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An abandoned city



I wish that this was my photograph, but it isn't. It is an aerial shot of the city of Pripyat, in the Ukraine. You may not have heard of Pripyat, an abandoned city in the 'Zone of alienation' in northern Ukraine, near the Belorussian border. It was home (amongst others) to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant workers. The city was abandoned in 1986 following the Chernobyl disaster, its population had been around 50,000 prior to the accident. That's what makes this photo so spooky to me. It is not often that you can see a city where one day, 23 years ago, everybody just upped and left. It must be an eerie experience to wander through the streets today.

I found this image at a website titled simply "Pictures from the sky". If you are into impressive photographs, give it a click and check out some more stunning images.
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Comments

Louis la Vache said…
Eerie, indeed! "Louis" will visit that website - and give the link to his brother who will also appreciate it!

On a different subject: Saturday was Flag Day in the U.S.
15 June 2008 at 16:23
Dina said…
What a disaster that was. Hard to imagine the aftermath.
That website shows what power the earth and nature have. Good to reawaken our awe from time to time.
16 June 2008 at 00:42
Benjamin Madison said…
Very weird. Like something out of a science fiction novel.
16 June 2008 at 03:59
MarkR said…
The most eerie thing in Pripyat is standing in the middle of the city and hearing absolutely nothing - prior to the accident, almost 50,000 people used to live 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
18 June 2008 at 09:29
Kris McCracken said…
Thanks for the link Mark, I'm trawling through my comments to see if there was anything I have missed over the past few months, and only just discovered it!

Dina, well said.
24 August 2008 at 15:49
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