Pripyat may not be as well-known as the name of Chernobyl, but the images and the ghostly eeriness of Pripyat are most certainly what make this place so famous. The majority of photos or movies or documentaries showcase the sights of Pripyat such as the infamous Ferris Wheel, of which I will visit during my stay in this disturbing ghost town.
Pripyat was a town born to serve the nearby Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant by housing the workers and families and was inaugurated in 1970. Nine years later the town finally became a City and the population eventually grew to just under 50,000 people.
Then came the events of 1986. The events of which I spoke of in my previous posts on my visit to Chernobyl and its Nuclear Power Station. The events that would change the future of the city of Pripyat forever.
As you can see on the satellite view above, the majority of the city has now been taken over by trees, but you can still make out the major roads leading into and around Pripyat.
Labelled on the map are the main locations of the places I will be visiting or trying to find at least, and my start point would be in the bottom right at that junction after having passed the ‘Pripyat 1970’ sign.
And into the city we go…
The first stop would be the Cinema, followed by the Music School to the rear, then back outside and past the famous Hotel Polissya and onto the main city square in front of the Palace of Culture Energetik.
Heading to the Cinema felt like a trip through the woods and I now realised how the city had become engulfed by trees.
The Prometheus Cinema as seen below was a popular hang out for the locals along with its Café.
Inside the Cinema, the Screen was desolate with barely a seat in there…
The Music School still furnished with a piano on the stage, albeit with only one working key.
