Avanhard Stadium, Soviet sports stadium in Pripyat, Ukraine
Avanhard Stadium is an abandoned sports facility in Pripyat with wooden benches in the main stand, a press box, and a player tunnel leading to the former grass field. The structure preserves the typical layout of a Soviet-era football stadium from that period.
The stadium was built in 1979 as the home ground for FC Stroitel Pripyat and hosted football matches in the fifth tier of Soviet competitions. After the nuclear incident forced evacuation in 1986, all activities stopped and the stadium was abandoned.
The stadium was where residents gathered to watch their local team play and share moments together as a community. The wooden benches and player facilities show how ordinary sporting life looked before everything stopped.
Access to the stadium requires official permission and a guide through the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, with strict adherence to radiation safety guidelines. Visitors should allow adequate time and bring all necessary documentation.
Trees and plants have grown through the former playing surface, reclaiming the space where human activity once flourished. This shows how quickly nature can return when people are gone.
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