Pripyat - a small town of power engineers in the Kiev region, next to which was a large nuclear power station, which received its name from its located near the district center of the same name.So much to remember Chernobyl accident.And after the accident, the name has been associated with only one of the worst man-made disasters of her time.The word seemed to bear the imprint of the human tragedy and mystery at the same time.It frightens and attracts.Yet many years of Chernobyl will remain a major focus of the world.
little history
small town known since Chernobyl in 1193.Mention of it is found in the chronicle list of towns and cities of the XIV century Russian.From the middle of the next century, he was already under the control of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.Not far from him was erected inaccessible fortress surrounded by a deep moat, which can be seen today.In the XVI century, this town became a district center, which gave itself felt in Europe war-torn after the start of the 1789 revolution in France, because of the "Rosalia from Chernobyl", so called Rosalia Chodkiewicz (in marriage Lubomirski).It was one of the most active participants of those distant historical events, shared the sad fate of the supporters of the royal family of the Bourbons and Marie Antoinette.
In 1793, the town became part of the Russian Empire.It was inhabited by Ukrainians, Poles and Jews.Long enough period of Chernobyl was the center of Hasidism, a religious movement in Judaism.
So little known in the whole town was up Chernobyl accident.And after the accident to him suddenly drawn attention around the world, and its very name is increasingly used in a household sinister meaning, generally associated with the word "disaster" and "catastrophe".
Before the accident
In the 70 years of the last century, around the world there was a kind of a boom of nuclear power.In those years, many countries have incorporated a lot of nuclear power plants, one of which was built near the confluence of the Dnieper river Pripyat.Commissioning of the first unit at Chernobyl nuclear power plant took place in 1975.By the spring of 1986, the station has operated four units.
In the vicinity of a nuclear power plant are small towns with shift workers and support staff - Chernobyl and Pripyat.The latter was designed on the basis of satellite cities of nuclear power plants.To ensure the employment of family members of Power, it was planned to build a number of industrial enterprises.The city's infrastructure was also given a lot of attention, as the average age of the population of Polissya atomograda was 26 years.
Pripyat at the time was one of the most prestigious Ukrainian cities.Its convenient transportation, large wide streets, residential areas and distribution of amusement parks attracted people from the surrounding villages and towns, including Chernobyl.
Until now, many people are not quite clearly understand that a modest regional center of Chernobyl in the years before the accident, little has been associated with nuclear power.Original capital power engineers was just booming young city of Pripyat, located three kilometers from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.The Chernobyl accident is connected with it, but received its name from the eponymous name of the district center, located to the south-east of the station at a distance of 18 kilometers.Pripyat and founded in 1970 only thanks to the construction of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.Himself Chernobyl was a small town with a population of no more than 13 thousand people.Now the entire Exclusion Zone is home to about 5000 people, of which somewhere in 4000 is living in the district center of Chernobyl.
accident
man-made disaster of 26 April 1986 divided the city's history into two periods: before the Chernobyl accident and after the accident.
number 4 on the power unit during the design of a test turbine generators explosion completely destroyed the reactor.There was more than 30 fires, the elimination of which initially proceeded only with the help of helicopters because of a severe radiation environment.In the early hours of post-accident failed to stop a neighboring third power, disconnect the equipment of the fourth power, check the condition of the reactor disaster.
in the crash were released into the environment about 400 million curies of radioactive substances.It was a new kind of disaster, which entered the history of the word, acquired a sinister meaning - "Chernobyl".1986 accident at the Soviet Union's most powerful nuclear power plant put humanity in the face of an intangible, invisible enemy - radiation contamination.
causes of the accident The accident at Chernobyl has become one of the biggest disasters in the history of nuclear power.Many people died and suffered in the first three months.Subsequent years after the disaster also made themselves felt long-term consequences of radiation.From the burning reactor cloud blown considerable quantities of radioactive materials in the surrounding area in the Soviet Union and much of Europe.
Socio-political significance of the Chernobyl accident for the Soviet Union could not not affect the course of the investigation of its causes.The interpretation of the facts and circumstances of the accident repeatedly modified.A consensus is not reached until now.
Among the causes of the accident are called errors in the design of the nuclear power plant, a number of structural shortcomings of RBMK-1000 reactor, unprofessional actions of the staff working shifts, because of which occurred in the reactor thermal explosion ended uncontrolled chain reaction.
Among the reasons cited the lack of training center for effective learning, failures in the equipment, which were left without investigation from 1980 to 1986.Among the various hypotheses was highly directional earthquake measuring up to 4 points.
by officials and medicine was just a big lie, responsibility for the accident was shifted only by operators and their errors, in diseases of the victims refused to see the causes of radiation exposure.Constantly there is an attempt to minimize the magnitude of the disaster.
Earth
alienation zone in Chernobyl is a land alienation.Such a state of emergency was due to a significant radioactive contamination of areas that are in close proximity to the nuclear power plant.This area was divided into three zones under control: direct itself a nuclear power plant, the so-called special zone, a ten and thirty-kilometer zone.
on their borders is carried out strictly monitored vehicles deployed decontamination.
in Chernobyl work law enforcement agencies engaged in the protection zone territory and control of illegal entry into their territory by unauthorized persons.Here are based the main enterprises, utilities and other structures, performing maintenance work on alienation of land in an environmentally safe condition.
Second Life
little known town with unremarkable gray dvuhetazhki clean and green streets - that was before the Chernobyl accident and after the accident it in an instant becomes known around the world, town, forever frozen in time of the Soviet Union.
It attracts fans from around the world Postapokaliptika.Chernobyl and Pripyat, once confident step in a bright future, are now in the exclusion zone and are included in the program of visits within the framework of the official tours.Especially popular this land conquered in 2007 after the release of a computer game «STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl".
by Forbes magazine in 2009, Chernobyl zone included in the list of 12 tourist destinations recognized by the most exotic.
Mostly radiation levels in the area exceeds the allowable minimum of 30 times, but this does not stop those who want to witness the most grandiose monument to the man-made disaster.In Chernobyl, in the last ten years, 40 thousand tourists visited.Every year, a considerable number of stalkers is delayed illegally penetrating into place a local "Apocalypse," a place where people will never be able to live.However, the flow of tourists creates a supply and demand that if the city allows you to gain a second life.
