Pripyat: A Ghost Town Haunted by History and Radiation

Pripyat, located just a short distance from the Chernobyl nuclear plant in northern Ukraine, remains uninhabitable due to the lingering effects of the 1986 radioactive disaster. Although almost 40 years have passed since the catastrophe, visitors are still required to take precautions when exploring the eerie city, including discarding their clothing and avoiding mossy areas that contain radiation.

The once bustling city housed 60,000 inhabitants and was designed to cater to the needs of workers at the nearby nuclear plant. It was a popular destination for young people seeking their own apartments and a place to call home. Today, however, Pripyat is an abandoned ghost town with iconic symbols like an abandoned amusement park with bumper cars and a mechanical wheel that both have high levels of radiation.

Despite the dangers posed by radiation, wildlife has thrived in the area around Pripyat. The region boasts diverse fauna such as horses, birds, bears, bison, wolves and more. In recent news, Russian forces caused damage amounting to $40 million at the Chernobyl plant during their occupation in early 2022. Despite this theft and destruction of equipment officials assure that there is no current danger to the plant’s security.

El Comercio visited Pripyat on May 31 after exploring the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and seeing firsthand what caused one of history’s deadliest nuclear disasters. Residents like Olga Tarmovska and Volodymyr Verbitsky recall their experiences during that fateful night in 1986 when they were evacuated from Pripyat and never returned. The abandoned city continues to inspire books like “Voices from Chernobyl” and video games like STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl.