history, community, memory, legacy, environment and other elements
Thursday, 25 September 2008
Chernobyl
Unlike Prypiat, Chernobyl is not abandoned except for a few houses. A few thousand people either live or work here and it looks like a normal town, but while walking the streets you can hardly spot any living being. Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus
2 comments:
Anonymous
said...
Being in Chernobyl makes you feel weirder than in Pripyat, because Chernobyl still has some signs of life as opposed to completely looted Pripyat, where visitors' interest is directed towards the consequences of vandalism not so much town and its fate itself.
I like some of your photos in this series. They are unique compared to the same ones usually seen on the internet.
I disagree with your comment about only a few homes in the town of Chernobyl being abandoned. Before the accident, the town had a population of approximately 12,000. Today, it has approximately 4,000 people, but they are mostly military personnel, scientists, and people working for the Ministry of Emergency Measures (including Chernobyl InterInform).
So, the population has decreased 67%, and most of the people in the town are not regular residents - certainly not the people who lived there prior to the accident (though there are some older residents who have remained there).
I personally visited the Chernobyl area for two days in June 2006 with a friend and former resident of Pripyat. We toured the Chernobyl Plant (including the Reactor 4 control room), several of the abandoned villages, and Pripyat. I have posted a photo journal of my trip at:
2 comments:
Being in Chernobyl makes you feel weirder than in Pripyat, because Chernobyl still has some signs of life as opposed to completely looted Pripyat, where visitors' interest is directed towards the consequences of vandalism not so much town and its fate itself.
I like some of your photos in this series. They are unique compared to the same ones usually seen on the internet.
I disagree with your comment about only a few homes in the town of Chernobyl being abandoned. Before the accident, the town had a population of approximately 12,000. Today, it has approximately 4,000 people, but they are mostly military personnel, scientists, and people working for the Ministry of Emergency Measures (including Chernobyl InterInform).
So, the population has decreased 67%, and most of the people in the town are not regular residents - certainly not the people who lived there prior to the accident (though there are some older residents who have remained there).
I personally visited the Chernobyl area for two days in June 2006 with a friend and former resident of Pripyat. We toured the Chernobyl Plant (including the Reactor 4 control room), several of the abandoned villages, and Pripyat. I have posted a photo journal of my trip at:
My Journey to Chernobyl: 20 Years After the Disaster
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