STALKER's Pripyat in Real Life

[Logan Westbrook]

STALKER's Pripyat in Real Life

The name Pripyat will be familiar to anyone has played S.T.A.L.K.E.R Shadows of Chernobyl or Call of Duty 4, and a recent amateur pictorial shows off the abandoned town in all its eerie glory.

The town of Pripyat, located in the Ukraine, was built during the 1970s to house workings for the infamous Chernobyl nuclear power plant. After the disaster in 1986, the town was evacuated in just two days.

These days, Pripyat is relatively safe to visit due to the relatively short half-life of the isotopes involved, and an amateur photographer took a trip to the town and recorded what he saw, from the ruined buildings, to the objects that were left behind, and even the nigh-iconic Ferris wheel.

The full set of pictures can be found here [http://community.livejournal.com/abandonedplaces/1651741.html], but be patient as it can take a while to load.

Source: Boing Boing [http://www.boingboing.net/2009/03/05/photos-from-pripyat.html]



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[HobbesMkii]

I've always found that ferris wheel to be very disconcerting. It's like finding a sad clown at a funeral; the purpose is to amuse, but the setting is all wrong.

 

[sirdanrhodes]

Chernobyl, that is actually on my list of things to see before I die. I have to see that in person.

 

[SharPhoe]

I just finished CoD4 not a week ago. I definitely remember that ferris wheel. Hobbes doesn't lie, it really does seem... out of place.

 

[Kellerb]

Chernobyl, that is actually on my list of things to see before I die. I have to see that in person.

its strangely symbolic about the mistakes of humanity, dont you think?

 

[sirdanrhodes]

Chernobyl, that is actually on my list of things to see before I die. I have to see that in person.

its strangely symbolic about the mistakes of humanity, dont you think?

Yep, also, I just want to see something that just stopped dead over such a short period time. Also, you don't think that it is oddly picturesque.

 

[HomeAliveIn45]

I've always found that ferris wheel to be very disconcerting. It's like finding a sad clown at a funeral; the purpose is to amuse, but the setting is all wrong.

"Come play on me kids! I'm only partially covered in radioactive materials! Yuk Yuk Yuk!"

And that's only compounded by the fact that the ferris wheel was one of the most frustrating parts of COD4. The game's depiction looks pretty accurate to that picture:

 

[Epifols]

The pictures at the top looked more like something from a village rather than a city. Interesting.

If you look closely, you'd notice just how accurate STALKER did all the geometry of the world. The hallways, staircases, walls, lights, very good job of the team.
I'm actually from southern Belarus, so when I started playing STALKER it felt extremely realistic.

And I've heard stories from people who were within 50 kilometers of the accident when it happened, very interesting stuff.

 

[Andy Chalk]

As someone who played a lot of STALKER, let me just say... damn. You don't get any closer to reality than that.

Hats off to the dev team for nailing it.

 

[Anton P. Nym]

From the few documentaries I've seen I think the real Pripyat would be the eeriest place on the planet to be, especially alone. No wonder it drew the folks making STALKER and CoD4... and that it inspired them to be as faithful as they could be when recreating it. Well done, all concerned.

-- Steve

 

[nova18]

Chernobyl would be a pretty freaky place to visit.
Still...I can think of nowhere better to pretend that you were in Fallout.

Also, think theres anything of value still there? May go on a salvage trip and make a fortune selling radioactive jewellery

 

[Dommyboy]

The concrete under the Ferris wheel is filled with a very large amount of radiation, even today after so many years.

 

[Booze Zombie]

It's strange looking at pictures of Pripyat... you can feel the sorrow, almost.

 

[Dr.Zoidberg]

An amazing place. One of the few ways to see what the Soviet Union looked like.


I have to admit, for being abandoned for 23 years, the whole city still looks in great shape. They really built alot of that stuff solid.

 

[Teh_Doomage]

That would be amazing place to visit....Just think of the history that's still there.

I agree with the above posters about the place being a ghost town and a little creepy to be alone in.

Also in some of the pictures, there looks like there are some figures, almost ghostly if you look closely, but more than likely just light having fun.

 

[dalek sec]

I'd like to visit that city one of these days, but just during the day and not alone.

 

[Jumplion]

Those pictures are incredibly unsettling.

I'm going to have to agree with others here, I have to visit this place sometime in my life. Obviously with friends and preferably during the day of course. Wouldn't want any radioactive nocturnal squirrels attacking me now would I?