Apartments in Pripyat

Abandoned apartments in Pripyat today.

Pripyat was built as a demonstration of the successes of developed socialism. Accordingly, housing in Pripyat was substantially better than the average.
Multi-story buildings had an improved layout and were favorably oriented; the apartments were comfortable with large windows always providing a lot of light. Kitchens were spacious, certainly not the case in the overwhelming majority of Soviet homes, and lined with scarce tile. Light wallpaper, pretty linoleum and large balconies were welcome fixtures. Over the long decades after the accident, the unpopulated and abandoned Pripyat apartments were looted, and have deteriorated by time, dampness, and cold. The windows are broken, steam heating radiators have been torn out for scrap metal, plaster has peeled off, and wallpaper has fallen.

But some apartments have surprisingly escaped this fate, and can serve as an illustration of the daily life of the city before the disaster. The furniture is partially preserved in them, quite cozy and dry, in some places there even remains a piano. These apartments are much appreciated by illegal travelers to the Zone, stalkers, who make use of the “accommodations.” True, they are quickly caught by the police. On the walls of many apartments you can see inscriptions and telephone numbers left by former residents who came here on the days of sad anniversaries, trying to reconnect with neighbors, friends, and classmates.

This article was published in the book Interesting Chernobyl.
You could download this book in PDF file for free here.

© Sky Horse Publishing House (Kyiv) / Nahs Haus, 2019
Copying and publication of this article is possible only with the written permission of the publishing house.
Official website of the Awesome Heritage series: awesomeheritage.com

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