CITY OF DREAMS BEHIND THE THORNY FENCE
It was one of the youngest cities. It was also called a corner of paradise on earth. And who in an instant found himself behind a triple barbed wire fence.
In the early morning in the area of the railway station of the capital, a full house. Someone is rushing to the train. Others have already arrived. And now they are in a hurry to get home as soon as possible. And some are looking. But what is there to look for. The desired object is only a couple of hundred meters from the South Terminal. And you can't miss it.
A minibus with huge and frightening signs of radioactivity on board. And no less noticeable inscription CHORNOBYL-TOUR. No, he's not carrying uranium or anything like that. Already from the name it is clear that its task is to transport especially curious gentlemen and comrades to the zone. No, not the one you thought. To the Chernobyl exclusion zone.
Surprisingly, there is a demand for such a trip. Moreover, people come from all over the regions and even from other countries. Apparently there is no limit to human curiosity. Or stupidity. In the latter case, the main thing is to tickle your nerves. At any cost and without thinking about the consequences. The main thing - I want! And they climb ahead, regardless of the obstacles. And then, somehow completely unexpectedly for them, consequences arise.
Smart people act in a completely different way. Why fill extra cones. It is better to turn to those who know them well. Because the Chernobyl zone looks like such a cheerful fly agaric. In terms of the same radiation. There is no solid carpet. Only specks. And often the border is measured in centimeters. Just now everything was just great and, suddenly, your dosimeter chokes from a piercing screech. And its owner quietly precipitates.
That's why experts are needed. Which, as the unforgettable first president Leonid Makarovich said, are capable of leading the people between the droplets. And at the same time get great pleasure. from the process itself. And from the skill of those guides, wise by many years of experience. From the travel company CHORNOBYL-TOUR for those who don't understand. And everything they do is called extreme tourism.
Meanwhile, sightseers are pulling up to the unusual transport. As usual, those with the furthest reach arrive first. Accordingly, those who live literally next door are late. For everyone, modern Susanin, and officially the guide Dmitry Shibalov, arranges strict passport control. Otherwise it is impossible. After all, among other things, the group will move in the border zone. Foreign country Belarus is not far away.
Finally, all the formalities are completed, the body is placed in a luxurious seat and the doors are closed... But it would be better if this were not the case. Useful advice - well-fed persons should not sit in a chair near the door. On the one hand there is a huge legroom. But on the other hand, some strange structural element of this very automobile gate sticks under the liver. The graceful don't have to worry about that. But those who are bigger have to adapt.
But, these are all trifles. The main thing is that city landscapes are already sweeping past the window. The destination is just over a hundred kilometers away. So there is time to make up for some lost minutes of sleep. Alternatively, watch a documentary on the topic. It seems to be calm, but piercing better than any horror movie. Or admire nature waking up from hibernation.
Behind such cute entertainment, time flies by completely unnoticed. And somehow, quite unexpectedly, the minibus stops. All arrived. Border. She really is. Fence with barbed wire, barrier, checkpoint of the 30-kilometer zone "Dityatki". And branded cheerful yellow kiosks on both sides of the road. With familiar radioactivity symbols and logos CHORNOBYL-TOUR.
This is the last thing you can buy for the trip. There will be nothing further. Large selection of original souvenirs and some food and drinks. Chernobyl ice cream is especially touching. Buy and you will be amazed!!!
There are some changes compared to last year. They introduced an electronic ticket, and the police armed themselves with electronic scanners. We read the information from the paper, compared the passport with the original and... thank you, please go through. The main thing is not to forget to get an individual drive. Now every tourist is under strict control. Particularly suspicious and just curious can also rent a dosimeter.
Finally, all the formalities are met, the minibus starts off. But, after a few minutes, an unplanned stop. The reason is valid. Przewalski's horses are grazing in a meadow a couple of hundred meters from the road. Lucky. Usually they try not to catch the eye. At one time they were brought in to see how the animals of the southern steppes would feel in the Pole forests. They even created a special farm. But, one fine day, the paddocks were empty. The proud representatives of the horse breed could not stand the imprisonment and left in English. Before that, breaking through the barriers. And judging by their well-fed appearance, they live very well in the wild.
Another throw and another stop. This time strictly along the route in the abandoned village of Zalesye. Once the central estate of the collective farm of a millionaire was located here. Between the luxurious firs is a memorial to those who died in the Great Patriotic War. It is clear that he is being watched. Everywhere is clean and tidy. But rural houses are gradually tightening the jungle.
Former savings bank, shop, club. The latter is especially impressive. High ceilings, stucco on the walls and ceiling, a huge hall by local standards. Stars of the first magnitude did not hesitate to perform in it. There are real estates along the street. You can't call them otherwise. Solid stone and wooden buildings. Capital cellars, individual artesian wells. They lived well here.
Today, nature takes its toll. The chic hut is almost invisible due to the dense thickets of wild grapes. The courtyard is overgrown with periwinkle. In one of the houses on the windowsill there is still a clay jug of milk. So we didn't get to drink. And the obligatory bottle of port. Empty. They won't leave him.
Another transfer to the second checkpoint "Leliv", located almost beyond the bypass of the city of Chernobyl. This time we have to enter the 10-kilometer zone. After the accident at the nuclear power plant, without much thought, the area around was divided into two parts. The near one with especially dangerous conditions and the far one, where it is a little easier. They just stuck the compass and made two turns according to the standard provisions. The truth then had to be corrected. Particularly because of the so-called western footprint. Which stretched far towards the Zhytomyr region. And the other to the north towards Belarus.
Everything is fine, you can go further. Until the next turn. Those who lived in the Soviet Union are well aware that the concrete road in the forest is clearly not without reason. And a bus stop with the innocent name Pioneer camp. Such plates look especially piquant among the endless swamps. The expected surprise was not long in coming. After a few kilometers, a fence and standard iron gates with stars appear in front of your eyes. Nearby is a formidable warning - “Stop, they are shooting. ”
Everyone gets out of the minibus, they stand, no one shoots, - it passed. And for those who were really blown away on the other side of the road, there is a sign “Long-distance radio center club” hanging on the fence. And. . . a gap leading to the very place for philosophical reflection. Toilet type "toilet" for those who are not in the know. The military, they are all such jokers. . .
By the way, this “long-distance radio center” is like a second line of defense after the pioneer camp. They didn’t believe in one thing, here’s another explanation for you. Much more like the truth. After all, giant antennas one and a half hundred meters high and about a kilometer long are already difficult to hide. Here they are, rising above the forest. And even for the vast majority of the inhabitants of the secret town of Chernobyl-2, it was just a terribly secret communications center.
But those few who directly worked at the facility knew that in fact it was an extra-atmospheric radar station. And its main purpose is to warn about missile launches of a potential enemy. Difference from “ordinary” radars in the detection range. The signal from the transmitter is repeatedly reflected from the ionosphere, which allows you to look far beyond the horizon. By the way, the transmitting complex itself was located several tens of kilometers from here in the area of the city of Lyubech. And these cyclopean antennas only received the signal.
For the operation of this entire economy, a huge amount of electricity was required. In fact, it was to ensure it that the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was built.
Scales can only be seen up close. A monstrous net that shot up to the heavens. And next to it is the machine room with its endless corridor. They say that they rode bicycles in it. Near the building of the control and processing center. Interestingly, one floor was allocated to accommodate ventilation and cooling systems. After all, do not forget when it was all built. And what can now be fit in a small chip the size of a fingernail, then occupied entire cabinets.
Interestingly, after the construction, the object did not immediately work. It turned out that auroras interfere in his direction through the North Pole. The eggheads thought about it and found a way out - to change the operating frequency of radio waves. True, it turned out that it is used by civil aviation. But the problem is not worth a damn. And the fact that with their characteristic knock in the headphones of the pilots they scared half the world is all nonsense. Just think how tender they are. . . By the way, foreigners called this miracle “Russian woodpecker”. And he specifically fucked them up.
The next object is the once ordinary village of Kopachi. Which, pardon the tautology, was simply buried. After all, it was literally on the outskirts of the nuclear power plant. And at that time it literally rang here. And now it is especially not recommended to linger. And the main thing is not to go off the planned route. For example, the famous kindergarten near the road. On the paved path, it seems to be quite tolerable. But, a step to the side and the dosimeter floods with indignation. The difference is impressive. As well as the inner chambers of the children's institution. Abandoned beds, lockers, toys. On the walls miraculously preserved drawings. Creepy feeling.
And here is the Chernobyl nuclear power plant itself. Solemn passage along the cooling channel and... to the dining room. Or rather, in the public power station plant. Large two-story building. Which you can't get right into. Below are stationary automatic dosimetric control posts. Kind of like an x-ray machine. Climb onto the pedestal, put your hands on the sensors, wait a few seconds, and if the green “Clear” board lights up, the exit turnstile opens. If red, the deactivation command will rush in. And it will take it hard.
Here, on the ground floor, you can clean up and wash your hands. Or something else, if needed. On the second floor there is a large hall for eating. Standard stainless steel distribution lines and plenty of tables. The food is simple but very tasty. Completely from imported products. Water is supplied from a water treatment plant in Pripyat. From an artesian well with a depth of more than one and a half hundred meters.
When leaving the dining room, do not forget to take a few pieces of bread with you. Because what follows is the traditional feeding of fish from the railway bridge right next to the nuclear power plant. From a height, you can see how 1.5-meter-long catfish babies and common rudd frolic in the water, which rural boys love to carry so much. But here they grow up to half a meter.
And now you can look at the sarcophagus. Rather, it is now called the Shelter object. A giant reinforced concrete arch pushed over what was left of the fourth reactor. Its size and manufacturing technology has already been included in the Guinness book. After the construction was completed, the radiation level dropped significantly. But the nervous chatter of the dosimeter still urges not to linger.
As well as a stop after a few kilometers at the famous stele "Pripyat" A beautiful place, but not very calm. Especially on the other side of the road near the eloquent sign with the inscription “red forest”. It is better not to leave the asphalt. And in general it is better to run away from here as soon as possible.
Another checkpoint. This time at the entrance to the city of Pripyat. One of the youngest in the Soviet Union. He was only seven years old. And it was called a corner of heaven on earth. Everything was here. Or almost everything. Residents of the capital dreamed of running around the local shops. But even then it was a closed city. Only for the elite, those who worked at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
Today, nature is gradually taking its toll. Wide avenues are covered with trees. And already rather big birch trees, growing directly from the concrete of buildings, look somehow strange. The once chic river port of Pripyat still impresses with its architecture. But in the distance, at the exit from the bay, you can see an old half-flooded landing stage. Which took ships a little earlier. Seemingly ordinary vending machines for the sale of carbonated water almost lead to ecstasy of today's youth.
Local hospital and ambulance station nearby. But going inside is strongly discouraged. Even now, it is realistic to meet simply off-scale levels of radiation there. The city is divided into neighborhoods with their own characteristics. Those that are built up in the first place are distinguished by continuous five-story buildings. The most recent sprouted sixteen-story skyscrapers.
The huge central square houses the local white house, the Polesie hotel, the Energetik Palace of Culture, a restaurant and one of the first supermarkets in the Union. This was not the case in Kyiv either. At the famous amusement park, rides froze. The opening day of the first of May they did not wait. Leading the flock of curious guide CHORNOBYL-TOUR Dmitry Shibalov shows a few local highlights. Spots on the ground after the reactor seem quite ordinary. But a completely imperceptible point on the cabin of the Ferris wheel introduces into a stupor. The radiation level is two orders of magnitude higher than the surrounding background.
You won't recognize the local stadium right away. Except in the stands. But when you see an empty legendary pool, you involuntarily recall an old anecdote from a series of black humor - jump, and if you lead well, then they will let the water in. At parting, drive along the longest street of Lesya Ukrainka and behind the back the barrier slowly lowers. As if separating the bygone era.
A farewell stop in Chernobyl near the monument to the liquidators. Mandatory dosimetric control posts at checkpoints. Solemn presentation of certificates for this event. By the way, the received dose indicated on it is several times lower than the similar one, for example, during the flight to Egypt. And return to the starting point. Now you can relax.
