Chernobyl – it is not about the Cooling Tower
Chernobyl – it is about the Nuclear Reactor
Nuclear Reactors #5 and #6 – untouched for 20 years
The Square Building on the horizon is still today a secret defense system (like “SDI”), located outside Chernobyl behind Reactor #4
Entering CAES – “Chernobyl Atomic Energy Station” Radiation Level 0.158mR/hour
Entering the town of “Pripyat” Radiation Level 1.049mR/hour “Pripyat”
Everything looks green …
Nothing unusual here
This is Pripyat from 1986: a nice Soviet town of 50,000 people
This is Pripyat today – completely deserted, frozen in a time when the Soviet Union still existed Note the Hammer & Sickle on the deserted building
Everything is overgrown
This is the Hotel “Polissya” in 1986
This is the same Hotel “Polissya” today, completely abandoned
The back side of the Palace of Culture and the hotel today
Schoolkids parading in front of the local sports complex before 1986
Today these trees are growing on that street and the glass is gone from the same sports complex
Here is the inside of the same building, where the pool was
This used to be the gymnasium
This was the brand new amusement park that was supposed to be opened for May Day It was never used.
Pripyat was evacuated 36 hours after the accident and everything was abandoned
This used to be the jail
This used to be a kindergarten
This used to be the hospital
This used to be the main town square
Here is where it happened Reactor #4, now covered with steel panels
Chernobyl Nuclear Reactor #4
Reactor #4 – model to scale
Inside the reactor
The building structure collapsed
The core blew up, caught fire, spilling nuclear fuel everywhere
Pripyat was located 5 km (3 miles) from the accident. Everything was abandoned.
The town of Chernobyl is 15 km away. People work here today.
But check for radiation!
Lunch in Chernobyl
Mystery Meat in Chernobyl is quite a delicacy
Radioactive Armored Personnel Carrier In Chernobyl
Chernobyl still has a radioactive statue of Lenin
Leaving Chernobyl
Leaving Chernobyl: one more radiation check