Perhaps today there is no person who would not be familiar with one of the most famous places in the world - Chernobyl.Information about Chernobyl today can be found not only in books but also numerous online resources.The word is primarily associated with the explosion at the local nuclear power plant.The disaster at Chernobyl occurred on 26 April 1986 immortalized the city.Its history is actually much more ancient.
where the name
First you need to understand why Chernobyl named Chernobyl.Who and when gave the city the name?It is believed that the name is associated with mugwort or wormwood, better known to us.The thing is that this plant is very common in the countryside, where they founded the city.Wormwood is literally growing entire fields.There are other versions why Chernobyl named Chernobyl.The accident at the plant in 1986 was the cause of mysterious legends and speculation.This ancient prophecy."Black true story" - a combination of dark, foreboding.
ancient history of the city
When and where did the first time mentioned the name "Chernobyl"?The city's history begins with a mention in the annals dated 1193 year.It begins there are now many well-known story of Chernobyl.This reference has been associated with the Prince of Kiev, who was hunting in the vicinity of the town.The earlier mention of the village there.
While the city of Chernobyl was famous for it peacefully coexisted representatives of various faiths.There were Catholics, Jews and Orthodox Christians.
thousand-year history of Chernobyl keeps another interesting fact.In the Pripyat River, in the place of its confluence with the Dnieper, in the thirteenth century united Lithuanian and Ukrainian troops defeated the governor of Batu Khan - Kaidanow.Voivod went to the area of Pripyat to collect tribute.After the attack Kaidan legs barely carried from the battlefield.More it in the city of Chernobyl and its surroundings for the tribute did not come back.
City during the Great Patriotic War
This terrible war has been the bloodiest in the history of mankind.We know that the war has claimed more than 60 million. Lives.Counting the total number of victims is conducted by historians to this day.
Not spared the Second World side and Chernobyl, which at the time of the invasion of the Nazis was already quite overgrown city with good infrastructure and perspectives.
Germans with great zeal tried to capture the city.The terrain on which the Chernobyl, located on a hill.In addition, it is surrounded by rivers Pripyat and even that of the enemy troops appeared beneficial in terms of military tactics.From this site perfectly controlled all transport routes, starting from the ground and ending river.
August 25, 1941 the city was occupied.It managed to repulse only during the re-occurrence of the Red Army, November 17, 1943.Today, the memory of those tragic events created Glory Park to established there memorial signs and monuments of the brave inhabitants of Chernobyl.
postwar fate
City was considered a strategically important object, so its restoration were thrown considerable force.In a matter of priority return businesses that have been evacuated at the beginning of the war, been built up houses, objects of social significance: kindergartens, schools, hospitals.The city hastily sent to the military and their families to work and residence.Just a few years of Chernobyl again became a flourishing city.
NPP construction
When planning the construction of nuclear power plants considered various fields, including in Kiev, Vinnitsa and Zhitomir regions.But for the plant chosen this area.Do not answer whether it is the question "why Chernobyl called Chernobyl"?Still prophecy?But it is much more prosaic.The choice fell on Chernobyl, since the land on the site of the future plant was almost barren.In addition, the high content of clay in the soil allowed to build such a massive complex as a nuclear power plant.The area had the necessary resources for the water supply, which meets all the requirements of the transport interchange and, most importantly, provide sanitary protection zone.
May 1970 - a grand building began.Construction began digging a pit for the future of the first unit, the construction of which was completed in 1977.At the same time I was made to run it.Then, between 1978 and 1983 have been completed and put into operation the remaining blocks, including the infamous fourth unit.
By the way, not to mention that in the same 1970 representatives of the party was driven peg on the future site of the satellite station, the city of Pripyat.And the construction of the town was carried out in parallel with the work on the station.
typical day
Chernobyl, April 26, 1986.For residents, it was just another ordinary day.In the evening, when the NPP was leaving the next duty shift and comes another, the station is in the normal mode.
staff dressed in overalls and took their places at the controls.On this day, on the fourth power unit were planned turbine test reactor to "stick out."The point was to check whether the station some time after an emergency or power failure to maintain his job due to residual rotation of the turbine generator.Supervised trials chief engineer ASWoodpeckers.
explosion at Chernobyl
As soon as the time came, and all the necessary preparations have been completed, the test began.Here began to occur the events that led to the horrible catastrophe.For unknown reasons, the reactor power was lowered to very low levels - 500 megawatts, while the regulation prescribed in the testing capacities from 700 to 1000 MW.The second mistake was leaving too little graphite rods used to control the reaction.At the time of the explosion in the reactor core, there were only four, which eventually led to the overheating of the reactor and its exposure.Subsequent investigation over several years has established the improper design of absorbing rods.
noted several specific points, which together could be the reason that the crash occurred at Chernobyl.Many people now call it an atomic explosion, but it is not so.The explosion was thermal, with such force that the protection of the reactor (vesivshaya as much as 500 tons), like the cover of the kettle, flew into the air and fell back.
explosion at Chernobyl proved a huge scale.Frightened, the government has long concealed the true dimensions of the accident.Only then, when they began to receive messages from other countries to a sharp increase in background radiation, the Soviet leadership had to accept the fact that there was an enormous disaster in Chernobyl, whose equal has not been all over the world.
liquidators of the Chernobyl accident
The explosion immediately killed 2 employees Chernobyl has 31 staff died within weeks from radiation sickness.Of all the employees who were at the time of the accident at the station, only 6 people survived.
immediately at the scene firefighters arrived, who showed true heroism, courage and bravery.Aware of the danger of death, they stood at the wall of glowing radioactive fire and extinguished the fire, despite the multiple burns and the worsening state of health.In fact, they became human shields in the way of deadly radiation.Six firefighters tushivshih radioactive flames, died from burns and acute radiation sickness within a few weeks after the accident.
helicopter pilot from the air thrown into the sand and fragments of boron carbide to extinguish the remnants of the reactor and not give it to explode again.
Scientists, knowing how much risk are, perform the necessary examinations and measurements directly into a nuclear inferno that the liquidators were accurate for the effective conduct of decontamination.
When reset fonyaschih pieces into the core used robots, they have a large amount of radiation just burned all the chips.Then work had soldiers who threw debris into the collapse of the core, using ordinary spades.
Doctors, policemen, soldiers, workers, miners, drivers, researchers - a total liquidation was attended by over 600 thousand people for several years.The disaster at Chernobyl, excluding public employees, has attracted more than a million volunteers who helped in the work to eliminate the terrible consequences of the accident.People cleared the forest and damaged trees were burned, dumped radioactive land mines, watered the surrounding area in order to reduce radiation levels, helping with the evacuation, first aid.
After the accident
Officials silent about the true scale of the Chernobyl disaster and the devastating real consequences.The next day, the city lived its usual life.The flow of residents rushed to the market, the students went to school, someone went to rest in the woods or on the river, many left for dachas.A café, shops, cinemas, Wedding Palace.The accident, of course, could not go unnoticed by ordinary citizens, but few understand the true scale and evaluated the possible dire consequences of the explosion.Those who understood it immediately with his family left the city.The vast majority has felt anxiety only when the city began to drive the car and watering the sidewalk with water to reduce the background radiation.
Only the next day, it was announced on the urgent need to leave the infected city.Then, perhaps, many once thought, why Chernobyl ... Chernobyl named more than 500 thousand residents have taken out 1,000 buses.USSR did not even remember the evacuation of this magnitude.
Pripyat, with a population of nearly 70 thousand. Man deserted in a matter of hours.In parallel, there was the evacuation of villages, some of which were subsequently destroyed, and their remains are buried, not to spread radiation.Initially, in order to avoid panic, people were told that they leave on time, although scientists and the military realized that no one here has not come back.
Exclusion Zone
Autumn, Chernobyl in 1986.After the wreckage was removed, and the surrounding area has been disinfected as much as possible, work began on the "Shelter", better known as the "sarcophagus".With it later managed to close dangerous in terms of radiation reactor debris №4.Work on strengthening emergency decontamination facilities and events are held to this day.
on the territory of Chernobyl scientists come from all over the world to study the effects of critical doses of radiation on living organisms, to develop methods for eliminating the effects of a nuclear explosion.
around the station formed a special zone that everybody today is known as the Exclusion Zone.In total it was divided into three parts: the first - a station directly town of Pripyat, the second most captured the villages, and the last ring held in the town of Chernobyl.
Disastrous consequences of the Chernobyl explosion
suffered without exception, the liquidators of the Chernobyl accident.Tens of thousands of people through time have died from excessive doses of radiation, many become disabled.In subsequent years, statistics noted sharply increased mortality from cancer, a general weakening of the nation's health.This high mortality is due, primarily, late evacuation of residents, criminal negligence and connivance on the part of officials, a desire to shut up and hide the truth.
Today Chernobyl - object adventure tourism
How to live today Chernobyl?Photos confirm that this - lifeless and lonely place.Of course, in abandoned homes currently inhabited by people working in the exclusion zone.Here it is one of the offices of the ministry.
for extreme tourists working organization "Chernobyl - tour".You can book a day or a few days a trip to the exclusion zone.There you can take a brochure entitled "Chernobyl.History of the City ", which briefly describes the past and present of this settlement.People
your eyes can see the place where many years ago broke one of the biggest disasters of the twentieth century, not only, but also the entire history of Russia.There is a sculptural composition dedicated to heroically fought with the flame in a reactor firefighters.The city operates the St. Elias Church, where every year on April 26 a large-scale service in memory of all the victims of the Chernobyl accident.
Tourists can travel the entire Chernobyl, photos are allowed to do without restrictions.For some, the trip - just the satisfaction of curiosity, for someone - a tribute to the fallen heroes and proof of how disastrous can be "peaceful" atom.
