Pripyat, Abandoned city in Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine.
Pripyat is an abandoned city in Ivankiv Raion in Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine, located about three kilometers from the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The settlement consists of Soviet residential blocks, schools, hospitals, and recreational facilities now overgrown with dense vegetation.
The city was founded on February 4, 1970, as a residence for nuclear plant workers and their families. The entire population of 49,000 people was evacuated within hours after the reactor accident in April 1986, and the settlement has remained uninhabited ever since.
Pripyat housed a cultural palace, several cinemas, and numerous sports facilities that embodied the Soviet ideal of a modern nuclear city. These institutions were designed to provide residents with a comprehensive social life and to demonstrate the progress of the Soviet Union.
Visitors must obtain permits through authorized tour operators in Kyiv and follow strict safety protocols, including radiation monitoring throughout the guided excursions. Tours typically last a full day and require appropriate clothing that covers arms and legs completely.
The untouched amusement park with its Ferris wheel was scheduled to open just days after the disaster and now stands as a symbol of the city. The rides were never put into operation, and the yellow gondolas of the Ferris wheel are today one of the most recognized images of the exclusion zone.
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