Probably the greatest disaster in human history was the nuclear accident at Chernobyl in 1986, when a meltdown occurred in reactor number 4 of the nuclear power plant.

The area around Chernobyl and Prypiat has been uninhabitable ever since. A military exclusion zone controls access to the nuclear-contaminated area. The soldiers at the guard posts are only allowed to stay in the area for a few weeks and then have to do their duty elsewhere for a longer period of time before they are allowed to come back. Because the invisible danger lurks everywhere and the worst is that one does not notice anything until it is already too late.

Twenty years later. The military still controls the exclusion zone and the nuclear power plant is still in operation. But except for the power plant and the military posts and food stations, the buildings have not been maintained in the last 20 years. The buildings are collapsing and nature is fighting its way back. What has changed, however, is that the area is now open to tourists who want to see the disaster for themselves. However, one is not allowed to enter the restricted zone alone. Only with a guide, who knows the rules and is responsible for me and my actions. At least 1 week before entering, a request must be made, giving the information of the passport. If something is wrong, you will not get in. Whether you want to join a group, or whether you prefer to explore the restricted zone alone with a guide, also depends on your budget. Private tours are relatively expensive, but you can define the route yourself. However, if you prefer to see the famous sights, it is best to join a group. This is also what I did.

We were a group of 16 tourists. Almost all of us were between 20 and 40 years old. There was even someone in the group who had lived in Chernobyl before the disaster and still remembered kindergarten and school. For her it was a very emotional tour. Our adventure started in Kiev, where we gathered at the meeting point. From there we went by minibus to Tchernobyl, 130km to the north. After two hours we reached the checkpoint where we had to leave the vehicle. Then our passports were checked. After about 20 minutes we were allowed to enter the exclusion zone and get back into the bus. Then we drove through forests and stopped in the middle of a forest. I was wondering what we were doing here. In fact, we were here on the outskirts of the city where the first houses were already standing. The houses were completely decayed and large trees have already grown around the houses as well as in the houses.

After these first impressions we were led in the bus from one sight to the next. Every time we thought it couldn't get any worse, we encountered something that amazed us again. Chernobyl itself is still somewhat intact. There are also hotels here where you can stay if you visit for several days. I honestly wasn't turned on by that. But then we went to Prypiat, which is the town built right next to the nuclear power plant. This is also where almost all of the nuclear power plant employees lived. Because the radiation levels are partly very high one cannot stay here for a longer time. We were for example in the hospital where the firefighters were first treated. At that time, the first thing they did was remove their clothes and put them in the basement so that the radiation could not spread. Someone had a joke and was in that basement and deposited a glove in the lobby, this still has x-times the radiation of what a human could still survive. Who came to the glove to after was frightened by his Geiger counter!

Here are a few more stops which we visited:

Central square Prypiat at the cultural center Energetik and the hotel Polissya
Amusement park with the world famous Ferris wheel
Duha radar station, also known as Woodpecker
Swimming pool / Gymnasium
The Red Forest
Elementary school
Kindergarten
The "Prypiat" coffee at the lake

The nuclear power plant itself can not be seen, because here technology is used which should not be shared. Therefore, it is also not allowed to take photos of the nuclear power plant. Only at reactor 4, which is covered with a huge sarcophagus made of 30'000 tons of lead, it was allowed to take pictures. What exactly led to the accident and how it could develop into such a catastrophe was filmed very impressively in a mini-series by HBO in 2019.

In order to have enough time to explore the restricted zone, we left Kiev early in the morning. We spent the whole day in the exclusion zone and only late in the evening, when it was already dark again, we returned to Kiev. Therefore we were fed in the canteen in Chernobyl at noon. We ate our meal together with the military and employees of the nuclear power plant. In order to ensure that no one enters the catering rooms contaminated with radioactivity, there are checkpoints with measuring points at every building entrance and exit. They were almost a little scary. Because they were probably even older than the nuclear power plant itself.

Open the iron gate, enter, put your hands on the measuring plates, if nothing out of the ordinary is detected, the green lamp lights up and the exit gate opens. I didn't want to imagine what would happen if the gate didn't open.

Personal CONCLUSION:

Looking back, I'm not sure if I would make this trip again. So much was hidden by the Soviet Union at that time to try to cover up the catastrophe. As we know today without success. Although we carried several Geiger counters with us during the entire adventure, I am not so sure today how "harmless" this trip really was.

Nevertheless, it was very impressive to see what nature is capable of. How much the buildings were destroyed by nature and how firmly nature has reclaimed its territory. This is despite the fact that the radiation levels are still far too high for people to live safely in this area.

Nevertheless, I would like to thank Chernobylwel.com for the interesting tour and the cool t-shirt. It was an extraordinary experience and a very entertaining day.