Ukrainians rediscover their history in Chernobyl

Anna Matviytchouk glances through the hundreds of dust-covered papers and notebooks that litter the classroom. “Mathematics, eighth class, April 18”she reads aloud. This school, located in Prypiat, a ghost town three kilometers from the Chernobyl plant, froze in 1986. Thirty hours after the accident, the 44,500 inhabitants of this town, emerged from the earth to welcome the engineers of the plant. and their families, were hastily evacuated. “It was a city of opportunities, it’s sad to see that everything can disappear overnight”, the young woman whispers, her smartphone in her hand.

The rediscovery of Chernobyl

Just before the Covid-19 pandemic, tourism in the Chernobyl exclusion zone was booming, with more than 124,423 visitors in 2019, according to the government agency in charge of the exclusion zone. The same year, the miniseries Chernobyl, of the American channel HBO, thus pushed many foreigners to see Chernobyl with their own eyes. But border closures and health restrictions cut that figure by four in 2020.

→ EXPLANATION. Chernobyl declared “tourist attraction” by Ukrainian president

While awaiting the return of these non-Ukrainian visitors, tour operators are turning to local tourists. Even if it is difficult to have precise figures, several agencies confirm this trend. “Ukrainians do not have the same vision, especially young people who have not experienced the disaster, they are more open to new information”, explains Serguiï Mirnyi, former liquidator and president of the Chernobyl Tourism Association.

In Prypiat, Liza Taivas guides the 24 tourists between brambles and undergrowth. “We don’t have enough information about the disaster at school, so that compensates, she says. For example, before becoming a guide, I always thought it was impossible to come back to Chernobyl, even though it is one of the flagship destinations in Ukraine. “

Anna was not born during the time of the nuclear disaster, but her maternal family lived 80 kilometers to the east, in the city of Chernihiv. The 18-year-old has been waiting for four years to see Chernobyl with her own eyes. Admittedly, the visit is not dangerous, according to the authorities, because the received dose is low, but it is prohibited to minors, more sensitive to radiation. Tours can last one or more days, and there are several checkpoints at the entrance and in the area to check clothing for contamination.

→ ANALYSIS. Chernobyl fire rekindles fears

If tourism in the area started tentatively, in the early 2000s, it is now very organized. Mini-buses, which take tourists from Kiev, stop at all points of interest in the exclusion zone: the abandoned villages around Chernobyl, the town of Prypiat and the power station itself.

Chernobyl, World Heritage of Humanity?

In front of the steel sarcophagus, completed in 2016, Viktoria Kharlamova is moved. “I feel fear, horror because it happened in my homeland, but also admiration for these people who saved lives at the cost of theirs. It is thanks to them that we can be here. “

The 23-year-old has come from Odessa with eight friends to escape strict confinement for several weeks. Next door, her friend Sveta Soloviova methodically takes pictures. This history teacher plans to make a presentation to her students when she returns. “Our history is rich and multifaceted, and it should not be forgotten. Unfortunately, we often travel abroad, but we forget the potential of our own country. “

The authorities have understood this potential and want to include Chernobyl as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Their file is already on the desk of the organization’s experts, expected on site during the summer. Not everyone sees this very lucrative « dark tourism » a good eye, especially the victims, often very precarious. But for Liza, the problem is different: time begins to do its work, and “Without maintenance, in ten years, it will be a ruin”, she said, pointing to the large square of Prypiat, where the buildings threaten to collapse.

———–

The Chernobyl disaster

1977. The first of the four reactors of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is operational.

1986. On April 26, the plant’s reactor No. 4 exploded following a routine test. A first sarcophagus was hastily built between June and November, while “liquidators” were sent there, by the hundreds of thousands, to clean up the radioactive debris.

2000. Reactor n ° 3, the last one still in operation, is shut down.

2019. The construction of the new sarcophagus overhanging reactor n ° 4, by the French companies Vinci and Bouygues, has been completed.

– .