Користувач:Visem/Wikiexpedition to Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

The idea of Wikiexpedition to Chernobyl Exclusion Zone was formed during the first Ukrainian Wikiexpeditions. During CEE 2012 Meeting in Belgrade Ukrainian delegation announced to organize this Wikiexpedition and invited foreign Wikipedians to join it.

Except Ukrainian participants Wikipedia users from Russia, Poland, Estonia, Czech Republic and Germany joined the trip.

The bus picked up the participants on May, 24, at 8:00 a.m. near Kyiv railway station. Aproximately at 11:00 we reached Dytyatky check-point. Several minutes before we stopped near historical road sign "Chernobyl Raion". Now former Chernobyl Raion is a part of Ivankiv Raion, but several villages of it is situated outside 30-km exclusion zone.

In the check-point police officer checked our passport accourding the data in permition list and then our bus moved inside excluzion zone with our guides Eugene and Olena who joined us in check-point. By our guides we were informed about the rules in Zone.

Our first stop in Chernobyl Exclusion Zone was Zalissya village which is the biggest village in Zone. We stopped to make photos of War memorial and all the participants quickly moved to make photos of abandoned houses and other buildings which were hardly to see due to the big trees which growed around the houses after 27 years.

Next stop we made in the centre of Chernobyl town. All the participants were impressed that town is clean and houses in the centre are in use. Many people who serve Zone live here (most of them by system 15/15 days or 4/3 days). We made photos of new monuments which built as a memory of Chernobyl disaster. Most of buildings in Chernobyl has signes from Soviet Union times.

In several minutes after leaving Chernobyl town we approach Leliv check-point (10-km zone). Next our stop was in Kopachi village which suffered the most during the disaster. All the houses have been destroyed and put underground. In the village there are a lot of signs which mark places with big radiation. War monument, buildings of collective farm and kindergarden are the only buildings in the village. Our bus stopped near War memorial and we walked to visit the kidergarden.

After leaving Kopachi we can see Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant buildings. We made a short-time stop to make picteres of ChNPP panorama. Then we went inside the territory of ChNPP and stoped behind one of the most famous building in the world - 4th reactor.

We continue our trip to Pripyat town and had a walk around the abandoned town. We could see famous hotel "Polissya", Culture palace "Energetyk", restaurant, product shop (which is quite similiar to supermarket), different administrative buildings and houses. We also visited park of attractions with famous wheel which had never been working.

Near Pripyat town there is Yaniv Railway Station where we had some walk with making pictures and conversation with people who work in this station.

By returning to Chernobyl town we moved right from the main road and visit village Korogod, which is just simple village in Chernobyl Exclusion Zone where we took photos of War memorial, abandoned houses and cemetary.

Aproximately at 4:30 p.m. we had dinner in the canteen which is located in the center of Chernobyl town.

Unfortunatelly, acoording to the rules we should leave Zone by 6:00 p.m., so after dinner we make short stop near church in Chernobyl which is active now.