Pripyat Amusement Park
Explore the abandoned Pripyat Amusement Park in downtown Pripyat with the below 360-degree virtual tours of the area. The location has been abandoned for decades since the Chernobyl Nuclear accident that happened on April 26, 1986. Do you like urban exploring? Here is a map with tons of GPS locations for you to get out and explore.
Photo by: Nikolai Fomin
Photos by Bartosz Bryniarski – BiGsystem
Photos by Bartosz Bryniarski – BiGsystem
Photos by: Google Maps
About the abandoned amusement park
Pripyat is a ghost town located in northern Ukraine, near the border with Belarus. It was founded in 1970 and was home to about 50,000 people, mostly workers at the nearby Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The town was named after the nearby Pripyat River and was known for its modern amenities and leisure facilities, including an amusement park that opened on April 27, 1986, just days before the infamous Chernobyl disaster.
The Pripyat amusement park was a popular attraction for the residents and the surrounding area. It featured a variety of rides, including a Ferris wheel, a carousel, and a swings ride. The park also had a small pond with boats, a cafe, and a theater. The park was supposed to open on May 1, 1986, to celebrate International Workers’ Day, but it was opened early due to the high demand.
Unfortunately, the amusement park never got the chance to fully realize its potential. On April 26, 1986, a catastrophic failure occurred at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, releasing a cloud of radioactive particles into the atmosphere. The explosion and resulting fire caused the release of substantial amounts of radiation, and the town of Pripyat was evacuated the following day. The amusement park, which was just a few days old, was never used again.
Today, the amusement park is a haunting reminder of the disaster that struck Pripyat. The rides, which were once a source of joy and entertainment for the town’s residents, are now rusting away, abandoned to the elements. The Ferris wheel, once a symbol of the park’s bright future, stands as a silent sentinel over the abandoned town, its steel frame twisted and rusting. The carousel and swings ride are similarly deteriorated, their paint peeling and their metal components rusting.
Despite its state of decay, the amusement park remains a popular tourist attraction. Visitors to Pripyat often come to see the abandoned rides and take pictures of the eerie scene. Some even climb onto the rides and take selfies, despite the risks of radiation exposure.
The amusement park is not the only reminder of the disaster that struck Pripyat. The town itself is a ghost town, with abandoned buildings and empty streets. The school, hospital, and other public buildings stand empty, their windows shattered and their interiors vandalized. The streets are overgrown with weeds, and the playgrounds and parks are abandoned.
The Chernobyl disaster had a devastating impact on the town of Pripyat and the surrounding area. The disaster forced the evacuation of about 50,000 people, and many of them never returned. The town was left to decay, a reminder of the tragedy that struck. The amusement park, once a source of joy and entertainment, is now a symbol of the town’s abandonment and the consequences of the disaster. It is a reminder of what once was, and a testament to the resilience of the human spirit.
Other abandoned areas of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone can be explored such as the Duga Radar, Village of Zalissya, or the Kopachi Village Kindergarden
A 360-degree panoramic image captured at the bumper cars ride at the Pripyat Amusement Park in Northern Ukraine decades after the nuclear disaster in the mid 1980’s. Image by: Bartosz Bryniarski – BiGsystem
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