I've Gotta Get Out of This Place.

Wall graffiti, seen on a building in Pripyat, Ukraine.

Even though the Chernobyl anniversary has passed, I'll continue to post more Chernobyl/Pripyat photos, probably on a Monday.

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You Must Be This Zombified to Pass.

Some of the numerous bits of graffiti found around Pripyat.  Today is the 27th anniversary of the Chernobyl accident.

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The Pool at Pripyat

Pripyat was built from the ground up as a Soviet "model city," and as such had attractions and amenities that many cities it's size just did not have.  This indoor recreation center was one such amenity.

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Prometheus at Chernobyl

In the Western classical tradition, Prometheus became a figure who represented human striving, particularly the quest for scientific knowledge, and the risk of overreaching or unintended consequences. In particular, he was regarded in theRomantic era as embodying the lone genius whose efforts to improve human existence could also result in tragedy: Mary Shelley, for instance, gave The Modern Prometheus as the subtitle to her novel Frankenstein (1818).

Prometheus

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The "Russian Woodpecker"

The Chernobyl area has other sites of interest besides the Chernobyl reactor and the abandoned city of Pripyat.  The Chernobyl region was also host to a sophisticated over-the-horizon radar system, part of Soviet anti-ballistic missile defense systems.  This system was known under various monikers:  Chernobyl 2 (not to be confused with the Chernobyl #2 reactor), Duga-3, the Russian Woodpecker, and the Steel Yard.

From Wikipedia:

The Russian Woodpecker was a notorious Soviet radio signal that could be sporadically heard on the shortwave radio bands worldwide between July 1976 and December 1989. It sounded like a sharp, repetitive tapping noise, at 10 Hz, giving rise to the "Woodpecker" name. The random frequency hops disrupted legitimate broadcast, amateur radio, commercial aviation communications, utility transmissions, and resulted in thousands of complaints by many countries worldwide. Because of its extremely high power output (over 10 MW in some cases), the signal became such a nuisance that some receivers such as amateur radios and televisions actually began including 'Woodpecker Blankers' in their design.

The mysterious and unclaimed signal was a source for much speculation, giving rise to theories such as Soviet mind control and weather control. However, after careful study, many experts and amateur radio hobbyists long believed it to be that of an extremely powerful over-the-horizon radar (OTH) system. This theory was publicly confirmed after the fall of theSoviet Union, and is now known to be the Duga-3 (Russian: Дуга-3) system, part of the Soviet ABM early-warning network. NATO military intelligence had photographed the system and given it the NATO reporting name Steel Yard.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Woodpecker 

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Chernobyl Memorial

Memorial adjacent to the Chernobyl #4 reactor (decaying building, right side of the photo).

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Hammer and Sickle

It's time for me to put up some more of my Chernobyl and Pripyat photos from last year, first, because it will soon be the anniversary of the Chernobyl explosion, and second, because it will soon be the anniversary of my visit last year.

Chernobyl and Pripyat are enormously rewarding photo destinations, yet, they are also enormously frustrating photo destinations too.  The coat of arms of the USSR, seen here, tops the tallest building in Pripyat, and to capture this shot I was 16 floors below the level of the subject, more than half a mile away, and off to the lower left of the subject to minimize trees blocking the subject.  I had to do a lot of work to present the photo perspective as straight on as I could, but it's not perfect.  Maybe it's the best that could be done given the circumstances?

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Sculptures and Shadows

From an art show in Kiev, September 2012.

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Tinted Zen

Zen Mountain, hand tinted.

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Painted Pink

Pink lilies, done in a painted style.

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Magic Summer Garden

I just love it when you can take an ordinary photo and perform some magic on it.

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Statue of Berehynia

Berehynia or Bereginia (Russian and Ukrainian: Береги́ня) is a female spirit (Vila) in Slavic mythology, which recently came to be regarded as a "Slavic goddess" with a function of "hearth mother, protectoress of the home" in late 20th century Ukrainian romantic nationalism centered on matriarchal myth.

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Decrepit (2)

Like any city, Kiev has it's shared of decrepit and rundown buildings.  This is one of many.

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