The abandoned city of Pripyat

Pripyat Sign

View over Pripyat School (I)

Pripyat - Music School

On April 26th, 1986, one of the two worst nuclear disasters in human history (the other being the Fukushima Daiichi disaster) took place at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the then Soviet Union.

26 years later, the 30km exclusion zone surrounding the power plant is still one of the most radioactively contaminated areas in the world and will remain uninhabitable for the foreseeable future.

In May and October 2012, СмdяСояd visited the Chernobyl exclusion zone to take the eerie, but at the same time moving photographs you see above. When the authorities finally evacuated the area, people were told they could presumably return after just three days, which is why most residents left their personal belongings behind. Despite the decay, it almost feels like the city of Pripyat that nearly 50,000 people once called their home has been frozen in time.

Many other photos showing different locations of Pripyat, including a school, a hospital, the "Palace of Culture" and urban scenery can be found in СмdяСояd‘s set Chernobyl & Pripyat.

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Posted By
Kay Kremerskothen

Kay is a Community Manager for Flickr and passionate about extraordinary photography. As an editor on Flickr Blog he loves to showcase the beauty and diversity of Flickr in his posts. When he's not blogging or making Flickr more awesome (in front of and behind the scenes), you can find him taking pictures with his beloved Nikon and iPhone, listening to Hans Zimmer's music or playing board games. | On Flickr you can find him at https://flic.kr/quicksilver