Just a kilometer from our complex there is a place that has no analogs.
This is a place where a lot of things look familiar, but work very differently. This is the Exclusion Zone.
The quiet night of April 26, 1986, changed the history of mankind forever. The accident at the fourth power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was a turning point in the lives of millions of people — tens of thousands who were forced to leave their homes forever, and hundreds of thousands who were called here, to the Zone, to deal with the accident. This new world was a verdict on the Soviet system, which, according to its tradition, instantly placed all responsibility solely on the nuclear power plant's operating personnel. The system, which in fact created the preconditions for the accident — giving priority to ideology over the culture of safety, forcing accelerated construction and competition where they should not be, ignoring the problems and reports of experts.
More than three post-Chernobyl decades have been a period of analysis, building up experience, and drawing conclusions: high technologies such as nuclear energy do not forgive negligence at any level.
But there, behind the barbed wire of the Zone, life did not stop - it just became completely different.
This territory did not freeze in time, although here you can see the relics of the USSR. Starting as a place of heroism and unprecedented trials, over time the Exclusion Zone has become a giant open-air laboratory, a place of unprecedented restoration of nature, and most importantly — a place where you can rethink yourself and understand something important.
The exclusion zone is an area where people are guests. The occasional islands of civilization are the city of Chernobyl, which in 1986 was transformed into a staff settlement, and the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which continues to operate as a special enterprise. Everything else is quite wild areas, not suitable for the long-term stay of people, mainly because it has turned into a forest.
Visiting the Zone is possible with minimal risks, provided that you are accompanied with the authorized staff and strictly follow the rules and regulations. The person accompanying you is not only your guide, but also a specialist whose task is to ensure your radiation and technical safety (here it is worth repeating — many things look familiar here, but work quite differently). Special routes have been developed for visitors, compliance with which ensures that radiation doses will not exceed those allowed for the population.