Zones of Exclusion: Pripyat and Chernobyl

by Robert Polidori (Photos)

In the 11 days following the Chernobyl catastrophe on April 26, 1986, more than 116,000 people were permanently evacuated from the area surrounding the nuclear power plant. Declared unfit for human habitation, the Zones of Exclusion includes the towns of Pripyat (established in the 1970s to house workers) and Chernobyl. In May 2001, Robert Polidori photographed what was left behind in the this dead zone. His richly detailed images move from the burned-out control room of Reactor 4, where technicians staged the experiment that caused the disaster, to the unfinished apartment complexes, ransacked schools and abandoned nurseries that remain as evidence of those who once called Pripyat home. Nearby, trucks and tanks used in the cleanup efforts rest in an auto graveyard, some covered in lead shrouds and others robbed of parts. Houseboats and barges rust in the contaminated waters of the Pripyat River. Foliage grows over the sidewalks and hides the modest homes of Chernobyl. In his large-scale photographs, Polidori captures the faded colors and desolate atmosphere of these two towns, producing haunting documents that present the reader with a rare view of not just a disastrous event, but a place and the people who lived there.

Genres: Photography, Nonfiction, History, Art, Art and Photography, Urbanism, Russia

112 pages, Hardcover

First published July 2, 2003

Reviews

[jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have wanted to read this book since about 2004, but it was expensive, then it was out of print and more expensive. Then I remembered the magical wonders of interlibrary loan, and now I have read it.

It's a large format coffee table-style book of about 110 pages of photos taken in 2001 in the Zone of Exclusion around the Chernobyl power plant in Ukraine. Over 100,000 people were evacuated from this area after the disaster. There's a hospital in disrepair, various reactor shots, radioactive vehicles and forests, abandoned houses and, most hauntingly, a kindergarten with rows of tiny, broken, abandoned desks.

If you have feelings about environmental disaster, abandoned places and the hubris of humanity, you would probably appreciate this book. I feel very tender after seeing this.

[Kitap Yakıcı · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Chernobyl reactor in its sarcophagus looms over the former community, pervading the haunted and utterly abandoned human landscape with far more than gamma radiation, yet the palpable sense of collapse is something more universal, reminiscent of driving through East St. Louis or Detroit. The fact that so many of these images involve abandoned nurseries just make them all the more creepy and affecting, at so many levels.

[Mandy! · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent photography collection documenting modern-day Pripyat and the surrounding areas affected by the Chernobyl disaster. Was hard to find, but well worth the effort. Each photograph has so much to say and is fascinating to look at.

[Ellis Billington · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolutely haunting photography collection that feels almost apocalyptic. Wished it had captions with the individual photos rather than endnotes—I kept having to flip back and forth to get context on each picture. Still, super glad this caught my eye at the library.

[Janin · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of my favorite photo books i have ever owned. easy to go back to again and again to see more on each revisit.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those of us who love abandoned cities as photography subjects this book delights for those who remember this horrible devastation it rebreaks your heart to see it again. Beautifully done and a must witness look for it through your library if you cannot buy it

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dropped tiles, rubbish over the floor, hanging lamps, chaotic classrooms... ...
Written on board in Russian: "There is no return. Farewell. Pripyat. 28 April 1986"
Yes: "Does any generation have the right to risk the safety of so many future generations?" by the author

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stunning but very stylized. Ghostly.

[Troy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stunning pictures of Chernobyl: the pictures of the ruined classrooms are particularly stunning.

[Trevor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haunting photographs of the areas quarantined after the Chernobyl disaster. Recommended for fans of urban exploration.

[Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sad but riveting compilation of photos about the aftermath of the destruction caused by the nuclear accident at Chernobyl.