As claimed by Wikipedia, urban exploration "is the examination of the normally unseen or off-limits parts of urban areas or industrial facilities." There are abandoned factories, orphanages, mental hospitals, army facilities etc. all around. Sometimes it is in good shape, sometimes it's abandoned for many years and you have to be fully aware there. Sometimes you need to use just your legs, but there are places where you can't get into without pliers, flashlight or even ropes, hooks and aqualung.
After some basic information, I'd like to show you my personal best places to explore. First of them is popular and well known - Chernobyl Power Plant and Prypiat. Second thing is a city about 4 km from Chernobyl Power Plant in Ukraine. It was founded in 1970 as a place to live for employees of Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station. Nonetheless this wasn't the only purpose for this city to exist - it was also a bigget river and railroad cargo port in the Northern Ukraine. Population there was about 50,000 in 1986. This was the year when the worst accident in history of nuclear power happened. There are different evaluations of how many people died because of that accident, nevertheless all the Prypiat's residents were resettled and that city became deserted and stays the same to this day.
I'm a person that can't go anywhere without seeing a map first, so I put it here.
When visiting this place, you should be familiar with at least a couple of most interesting parts. First of them is a vehicle junkyard. It's a place where there are hundreds of ruined vehicles that belonged to Prypiat's residents or were used during evacuation and lockdown of the reactor. That's the place where Geiger counter makes more sounds than anywhere else besides the reactor and its nearest neighbourhood.
Another place worth mentioning is the above-mentioned reactor itself. You can't go closer than couple hundred meters from it. That's forbidden because of the radioactivity, of course. Nonetheless it's great to be there and knowing that you're so close to great amounts of energy hidden under the concrete near you.
Last thing that I'd like to show you, is the housing estate part. It's the only one of places described here, that is in the Prypiat itself. There are tens of buildings, what is best seen here (just click "Rooftop view"):
http://www.blueroomdesign.net/pripyat/
There are resident blocks there mostly, but there are also shops, kindergarten, schools, cinema, hospital and many more. One of the most astonishing parts is the amusement park with a ferris wheel. It's amazing to see a place made for fun, but abandoned for more then 20 years now.
And please, don't get me wrong. I like this kind of exploration, but I'm an amateur to the extreme. Some people use ropes, hooks, oxygen masks etc. I admire them, but that's not for me.
Topics for discussion:
1. What do you think of this kind of activity?
2. Did you visit Chernobyl? Would you do this, if there was a chance to?
I'm a fan of Chernobyl : ). I always wanted to go to Chernobyl but I never did. It's an outstanding opportunity to see a ghost city. I hope that i will go there in the future and i will spend the best holiday.
ReplyDeleteI never thought about visiting chernobyl but you have aroused my interest for sure :) If i had a chance id like to visit the place. Could be quiet an intresting trip to an abandoned metropoly. I wounder whats the situation with radiation there, at the main reactor. Seems kind of strange that after so many years its still forbidden to get close to the reactor and that the things havnt been cleared out there yet :o
ReplyDeleteI guess I am not really a huge fan of places like Chernobyl. Maybe if I was a photographer I could take some photos there, otherwise I don't know what would I do there.
ReplyDeleteI agree that such places have their specific atmosphere that could be used to many interesting activities. Starting from urban games, ending on playing paintball or some RPGs.
To be honest I don't see anything interesting in Chernobyl. Some buildings, factories and other things, no people. So? What's so great about it? Maybe if I were somewhere around this place I would visit it, but I wouldn't plan to go there specially.
ReplyDeleteI've never thought of going to Chernobyl. At least as long as radiation is still siginificant there. Of course it's low but still it would be an unnecessary risk.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I find something attracting in such kind of activity. Abandoned towns, buildings are creepy, mysterious, in some way unfinished or untold. It can move your imagination.
I've have heard that the worst radiation is still in Red Forest and it's no chance to explore it. Here is the short movie made by polish guys who measured radiation in Red Forest using geiger counter:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Xt-dmZsp0s
Places, which are mentioned in the article are very interesting but really dangerous, as you have written there are many dangers. If someone is working on it and do some research it midht be interesting but for us as ordinary people it is hazardous because we never know what may happen.
ReplyDeleteI always wanted to visit Prypiat. Isolated place when nobody lived for over 25 years. It's not so dangerous as many think. Outside power plant and places like vehicle graveyard radiation is not very high, or at least it doesn't exceed norms. Grate place for photographers.
ReplyDeleteI don't find anything interesting in visiting abandoned places like Chernobyl, like s4504 said there is nothing special, for me it's enought to see photos.
ReplyDeleteI'd visited Chernobyl to see how there is now and she looked like a nuclear power plant. I wonder if what happened could have an impact on the health of tourists.
ReplyDelete