Pripyat Amusement Park was set to open on May Day of 1986. On April 26th, the Chernobyl nuclear disaster left Pripyat, Ukraine in the Zone of Alienation, an area unsafe for humans due to high levels of radiation. Despite not making it to opening day, the park operated on the 27th to cheer up the locals as they evacuated from their hometown.
The government now allows for regulated tours of the park, with guides carrying radiation detectors to prevent exposure. For nearly 30 years, this amusement park fell to ruins and served as a reminder of the thousands who died in the disaster. It also gave a glance at the lives survivors left behind. Take a look.
Pripyat Amusement Park.
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The park is one of the most contaminated places in all of Pripyat.
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This is pretty significant, since all of Pripyat is in the Zone of Alienation.
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The entire town of 50,000 was left to deteriorate on its own.
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The park is a lasting reminder of the lives left behind on the day of the disaster.
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And a monument to the fun that was never had.
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For an even better look at Pripyat Amusement Park, check out the video below.
(via allday)
It was a haunting experience just to look at these pictures. I can’t imagine what it would be like to tour the premises in person. It must be absolutely overwhelming.
