Chernobyl, Day 2 – the funfair, and surrounding buildings
The ferris wheel in the centre of Pripyat is perhaps one of the best-known images to come from Chernobyl. The funfair was brand-new and was due to open on May 1st. The nuclear disaster occurred five days before this. Despite the funfair never having officially opened, there are images available that show people riding on the attractions – dodgem cars, a carousel, a swing boat ride, and the ferris wheel. One theory I have read is that the funfair was opened early in order to keep people distracted until the evacuations were carried out, but who knows for sure.
Past the funfair was another large building which housed another gymnasium and what looked like it was once an auditorium of some sort.
We explored another neighbouring building, a multi-storey construction which looked like it was probably a hotel or an apartment block. We couldn’t be sure though, as most of the rooms had been looted and were empty. We did find what looked like a dentist’s chair in one of them, as well as quite a number of rusted bed frames. It was interesting to see how much nature was reclaiming the area – plants grew wildly throughout the buildings, including on the rooftops; not just on the ground outside.
We had to climb onto a rooftop to get an aerial of Pripyat. We had to. We weren’t sure if that was permissible, but we were going to do it anyway. We climbed up to the top of a tallish apartment block behind the funfair and got a 360 degree view of the abandoned city. It was extremely windy up there, but it was worth it.
Upon returning to our hotel after lunch, we stopped to get a close-up look at the Pripyat sign. The date indicates what a young city Pripyat was.
x Kitten of Doom
Kitten of Doom 