "Red Forest" (pine forest that died from radiation; uprooted)

25. stele "Pripyat 1970"

26. collapsing city of Pripyat: fire station, city ​​Hospital, the first place of work of the Government Commission, the Polissya hotel, Energetik recreation center, Ferris wheel, river station

27. cargo port, located on the river. Pripyat, harbor cranes

28. half-sunken steam tug "Tallinn"

29. An old wooden Orthodox church in the village. Krasne

30. Zeleny Mys - a shift camp for workers of the Chernobyl zone for the period of liquidation of the consequences of the accident.

This phrase terrifies and at the same time arouses the interest of millions of people around the world. Exclusion zone of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Movies, games and books on the subject are becoming hits. But not everyone knows where the boundaries of the zone lie. Let's try to figure it out and find out how things are now in the infected areas.

History of Chernobyl

For a whole year, the designers were looking for a place to build. Finally, near and not far from the Yanov station, unproductive lands were discovered. In 1970, V.P. was appointed director of the nuclear power plant. Bryukhanov and preparations for construction begin. A total of 4 power units are planned to be put into operation. While the construction of the station is underway, all the people involved in the project live in the territory of the nearest villages. At this time, the construction of a new city three kilometers from the station is in full swing.

Pripyat

A beautiful picturesque place promised to become a new home for 50 thousand people. The architects tried to make a real resort out of a simple working town. Numerous trees and green shrubs surrounded multi-story houses and places for recreation. A large park in the city center promised to become the most popular place and attract young children with fun rides. To provide work for all residents, a huge plant "Jupiter" was built. People could always find a place in various enterprises.

The young city quickly acquired shops and entertainment venues. The cinema "Prometheus" worked every day, and residents could go to a screening of a new film at any time. For versatile and talented individuals, the Energetik cultural center was built. Amateur activity was encouraged and circles for children and adults were constantly working in the club. Own palace of arts invited all connoisseurs of art to visit the exhibition halls. The construction of the Palace of Pioneers and a new large cinema was in full swing. These buildings did not have time to put into operation before beautiful city became the exclusion zone of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

sports city

The population of Pripyat consisted mainly of young people. Average age- 26 years. Much attention was paid to sports at that time. In this regard, a huge stadium was built where football matches were held. Weekend days the stands were filled with residents and guests. There were several football teams in the city - youth and adult squads competed in the art of ball possession. Later, another stadium was built. For lovers of water sports, there were three pools. It should be noted that in such a relatively small town there were as many as 10 gyms. The youth had big choice and many opportunities to spend your free time usefully.

All the best for children

Much attention was paid to the little inhabitants of Pripyat. 15 kindergartens, designed to meet all possible requirements, opened their doors for 4980 children every day. Preschool were provided with everything necessary and kept on highest level. There were only five secondary schools, but this was enough for a young city. Each school had its own swimming pool and gym. For entertainment, 35 playgrounds were built. In each district there was a colorful town where the children came to play and communicate with their peers.

end of fairy tale

On a warm April night in 1986, there was an explosion. The inhabitants did not pay attention to slight fluctuations in the soil and continued to sleep peacefully. At this time, a real apocalypse occurred at the station, which led to the formation of the exclusion zone of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The fourth reactor exploded after unsuccessful tests and is now actively releasing radioactive substances into the atmosphere. One worker died on the spot. The rest did not understand the danger and were looking for comrades in the uranium hell. The fire brigade arrived within minutes, but, having assessed the scale of the disaster, they were forced to admit that they could not cope with such a mission. They were able to prevent fire from reaching the third block and prevented an even greater scale of the disaster. Messages about the tragedy flew to Moscow. It remains to wait for the decision of the top management.

Big Deception

In the morning, rumors about a fire at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant spread throughout the city. The townspeople did not attach to this event of great importance. No one knew that the fourth reactor exploded at night. People calmly walked around the city and enjoyed the warm April rays of the sun. Children swarmed in sandboxes and roadside dust. Meanwhile, radioactive substances penetrated into their bodies in order to later remind of themselves. various diseases. The appearance of soldiers and equipment in the city also did not cause a violent reaction. An announcement slipped through that it was necessary to close all windows and take iodine. There was no fear. People did not know about the deceit and the invisible enemy, they were not afraid. On the first day after the accident, there was still no talk about the exclusion zone of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

Evacuation

After 36 hours, residents heard a message from the announcer. The entire city was subject to temporary evacuation. The population should take documents and the most necessary things. There was no panic, and people calmly boarded the buses, fully confident that they would return home soon. Having cut off gas and water, they took a minimum of luggage and went to long way. At that time, people were already driving around the city and washing away radioactive dust from the roads. No one was allowed to leave by personal transport and take pets with them. The area of ​​the exclusion zone of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant covered not only Pripyat, but also several dozen villages. Residents were preparing to plant crops when the order came to evacuate.

Cleanup

As soon as the last bus disappeared from sight, a mass sweep began in the city. The policemen and servicemen began to shoot the animals, bypassing all the houses along the way. They quickly found people who refused to leave their apartment and took them out of the city by force. was coming big job. While the robots and people in overalls were clearing the roof of the reactor, responsible workers were clearing the apartments. Refrigerators, sofas, TVs and washing machines. What people bought for a lot of money now had to be buried. Huge pits filled household appliances and furniture. Cars and motorcycles were buried in a special place. If you now look at the photo of the exclusion zone of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, you can see the colossal parks of the abandoned military equipment. IN this moment all this stuff was taken away and taken away, but once it was an impressive picture.

The boundaries of the exclusion zone of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant

In the early days, clear boundaries were established - 30 km around the station. The nearby forest turned red in a matter of days, and the military had to bury not only human property, but also trees. It looked pretty wild, but it was a necessary measure. The most terrible had to endure the inhabitants of the villages. Their houses were demolished and also buried in the ground. Never before has mankind seen such terrible pictures. Many photos of the exclusion zone of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant have forever preserved these incredible events. After some time, the people realized that they had been severely deceived and would never be allowed to return to their homes. Some tried to break through the checkpoints, but law enforcement officers vigilantly monitored the situation. It is no longer a secret that the most valuable things and equipment were taken out of Pripyat and sold by valiant policemen and their assistants. Somewhere in the apartments there are still objects and they infect their new owners with radiation.

Video footage and photographs of the exclusion zone of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant of that time confirm the fact of looting on an unprecedented scale. While some heroes, at the cost of their health, threw off graphite from the roof of the reactor, others threw someone else's goods into cars and took them to sell. Diplomas, thanks and honors were received by both.

Animals in the exclusion zone of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant felt real wild animals. They quickly weaned themselves from people and went into the forest. Wild and free, they no longer let a man near them. Now wild cats roam the forests of Pripyat, and their population is increasing every year. Boars, hares, foxes and other animals were mutated, but survived the most terrible first years. Of course, their meat cannot be eaten, as they receive daily doses of radiation.

Secret objects in the exclusion zone of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant

There is only one object in the contaminated area, which is still carefully guarded. He no longer represents any secrecy and is guarded for only one reason - there are too many who want to dismantle the structure and sell the metal. ZGRLS at one time cost the Soviet Union 7 billion rubles and promised to serve faithfully for many decades. Thanks to this huge structure, the military could monitor the launch of missiles not only over Europe, but also over America. Its construction near nuclear power plant due to high power consumption. The Chernobyl nuclear power plant itself cost the country twice as much as its neighbor, the scout. At the moment, the building is rusting and standing idle.

Affected Parties

Belarus took over most of the radioactive elements. The closest neighbor, which was located just 11 km from the nuclear power plant. Wind and precipitation in the first days after the accident created the Belarusian exclusion zone of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The photo of those years shows how global the disaster was. 6.7 thousand sq. km. was recognized as a contaminated area and was subject to evacuation and resettlement. Currently 92 settlements belong to Every year this figure decreases, but to talk about big changes it is too early.

Among the affected countries is Russia. In the Bryansk region, 4 villages were evacuated and 186 residents took refuge in other villages and cities. There are no other exclusion zones in Russia from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Several areas have been recognized as contaminated, but no significant excess of radiation levels has been observed at the moment.

Motherland

IN last years All more people began to return to their homes. Despite the fact that the level of radiation is still high and living in the Chernobyl zone is dangerous for life, people are settled in houses and live ordinary life. Self-settlers, as they are called, start a household and are not afraid to grow crops. Regularly to local residents journalists with a dosimeter visit. But the harsh Ukrainian villagers are not afraid of the crackle of the counter. They feel good and believe that their native land will never kill them. For guests, they are always ready to open a jar of pickled mushrooms or cucumbers from their own garden. But they are not offended if visitors refuse treats. Someone else's fear they understand.

Most of the returnees are old people who once lived here and could not survive parting with their home. Of the younger generation, one can meet only people without a fixed place of residence and criminals released from prison. The villages in which they settle are included in the list of exclusion zones of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. But no one has been trying to evict them for a long time. All the same, they will return and will stubbornly stand for their houses and plots.

Games with death

After leaving computer game S.T.A.L.K.E.R there were many who wanted to visit the exclusion zone. Basically, these are young people and lovers to tickle their nerves. They make their way in a roundabout way through the borders and go for a walk through the houses and enterprises of Pripyat. Often, they do not carry any means of protection against radiation. There are still a lot of “dirty” spots in the city and its environs, and if you get into them, you can seriously worsen your health. There are daredevils climbing on the ZGRLS and surveying the local beauties from there. Any awkward movement will be impossible to save such extreme lovers. But that doesn't stop researchers. Even a fine does not deter desperate stalkers. It will take many more years before the exclusion zone becomes safe for people. But most likely, no one will ever live there ...

Reading time approximately: 4 - 6 minutes

The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant occurred more than 30 years ago. The destruction of the reactor led to a colossal release of radioactive substances into environment. According to the official version, 31 people died in the first 3 months, and in subsequent years this figure approached a hundred. There is still debate as to what caused the crash. The consequences of what happened will make themselves felt for many decades, if not hundreds of years. After the accident, a 30-kilometer zone was established, from which almost the entire population was evacuated, and free movement was prohibited. The whole area was frozen in 1986. Today we will look at the 7 most interesting objects in the Chernobyl exclusion zone.

Today, Pripyat is not such a “dead city” - excursions are regularly organized there, and stalkers walk around. Pripyat is considered a Soviet city-museum under open sky. This abandoned place has retained the energy of the mid-80s, which attracts tourists from all over the world. We will look at a few of the most interesting places of this city.

Hotel "Polesie" at one time was calling card Pripyat. It is located in the city center, next to the amusement park, which is perfectly visible from its windows, and from the observation deck you can clearly see the main city square and the equally famous Energetik Palace of Culture. It’s more and more dangerous to climb onto the roof every year, because it hasn’t been in for a long time best condition, but visitors to the Zone are drawn to touch the huge letters that make up the name of the hotel.


In the hotel building, the headquarters for the elimination of the consequences of the accident was deployed. From the roof of the hotel the 4th power unit is clearly visible, so it was possible to correct the actions of helicopters that extinguished the fire.

In some rooms there are dilapidated interior items. In general, marauders did a good job in Pripyat at one time. They took out equipment, furniture, cut off batteries and took away everything that had at least some value, without even thinking about what all this could cause great harm health.

Paradoxically, even today the hotel accepts tourists, who, of course, do not come there to rent a room. They admire the views of Pripyat, get acquainted with the features of the Soviet apartments and marvel at the trees that grow through the floor.

This artificial reservoir was created to cool the station's reactors. The cooling pond is located on the site of an abandoned quarry, several small lakes and the old bed of the Pripyat River. The depth of this reservoir reaches 20 m. In the middle it is separated by a dam for better circulation of cold and warm water.

Today, the cooling pond is 6 meters above the level of the Pripyat River, and it is costly to maintain such a pond in such a state. Taking into account the fact that the station is no longer working, the water level is gradually reduced, and over time, the reservoir does planned to drain. This causes concern for many, because at the bottom there are many fragments of the reactor of the fourth power unit, highly active fuel cells and radiation dust. However negative consequences can be avoided if the gradual decrease in the water level is correctly calculated so that the bare areas of the bottom have time to acquire vegetation that will prevent the rise of radioactive dust.

By the way, the Chernobyl cooling pond is one of the largest artificial reservoirs in Europe.

The state of the pond is constantly monitored in order to assess how its ecosystem has suffered from radiation exposure. The diversity of living creatures, although diminished, did not disappear completely. Today it is quite possible to catch a normal-looking fish in the pond, but it is not recommended to eat it.

DK Energetik

Let's return to the center of Pripyat. On main square The city is watched by the Energetik Palace of Culture, which, along with the Polesie Hotel, is a must-see.

It is logical to assume that this building concentrated all cultural activities of the city. Circles gathered here, concerts and performances were held, and discos were held in the evenings. The building had its own gym, library and cinema. DK was a favorite place for the youth of Pripyat.


Today, you can still find the remains of the marble tiles with which the building was lined, stained-glass windows and mosaics. Despite the devastation, the famous spirit of the Soviet era is still preserved in the building.

City amusement park in Pripyat

Perhaps the most famous attraction of Pripyat is the city amusement park with its Ferris wheel. It is worth noting that this one of the most polluted places in the city, but once in the park, enthusiastic children's voices were heard every now and then.

Cars, swings, carousels, boats and other attributes of an amusement park will never be used for their intended purpose, but among numerous tourists and stalkers they are popular as a kind of attraction.

Ferris wheel managed to become a symbol of the already deserted Pripyat. Interestingly, it was never put into operation. It was supposed to be opened on May 1, 1986, but 5 days before that, there was an accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant ...

Chernobyl

Today, for a certain amount of money, you can visit the territory of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant itself. There you will see how it goes construction of the arch, which should cover the 4th power unit along with the old sarcophagus. In the building of the power plant itself, you can walk along the "golden corridor", get acquainted with the reactor control panel, and also find out how the Chernobyl nuclear power plant worked in general. Ordinary excursions are limited only by the stay of tourists not far from the station.


The arch should cover the message of the 4th power unit

Of course, illegal travelers cannot penetrate the heart of the Zone - everything is reliably guarded. However, the station and the erected "Arch" are perfectly visible from the high-rise buildings of Pripyat. Every self-respecting stalker is sure to capture the view of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in a photo.

By the way, about 4000 people work at the station now. They are engaged in the construction of the "Arch" and work on the decommissioning of power units.

red forest

This section of the forest, located not far from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, during the accident took over the most a large share radioactive dust, which led to the death of trees and the coloring of their foliage in a brown-red color. It is noteworthy that the enzymes of the trees reacted with radiation, due to which a glow was observed in the forest at night. As part of the decontamination, the Red Forest was demolished and buried. Today, the trees are growing again, of course, already having a normal color.


However, today there are young pines with signs of mutations. This can be expressed in excessive or, conversely, in insufficient branching. Some trees, having reached the age of about 20 years, could not grow above 2 meters. Needles on pines can also look intricate: it can be elongated, shortened, or completely absent.

By the way, the remaining power units were still working for some time. The last one was turned off in 2000.

An unpleasant feeling can develop from burial grounds where demolished trees were buried. Mounds and branches sticking out of the ground evoke more unpleasant associations for many.


Of interest are the remains of unburied trees. This view is a clear indication of how nature can suffer from human activity. This site is perhaps one of the saddest places in the Exclusion Zone.

Arc

The object is represented by a huge complex of antennas. This radar station performed the task of detecting launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles. Our military could see American missile actually looking beyond the horizon. Hence the name "Arc". About 1000 people were needed to ensure the operation of the complex, and therefore a small town was organized for the military and their families. And so it arose object "Chernobyl-2". Before the accident, the plant was used for only a few years, and after that it was abandoned.

Radar antennas are of Soviet engineering. According to some reports, the construction of the Duga cost twice as much as the creation of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Western countries were not happy with this setup. They constantly complained that she interfered with work civil aviation. It is interesting that the “Duga” created a characteristic knocking sound on the air, for which it was nicknamed the “Russian woodpecker”.

The height of the antennas reaches 150 m, and the length of the entire building is about 500 m. Due to its impressive size the installation is visible from almost anywhere in the Zone.

Nature is gradually destroying the buildings of the Chernobyl-2 facility. But the Duga itself will remain idle for more than one year, unless, of course, the Ukrainian authorities (or some others) want to use tons of contaminated metal, as happened with the fleet that was involved in the aftermath of the accident ...

Many rufer stalkers, not afraid of the guards that patrol those places, climb as high as possible on one of the antennas and capture the Chernobyl landscapes in the photo.


In the notorious S.T.A.L.K.E.R. there is a so-called "Brain Burner" installation, with which the "Duga" is associated, which further attracts adventurers.

Conclusion

The Chernobyl exclusion zone is undoubtedly a unique place on Earth, a kind of piece Soviet Union in the 21st century. It is very sad that the city of Pripyat was thoroughly plundered by marauders - they could at least not touch the decoration, but no - they even pulled out the wiring. However, it is important for the modern generation to treat the Zone not as a tourist site or a place where you can see places from the games, but as a reminder that our scientific achievements can leave scars on Earth that will heal for centuries.

How many years have passed since the tragedy. The very course of the accident, its causes and consequences are already completely determined and known to everyone. As far as I know, there is not even any kind of double interpretation, except in small things. Yes, you know everything. Let me tell you better some seemingly ordinary moments, but perhaps you have not thought about them.

Myth one: the remoteness of Chernobyl from big cities.

In fact, in the case of Chernobyl disaster, only an accident did not lead to the evacuation of Kyiv, for example. Chernobyl is located 14 km from the nuclear power plant, and Kyiv is only 151 km from Chernobyl (according to other sources, 131 km) by road. And in a straight line, which is preferable for a radiation cloud and 100 km will not be - 93.912 km. And Wikipedia generally gives the following data - the distance to Kyiv is physical - 83 km, by road - 115 km.

By the way, here is the complete map for the sake of completeness.

Clickable 2000 px

IN the first days of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the battle with radiation was also fought on the outskirts of Kyiv. The threat of infection came not only from the Chernobyl wind, but also from the wheels of vehicles moving from Pripyat to the capital. The problem of purification of radioactive water formed after the decontamination of cars was solved by scientists from the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute.

IN In April-May of 1986, eight points of radioactive control of vehicles were organized around the capital. Cars heading for Kyiv were simply poured with hoses. And all the water went into the soil. As a fire order, tanks were built to collect used radioactive water. Literally in a matter of days they were filled to the brim. The radioactive shield of the capital could turn into its nuclear sword.

AND only then the leadership of Kyiv and the headquarters of civil defense agreed to consider the proposal of polytechnic chemists to purify polluted water. Moreover, there have already been developments in this regard. Long before the accident, a laboratory for the development of reagents for wastewater treatment was created at KPI, led by Professor Alexander Petrovich Shutko.

P The technology proposed by Shutko's group for decontaminating water from radionuclides did not require the construction of complex treatment facilities. Decontamination was carried out directly in the storage tanks. Within two hours after water treatment with special coagulants, radioactive substances settled at the bottom, and the purified water met the maximum permissible standards. After that, only radioactive fallout was buried in the 30-kilometer zone. Can you imagine if the problem of water purification had not been solved? Then a lot of eternal burial grounds with radioactive water would be built around Kyiv!

TO Unfortunately Professor A.P. Shutko. left us in his incomplete 57 years, not having lived only 20 days before the tenth anniversary of the Chernobyl accident. And the chemical scientists who worked side by side with him in the Chernobyl zone for their selfless work managed to get the “title of liquidators”, free travel in transport and a bunch of diseases associated with radioactive exposure. Among them is an associate professor of the Department of Industrial Ecology of the National polytechnic university Anatoly Krysenko. It was to him that Professor Shutko was the first to suggest testing reagents for the purification of radioactive water. Together with him in Shutko's group worked Associate Professor of KPI Vitaly Basov and Associate Professor of the Institute of Civil Air Fleet Lev Malakhov.

Why the Chernobyl accident, and dead city— PRIPYAT?


There are several evacuated settlements on the territory of the exclusion zone:
Pripyat
Chernobyl
Novoshepelichi
Polisske
Vilcha
Severovka
Yanov
Kopachi
Chernobyl-2

Visual distance between Pripyat and Chernobyl

Why is only Pripyat so famous? It's just the most Big City in the exclusion zone and the closest to it - according to the last census conducted before the evacuation (in November 1985), the population was 47 thousand 500 people, more than 25 nationalities. For example, only 12 thousand people lived in Chernobyl itself before the accident.

By the way, after the accident, Chernobyl was not abandoned and completely evacuated like Pripyat.

People live in the city. These are the Ministry of Emergency Situations, policemen, cooks, janitors, plumbers. There are about 1500 of them. The streets are mostly men. In camouflage. This is the local fashion. Some apartment buildings settled in, but do not live there permanently: the curtains have faded, the paint on the windows has peeled off, the windows are closed.

People here temporarily stop, work on a rotational basis, live in hostels. On nuclear power plant a couple of thousand more people work, they mostly live in Slavutych and go to work by train.

Most of them work in the zone on a rotational basis, 15 days here, 15 - "in the wild". Locals say that the average salary in Chernobyl is only 1,700 UAH, but this is very average, some have more. True, there is nothing special to spend money on here: you do not need to pay for public utilities, housing, food (everyone is fed three times a day for free, and not bad). There is one store, but there is little choice. There are no beer stalls or any entertainment at the restricted facility. By the way, Chernobyl is also a return to the past. In the center of the city stands Lenin in full growth, a monument to the Komsomol, all the names of the streets are from that era. In the city, the background is about 30-50 micro-roentgens - the maximum allowable for a person.

And now let's turn to the materials of the blogger vit_au_lit :

Myth two: non-attendance.


Many probably think that only some kind of radiation seekers, stalkers, etc. go to the accident zone, but normal people closer than 30 km., they will not approach this zone. How else to fit!

The first checkpoint on the road to the station is zone III: a 30-kilometer perimeter around the nuclear power plant. At the entrance to the checkpoint, such a line of cars lined up that I could not even imagine: despite the fact that the cars were passed through the control in 3 rows, we stood for about an hour, waiting for our turn.

The reason for this is the active visits by former residents of Chernobyl and Pripyat from April 26 to May holidays. They all go either to former places residence, or to cemeteries, or “to graves,” as they say here.

Myth three: closeness.


Were you sure that all the entrances to the nuclear power plant are carefully guarded, and no one, except for the service personnel, is allowed in there, and you can only get inside the zone by letting the guards on your paw? Nothing like this. Of course, you can’t just pass through the checkpoint, but the millionaires only write out a pass for each car, indicating the number of passengers, and go yourself, get irradiated.

They say that earlier they also asked for passports. By the way, children under 18 are not allowed into the zone.

The road to Chernobyl is surrounded on both sides by a wall of trees, but if you look closely, you can see the abandoned half-ruins of private houses among the rough vegetation. Nobody will come back to them.

Myth four: uninhabited.


Chernobyl, located between the 30- and 10-kilometer perimeters around the nuclear power plant, is quite habitable. Lives in it service staff stations and districts, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and those who returned to their original places. The city has shops, bars, and some other benefits of civilization, but no children.

To enter the 10 km perimeter, it is enough to show the pass issued at the first checkpoint. Another 15 minutes by car, and we drive up to the nuclear power plant.

It's time to get a dosimeter, which madam carefully provided me with, having begged this device from her grandfather, who was obsessed with such lotions. Before leaving vit_au_lit I measured the readings in the courtyard of my house: 14 microR/h - typical indicators for an uncontaminated environment.
We put the dosimeter on the grass, and while we are taking a couple of shots against the background of a flower bed, the device quietly calculates for itself. What did he intend there?

Heh, 63 microR/hour - 4.5 times more than the average city norm ... after that we get advice from our guides: to walk only on a concrete road, because. the slabs are more or less cleaned, but do not climb into the grass.

Myth five: the impregnability of nuclear power plants.


For some reason, it always seemed to me that the nuclear power plant itself was surrounded by some kilometer perimeter of barbed wire, so that, God forbid, some adventurer would not come closer to the station than a few hundred meters and would not receive a dose of radiation.

The road leads us straight to the central entrance, where from time to time regular buses drive up, transporting the workers of the station - people continue to work at the nuclear power plant to this day. According to our guides - several thousand people, although this figure seemed to me too high, because all the reactors had long been stopped. Behind the shop one can see the pipe of the destroyed 4th reactor.


The square in front of the central administrative building was rebuilt into one large memorial to those who died during the liquidation of the accident.


The names of those who died in the first hours after the explosion are carved on the marble slabs.

Pripyat: the same dead city. Its construction began simultaneously with the construction of the nuclear power plant, and it was intended for plant workers and their families. It is located some 2 kilometers from the station, so he got the most.

There is a stele at the entrance to the city. In this part of the road, the background radiation is the most dangerous:

257 μR/hour, which is almost 18 times higher than the average city rate. In other words, the dose of radiation that we receive in 18 hours in the city, here we will receive in an hour.

A few more minutes, and we reach the Pripyat checkpoint. The road goes not far from the railway line: in the old days, the most ordinary passenger trains ran along it, for example, Moscow-Khmelnitsky. Passengers who traveled this route on April 26, 1986 were then issued a Chernobyl certificate.

They only let us into the city on foot, we never managed to get permission to travel, although the escorts had certificates.

Speaking of the myth of non-attendance. Here is a photo taken from the roof of one of the skyscrapers on the outskirts of the city, near the checkpoint: cars and buses parked along the road leading to Pripyat are visible among the trees.

And this is what the road looked like before the accident, in the days of the “living” city.

The previous photo was taken from the roof of the rightmost of the 3 nineteenths in the foreground.

Myth six: the Chernobyl nuclear power plant does not work after the accident.

On May 22, 1986, the Decree of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR No. 583 set the deadline for commissioning power units No. 1 and 2 of the Chernobyl NPP - October 1986. In the premises of the power units of the first stage, decontamination was carried out; on July 15, 1986, its first stage was completed.

In August, at the second stage of the Chernobyl NPP, the communications common to the 3rd and 4th units were cut, and a concrete dividing wall was erected in the engine room.

After the works on the modernization of the plant systems, provided for by the measures approved by the USSR Ministry of Energy on June 27, 1986 and aimed at improving the safety of nuclear power plants with RBMK reactors, on September 18, permission was received to start the physical start-up of the reactor of the first power unit. On October 1, 1986, the first power unit was launched and at 16:47 it was connected to the grid. On November 5, power unit No. 2 was launched.

On November 24, 1987, the physical start-up of the reactor of the third power unit began, the power start-up took place on December 4. On December 31, 1987, by the decision of the Government Commission No. 473, the act of acceptance into operation of the 3rd power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was approved after repair and restoration work.

The third stage of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, unfinished 5 and 6 power units, 2008. The construction of the 5th and 6th units was stopped when high degree readiness of objects.

However, as you remember, there were many complaints foreign countries about the operating Chernobyl.

By the Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated December 22, 1997, it was recognized as expedient to carry out early decommissioning power unit No. 1, stopped on November 30, 1996.

By the Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated March 15, 1999, it was recognized as expedient to carry out early decommissioning power unit No. 2, stopped after the accident in 1991.

From December 5, 2000, the reactor power was gradually reduced in preparation for shutdown. On December 14, the reactor operated at 5% power for the shutdown ceremony and December 15, 2000 at 13:17 By order of the President of Ukraine, during the broadcast of the teleconference Chernobyl NPP - National Palace "Ukraine", by turning the emergency protection key of the fifth level (AZ-5), the reactor of power unit No. 3 of the Chernobyl NPP was stopped forever, and the station stopped generating electricity.

Let's honor the memory of the heroes-liquidators who saved other people without sparing their lives.

Since we are talking about tragedies, let's remember The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy is made -

In the third part of our cartographic selection, the chapter will be replenished with a collection of modern maps of the Exclusion Zone, Chernobyl and Pripyat. It will include scanned copies of publications of the Soviet era and modern ones.

On the small picture below, use the "magnifying glass" - just move the mouse over the right place, and the scaled fragment will appear on the right.

The first map presented in this section is called "Reclamation systems of the Exclusion Zone". She is informative. For example, it is clearly seen where is Chernobyl and Pripyat on the map regarding problematic radioactively contaminated territories, and those that have high chances for rehabilitation.

If you carefully study the explanations, and compare with pollution maps Chernobyl zone radionuclides, then under the scientific wording "protected areas" the most dangerous zones are hidden.

Map of Chernobyl and Pripyat can be downloaded by simply saving the file to your hard drive with the right mouse button. When viewed locally, the scale will be larger - similar to the "magnifying glass" mode in the first picture.

But below, no less curious find. Legal Chernobyl map on a scale of 500 meters - this is even more accurate than an army kilometer. The cartographic basis of the map is 2002, edited and published around 2007. A detailed comparison with the real relief shows that the actual basis is older, the detailing has not been done for a long time and does not correspond to the stated dates.

But if we analyze, for example, maps of kilometers before the accident (1985) and after (1991), then differences are already visible in the details of the Pripyat River, its channel, creeks, marshy territories. Unfortunately, later maps with high detail do not come across, with rare exceptions.

For a quarter of a century after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the channel Pripyat river and tributaries dependent on it has significantly changed its relief. The reason for this, besides the natural course of time, is the pit-traps dug immediately after the accident in the bottom of the rivers to prevent the flow of silt downstream into the Kiev reservoir. Over a quarter of a century, some of these traps have turned into islands, in some places blocking small channels. Which in turn clogged them: some dried up, others became lakes. Yes, and just a swampy area expanded its boundaries without human influence.

The chapter will be added with new cards, the search for interesting materials continues.

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