The city wasn't evacuated until about 36 hours after the accident. The 1200 buses brought in resulted in a convoy 15 miles long. The people of Pripyat were told the evacuation was to be temporary and to take only enough clothes, food, and money for three days. Many senior workers at the station knew better however. One engineer called his wife and told her to pack. "For how long" she asked? "Forever" was his reply.
It is a testament to planning and calm of the population that the evacuation was accomplished in only 3 hours. The people of Pripyat left everything behind including 10,000 domestic pets, mostly cats and dogs who would in a few weeks become crazed with hunger begin to feed on each other. The military and professional hunters were sent in to shoot them. Such is but one of the lesser known tragedies of this once proud and vibrant city.
Contrary to popular belief today Pripyat is not as it was left. The city has been extensively looted. Many homes still contain some furniture and the schools are mostly intact but most everything else is gone. Looting and vandalism continues to be a problem to this day. That said what remains in Pripyat is very much indicative of life in Soviet times.
Wikipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prypiat,_UkraineThis article is protected.
Category:
city ghost town
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27 months ago Chernoman |
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+50 |
 
 
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At the time one of the newest cities in the Soviet Union and was used as a model for several to follow. There were 50,000 people living in Pripyat at the time of the accident. The residents were some of the best and brightest nuclear people the State had to offer. The average age of the residents was 26 and the city had 16,000 children under the age of 16. Life in Pripyat was paradise compared to many places in the Soviet Union and people who could competed to live there. As someone who has spent many days wandering Pripyat's deserted streets, homes, restaurants, schools ect, I can tell you visiting this place is a deeply moving and sad experience. My best wishes to it's former residents. |
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27 months ago Kurisu |
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+31 |
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Even abandoned, the city is beautiful... it is sad to know it was forever lost in one night. I plan to take all the pictures I can when I finally get to visit. |
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23 months ago ! |
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+5 |
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Осведомитель, в СТАЛКЕР переиграл? |
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22 months ago g.coronel |
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+7 |
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If you go there as I plan to do so, go with someone else. To go alone, as I read, makes you feel an intense feeling of sadness and nostalgia. The plan for a long time visit then get frustrated. Simply you can't stand it alone. And something else, is better to visit it in a motorcycle. If you go to the buildings that face the reactor, don't do it. It is very dangerous to do so. Is a beautiful city and a symbol of what comunism is about. Death and sadness. That is what comunism is, death and sadness. |
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22 months ago ihatehaters |
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+8 |
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VERY beautiful city before and even after(in a different way) the accident. if this place wasnt dangerous to live in id live here in a heartbeat!!!
its so sad that such a beautiful city died after only 16 years.....:( |
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21 months ago 2 |
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+7 |
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The city has a few inhabitants mainly old people. The goverment lets them live there since they are old and will die soon |
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21 months ago koska |
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+18 |
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I was born in Prypiat... But we were lucky enough to leave the city 4 years before the disaster. Family photos of those days are still impressing - there were really beautiful places around...
I still keep relations with some people from Prypiat who was evacuated after the disaster but still work at Chernobyl NPP. And some time ago one of them showed me several photoes of Prypiat's today's state. I was in shock - these were really apokalyptic pictures... |
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20 months ago eleventh |
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+15 |
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I was also born in Pripyat and I visited it for several times after the disaster. I can say that there are no any inhabitants in Pripyat (but they are in the alienation zone). What i can say it's quite difficult to express the feeling when you are walking by streets and yards of your childhood... Dead streets and yards... With the trees in the playing grounds and sandpits, abandoned swings... And the silence... Oh, God, save our souls. |
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18 months ago ivan |
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+4 |
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I used to live in Ukraine. It is very sad to see a city that was a heaven in the union so destroyed... |
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18 months ago SOAP |
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+2 |
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50.000 people use to live here now its just a ghost town never seen anything like it |
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17 months ago hksp |
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+2 |
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i wanna visit this place! |
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17 months ago eleventh |
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+3 |
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it is not so difficult, all you need is your desire |
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16 months ago Bean-O |
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+3 |
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I'm not so sure that with a family history of cancer I would like to visit.
If not for that however I would have already done so. |
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13 months ago Alexiurs |
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+3 |
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Some people still live in the nearest regions. Nobody was making them to do that. They've just came back. Someone right after the evacuation in 1986, the others nowadays. Some people even refused to evacuate. |
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11 months ago Lacrosse |
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+4 |
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I first saw Prypyat on Call of Duty 4 but even there the idea of vibrant town suddenly flushed empty is just uncanny. Seeing it for real - even from just a sat photo is sadder. |
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