Pripyat

I'm sure all of you either remember or have studied the nuclear disaster that occurred at the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant on April 26, 1986 in Ukraine. For those of you who didn't pay attention in history or have been leaving under a rock, Chernobyl was the name of the power plant in the Ukraine, then part of the USSR. On April 26, 1986, reactor number four of the Chernobyl plant overheated and exploded. This resulted in the worst nuclear disaster in human history.

After the resulting explosion, the USSR attempted to keep the disaster secret until two days later when neighboring European countries began picking up on the increased radiation in the air. At this point, the USSR admitted that there had been a disaster. Two workers at the Chernobyl plant were killed the night of the explosion and 28 more died within weeks from the radiation poisoning. One eyewitness later described the explosion as, "A beautiful blue, green flame."

Chernobyl Reactor Number 4

Right after the disaster, officials evacuated the town of Pripyat which is where most of the workers and their families lived. Overnight, Pripyat became a ghost town. The locals were told that they would return to their homes in three days. It's been almost 30 years and they still have not returned. They weren't allowed to take their personal items with them. It is not known how many died due to radiation poisoning.

The Infamous Ferris Wheel at Pripyat

The most iconic image from Pripyat is the abandoned Ferris Wheel. At the time of the Chernobyl Disaster, Pripyat was preparing to have a carnival in celebration of May Day - a celebration that never happened.

The Abandoned City of Pripyat 

Recently, the Ukraine began allowing tours to Pripyat. You must ask the Ukrainian government for permission and they send a tour guide to the town with you. I think that it would be cool to visit this town. It would be a little scary to be in a town that is completely abandoned, but it would be a once in a lifetime experience to witness the town.

An Abandoned Classroom

A lot of people say they wouldn't go because of the radiation levels. Pripyat has not returned to the pre-Chernobyl radiation levels and it is estimated that it will not for thousands of years; however, the tour guides take precaution in making sure that you do not go near areas with high densities of radiation and that you are only in Pripyat for a few hours. You still cannot enter Chernobyl due to the unsafe levels of radiation.

A Nursery

What do you guys think? Would you visit Pripyat?

Links:

Information on the Chernobyl Disaster
Information About Tours to Pripyat