Chernobyl Before and After the Disaster

During my multi-year job in the Chernobyl Zone, I attempted to recreate classical historical shots of the city of Pripyat when it was still populated. This compilation is a demonstration of how the place changed over almost four decades. Often, I discovered that the exact spots where photographers took their images were almost inaccessible in modern times because of sprawling vegetation that slowly took over a once shiny and beautiful Ukrainian city.
During the first years after the Chernobyl disaster, the city continued to be used by various Zone-related organizations, with a gradual decline around 2000. Since then, minimal maintenance has been applied to this place, so now it looks more like a forest than a city.
Feel free to ask questions about the Zone, daily life there, history, etc...!
You can find a lot of unique Chornobyl insights and archive materials on our Patreon: / thechernobylfamily .
Or buy us a coffee: www.buymeacoff...

[@ChernobylFamily]

Let us know if you want more videos like this. We believe they may add an additional context to our tech episodes (and a new one will come very soon!)

[@DavidLinkan]

Yes, please. It's always interesting to get both eras.

[@ChernobylFamily]

With pleasure!

[@nojbik]

Yes, please. It would be nice to have also some photos of interiers. I still wonder how the regular apartments looked like then and dreaming how it would be if...

[@TC-ec4fx]

Yes Please... amazing video

[@ChernobylFamily]

That will take some time, but yes!

[@typedef_]

The driving force of nature is incredible. How a forest can literally grow out of asphalt.

[@ChernobylFamily]

The first 10-20 years it was still not that visible. But as I watch it already nearly 15 years sometimes on daily basis, in the last years it started to go exponentially-too many generations of trees are growing simultaneously.

[@DGTelevsionNetwork]

Centralia, Pennsylvania also had a massive disaster around the time of Chernobyl. It's literally now one house and all forest. Pretty amazing that some of the buildings are still seemingly structurally sound.

[@ChernobylFamily]

@DGTelevsionNetwork yes, I'm fascinated by that story (which is, well, sad). Should visit one day.

[@ResidentEddy]

To quote Jeff Goldblum: “Life finds a way.”

[@lautaroespinoza7743]

I'll better point out nature adaptability

[@goblindeter8258]

Can't imagine how it feels to have lived there and then comming back several decades later... "This used to be my house." Must feel so strange...

[@ChernobylFamily]

We used to guide former residents sometimes; well, the word "guide" here means a provision of safety in the changed environment. Frankly, this was always a very hard experience, emotionally.

[@goblindeter8258]

@@ChernobylFamily I can't imagine what was the feeling for them, can't imagine the fate of the ones who gave their lives to contain the situation back then.

[@archdornan81]

Fallout reference

[@zt5547]

I went through that in my village in Croatia. Left in 1995 due to war, returned for the first time in 2008. Looked like a ghost town.

[@dragancens]

​@@zt5547 To nešto oni moj prijatelju, ne žele da razmeju

[@antjeprivat1010]

I've visited Pripyat in 2016, and I could still see that it once was a beautiful town with people that loved to live there. The kindergardens were especially nice, very big with very nice toys, and the amount of pianos everywhere, and the art you could still see in some places (those beautiful glass windows at cafe pripyat, or the painting inside the post office- my favorite btw). It is very sad, that everyone had to leave this beloved place. I definately would love to see more.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you! From time to time we will make episodes focused on the city. For now, check our previous episodes, there is much interesting.

[@danjames4086]

I've often wondered what life was like. I had a teacher who regukarky visited the USSR, and saud we were not to believe what we saw on western news. Looking at Pripyat, yes, the architecture is 'Brutalist'. But we see flower beds, playgrounds, swimming pools...nice things that make for a better quality of life.

[@ChernobylFamily]

It is modernist. Well. Pripyat was a showcase facility, not a fake one, but nevertheless, showcase. When I used to guide there tours, I often told that Pripyat is close to Ukrainian cities of the 90s rather than Soviet of the 80s. To get a glimpse of a Soviet city it is more descriptive to look at Chernobyl town. That is a representation of a very average Soviet town - quite grey and in many aspects faceless.

[@bobbackward6461]

Now it's beautiful in a different way.

[@4x_7]

@@danjames4086 I dont think anything is wrong with it. Yes, classic soviet type but it is beautiful

[@paulaburrows8660]

We've all watched the Chernobyl videos but to watch the fades between images is truly haunting.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you. So far we made the second part,you can check it out; but soon will be more.

[@keiretsu1]

Great music choice and beautiful photos. So many peoples' lives changed by what happened - makes me sad thinking about it. Thank you.

[@ChernobylFamily]

After years of going to Pripyat, sometimes every day, I still cannot comprehend with my mind how big all this story actually is. Check our previous videos as well, it is worth it :)

[@MarkMcCluney]

I could feel tears coming to my eyes as I saw all those people who could never go home. But somehow the pictures still make me feel hopeful. Thanks for showing us these and for your excellent choice of music.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Some found their way to return - they work there... I know a few such people. Thank you!

[@Nobli82]

Once I read: Your life can change in an instant. That instant can last forever. Seeing any footage of Pripyat always hits hard.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Very true.

[@tonberrytoby]

Whenever I see pictures of Pripyat, I am most struck that the most visible difference is that now there are so many more trees and other plants.

[@ChernobylFamily]

In some places in summer it is barely possible to recognize it is a city, not a forest. There is one yard near the famous swimming pool where this went to extreme, I'll show that in future videos.

[@4x_7]

@@ChernobylFamily i think I've seen one, you described /showed a part of Chernobyl that looked like the rainforests I would hike in. (I live in australia so lush and green forests are always a pleasant surprise and candy for my eyes).

[@JeSuisUnePatate]

Amazing work on this compilation... I want more of this from Pripyat and elsewhere in this area if possible. Thank you so much.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you...! With a pleasure will do - we have a very, very big amount of exclusive content. Consider joining us on Patreon - for just $10/mo you can get an access to rarest Chernobyl archives explained.

[@thebiggerbyte5991]

Seconded!

[@Furcan81]

pockaj a o nedlho bude toto s celej planety po jadrovej vojne...

[@neil4306]

Its so so sad this happened. It looked like a beautiful area.

[@ChernobylFamily]

True, it was. And still is. Check our previous episodes.

[@ArjanvanGameren-v7c]

I liked the atmosphere of the picture sequences, enhanced by the music. Almost gave me the feeling of remembering these pictures.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you! Check also our earlier episodes. We have two good movies about the power plant inside and self-settlers of the Zone.

[@kosef6203]

What an incredible video. The effort that has gone into this is astounding

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you! Check our newer episodes

[@jimmymiller77]

Thank you so much for this beautiful video. I can't imagine how many hours you put into making this. It is a masterpiece. I will be following your channel. All my best from the US.. Jim

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you, Jim! To make the video itself it took one evening, but well, to make the today shots on location was The Task... :)

[@Tekwyzard]

The fade between the frontage past and present(ish) on Builders Ave @9:58 is absolutely haunting when paused then single frame stepped in either direction. Seeing all the simple accoutrements of human life vanish or appear over just a few frames that are so well matched to each other is just fascinating. Beautiful sequence of images, thankyou for all the effort it must have taken to get them.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you! We have a very large archive of historical images, but the work on location really was a challenge - and in many cases it was a big surprise to discover what was the actual point where the photographer stood. This weekend will come the continuation - stay tuned!

[@Tekwyzard]

@@ChernobylFamily Looking forward to that video. Can one ask what work you were doing in the zone, or would you have to kill us if you told us?

[@ChernobylFamily]

In various times different. Work with delegations/visitors (guiding), movie making, administrative work. But at any time - field research.

[@abqcleve]

Stunningly well done. Tragically beautiful. Thank you.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you too! Check our previous episodes!

[@hexagon1970]

What hits me the hardest about what happened is that Pripyat was a very young city. It was thriving, vibrant and had so much potential, yet it was never able to grow. Like a beautiful butterfly, who just got of the chrysalis, getting it's wings cut before it can even fly. So many shattered dreams.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Check out two episodes about ancient history of these lands. The story will become even more eerie...

[@sanox19]

Has to be one of the best videos on Pripyat…truly haunting to see how a town was lost

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you! Check our newer ones!

[@raggedblossom508]

When I think of Chernobyl, the first image that comes to mind is that forlorn, abandoned ferris wheel.

[@ChernobylFamily]

For many it is the same. Ironically, that object has a minimal connection to the history of place.

[@edgeeffect]

Excellent work recreating historical photos. I've tried it myself... getting the distance and angle right is hard work. :)

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you! In the case of Pripyat, the biggest trouble was that original shots were taken from pedestrian areas, which are generally totally overgrown - now everyone walks there by the roads for vehicles, gladly, traffic which we have there is not that intensive. Plus, people used different lens...

[@michaell4262]

Peace and love for those Who past away during this horrible disaster

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you for these words.

[@kennyl4699]

Absolutely in love with this. Thank you for taking the time to capture these images from the same angles as their historical counterparts; it really helps with visualizing how drastically Pripyat has changed over four decades, and the way nature moves back in once people are gone. Pripyat's story is a deeply saddening one, with the worst nuclear disaster in history rendering a once idyllic and promising city desolate. I think it is imperative to not only remember the Chornobyl disaster's human impact, but to remember the city that Pripyat was before the disaster.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you! To be honest, after so many years of researching the Zone, we come to a conclusion that all the story with Pripyat is a part of much bigger thing. Check our new 'Chorobyl Uncharted' series, especially its second episodd where we talk about that. Ep3 is coming :)

[@chrisj2848]

Beautiful compilation. Before and After is very moving.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you very much!

[@ReegieeHomeCat]

Out of all the Chernobyl videos I've seen, this one probably hit the hardest. Just seeing how much the place changed after such a terrible disaster. This made me sad.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you. Soon - a continuation.

[@MsKiTTy1138]

your transitions are AMAZING as a Video & Sound Editor... DAMD GOOD JOB. Another thing I just noticed On the OLD image you do a slight PULL BACK of the OLD image so it will match the NEW image for Transition, then a slight ZOOM IN on the NEW image. WOW NICE TOUCH. JUST SUBBED TO YOUR CHANNEL.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you!

[@matusekpetr7806]

Úžasné, moc děkuji za toto video. Na spoustě míst jsem byl, na spoustu se chci určitě podívat. Pamatuji, když jsme do města vjeli, jak jsem byl šokován tím, jak si příroda bere zpět celou plochu města, člověk by nepoznal, že je na ulici, kde kdysi jezdily auta, chodili lidi....člověkovi z toho mrazí po zádech. 😳

[@ChernobylFamily]

Ďakujeme, tento víkend bude ďalší diel Pripjať pred a po

[@axelhobrecht2321]

Amazing!, thank you for all the effort on creating amazing Chernobyl content. I'm a big fan, greetings from Argentina.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Our pleasure, that places and their story is life for us...! Check our Patreon - for $10/mo you can get an access to unique archives explained and commented as well :)

[@EndLessValentine]

Beautiful work, beautiful photos and even more beautiful place ❤

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you very much! Check our previous videos too!

[@projects6371]

Some Old photographs I havn't seen yet. Thank you Alex!

[@ChernobylFamily]

Glad that you liked!

[@ryanjimj]

As others have said, the selection of music was spot on. I find it interesting seeing how much things change when the area is abandoned. As someone who is interested not only in the Chernobyl incident, nuclear reactors, but also Pripyat. While it’s sad to think about the devastation caused in the area, and the lives lost as a result. It’s amazing to see how much nature has reclaimed the land. I would love to see more content like this. Thank you for taking the time to put this video together and sharing it with the world.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you! More to come!

[@brothermaleuspraetor9505]

I'm sorry I'm a year late to your channel. Ever since I watched the disaster on the news, as a 6 year old, I've been forever connected to Chornobyl. So I really appreciate being able to see the place in these videos, until I can go there myself. That incident affected what I could eat, drink, where I could and could not go. As a child, I just did what I was told. As an adult, I'm glad I had such a caring Mother who was willing to look after me. Imagine, only just moving in to your apartment, only to have to evacuate it immediately... barely two days in... Not even enough time to fully explore your town, or even get settled, worse than that, you have received 10 times the recommended annual dose of radiation, just before you realise that you have to go... wow. That's awful. I had always considered Pripyat to be such an exciting, 'new' interesting state of the art kind of place. What sort of place would deserve being dumped on by radioactive nuclear contamination? I can tell you, Pripyat did NOT deserve this... of all the places... A town full of innocent families, who's Sons and Fathers MOthers and Daughters had a career in bringing the people clean energy.. Leading the way in a new, brighter future... Only for the ultimate tragedy to strike. It's not fair. It's painful to deal with. It's the fact that thousands have died as a result, by an invisible force that should NEVER EVER have been let loose. History might cling to the exclusion zone and the disaster but I remember those who imposed an authoritative structure, a flawed command chain, which ignored warnings or suggestions from subordinates and demanded results over taking precaution. Those who were responsible for this mess didn't care about those below or above them... Because they were power-mad control freaks.- A product of their own system. Interested in feeding their own ego, just because they'd been told to do something. They wanted to make that thing happen, NO MATTER WHAT... Even if it meant having a reactor go into meltdown... My thoughts and prayers are forever with the people of Pripyat, who were betrayed by their own authorities. I'm so sorry, Pripyat.

[@rianraien]

Every picture of Pripyat is just wonderful. Triggers anger, sadness, and somehow just amazing. Disastrous yet beautiful at the same time. I hope someday i will be there. Thank you for the great content btw!

[@ChernobylFamily]

Well, if you will come, we happily can guide you :)

[@SRW_]

That music is so calming To be a fly on the wall in those commerce buildings.

[@PHAER]

You bring a totally different depth of percecption about chernobyl (as place, as time and as people). Thank you! Take care!

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you! After all, this is our daily job and life.

[@borntoclimb7116]

Those photos are incredible. Thanks.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Glad you like! It was really challenging work on location to get a close match. Check our other videos, we have more!

[@Gregory47342]

Great matches and recreations. Thank you for posting all these pictures.👍

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you! There is a continuation, check it out.

[@bobbackward6461]

Radiation: I shall create a wasteland! Doom to all life! Plants: Nope, screw you, we're growin' 🌱

[@dintadoba4808]

In other contries, you prune trees, in radioactive Soviet, trees prune you!

[@macwyll]

@@dintadoba4808 THIS IS FUNNY AS HELL! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@АлексейРябихин-т3в]

Это невероятно. Сам показ фотографий не просто на границе "до" и "после", таких фотографий сотни в интернете, вам же удалось сделать эффект изменения местности через много лет один в один с того же самого места. Это мало у кого получалось, но вам удалось, от этого видео претендует на самый высокий балл. По этим кадрам максимально точно видно, как быстро природа захватывает город, покинутый человеком навсегда....

[@ChernobylFamily]

Дякую. Далі буде.

[@jis1001]

Excellent video! Great choice of music right here. I feel so sorry for the people who lost their beloved home there.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you! Check our new series which is a logical continuation of this!

[@SalvoMorina]

Wow !! there are no words can describe my feeling seeing these pictures...I'm now 63 years old, I was one of the european spectator during the immane disaster in 1983...and now i'm again here to see the disaster of the russian invasion. Take care my friend...

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you!

[@amandadapanda4952]

Beautiful videography of a beautiful area - so sad it’s abandoned ❤

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you!

[@kralg]

The most interesting is that this video is about the decline of a place. And instead one starts focusing on how lifeful, beautiful and kind of rich this place was and starts being more interested what it was than what it is now. Very good job.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you! We are planning this year to release a very detailed video about life in Pripyat.

[@gaz66chris]

very thought provoking. good music choice too. thanks for the content.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you for coming! Check our previous episodes...!

[@apojoga]

Thank you for this beautiful video.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you too! Check the previous episodes please!

[@teresanotarmaso1932]

Thank you for sharing this video. I remember the accident, living in the United States when it happened. So tragic, so much gone, so many brave souls whose lives were lost. I was just thinking about Pripyat and Chernobyl the other day, and just found this video that you did. Well done. Would like to see more videos like this. A tie to history.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you! Today - a new video!

[@mojeminifilmy1973]

For some reason, this video hit me real hard. I can't even begin to imagine the trauma the inhabitants must have felt after seeing their homes and effectively their life in such a state. Chilling.

[@ChernobylFamily]

The story becomes even harder if you look to surrounding neighborhoods which often were more than 400 years old, but Soviets as much as possible obscured that tragedy. Check this episode: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qXqllZuolLylbsU

[@lucasbi]

I am amazed...every time... That is something really exceptional - to be able to grab such moments, compare them. For people who'd lived in the time of Soviet Block Coutries existence, these pictures, watching them is completley different experience than anybody else. Who knows that, knows what I am talking about... Thank you for sharing something really unusual here...

[@timharwell6803]

"50,000 people used to live here; now it's a ghost town." It hits harder now, seeing how vibrant and thriving it was-until it wasn't.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Well said

[@Damien.D]

Wow, impressive job matching the pictures so perfectly. Looks like trees don't care about concrete or radiation... And the pictures with peoples are very, very touching. Many are smiling, some looks even proud of standing in this nice city built by and for the prosperity of the "atom worker". Can't stop thinking about what they have become after that fateful day. The city is still here. It will remain here for decades to come. But them, where are they? I think Pripyat and the Zone are bound to stay a one of a kind place on earth, a place more or less frozen in time. Once there is peace, people can come back to a war zone, they can rebuilt their homes turned to piles of rubble by the bombs (there are many public places in Poland where there are "before" pictures of WWII-flattened cities to appreciate the restoration efforts). But there is no peace to be made with radioactive dust, there is only time. A long, long time.

[@ChernobylFamily]

The resettling process spread them all across the ex-Soviet union. Many are in Ukraine, many live in Kyiv or in Slavutych, some even work in the Zone... Pripyat is a paradoxical environment, as in one hand there is eternal 1986; in other hand it was never totally abandoned, and even now there are people working. However, when you are there, you deal with that eternal 1986, do you want it or not.

[@_hackwell]

Nice video! I'm glad to see actual people living in Pripyat back in the days. I wondew what the became after they've been evicted... Do you know some people who worked at the Duga radar ? A interview video would be fantastic (with photos of what it looked like back then) or the Wulenwerber antennas array nearby

[@ChernobylFamily]

Yes, we had a chance to meet some engineers. Get ready for a big documentary aboyt Duga that will come from us this year!

[@jounneejr8073]

Beatiful! Good speed, text easy to read, can't wait to show this to my wife. Yes more please! Btw: my wife and I always say that Pripyat looked very much like any contemporary town in Finland, if it had been a democracy life would probably have been pretty good there?

[@ChernobylFamily]

Glad that you liked! Well, we can have a live example - city of Slavutych, that replaced Pripyat to accommodate the ChNPP staff - it is different, but keeps the style it was given in 1986-88. A really good place to live if we forget about its very remote location.

[@TerroxNL79]

Captivating video ! Sad to see what happened to such a fine looking place. Thank you

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you! Glad you liked it!

[@chen-Po]

Very nice to see the difference. Thank you for sharing.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thanks for watching! Check our other videos!

[@mikecoackley6852]

Great comparisons, seeing people celebrating on the streets of Prypyat is so alien to me. Eveyone looked so happy there,.

[@ChernobylFamily]

And yet, after literally thousands of times of visiting it, I still cannot imagine it alive in, let's say, 3D.

[@yogenderlochub]

Lots of love from India it's amazing to see time travel in this video, lot of hard work is done to make this masterpiece

[@ChernobylFamily]

Glad you enjoyed it! Love your country, visited Delhi once, and very much hoping to visit Himachan Pradesh one day..)

[@TC-ec4fx]

Absolutely amazing thank-you very much for the video. just wow

[@ChernobylFamily]

Check also our previous videos. You will find a lot interesting!

[@giewhcs]

A very well done video. Thank you!

[@ChernobylFamily]

Glad that you liked! Check our other episodes!

[@ThomasBurns]

Another great video-keep them coming, guys! Also . . . let’s build a robot together!

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you! Robot is in progress - gathering budgets and parts, but we will be super happy for a collab!

[@stroganoff2917]

Really great photos and sound is beautiful thank you

[@StunninglySteph46]

Wowza so gorgeous the differences of then and now etc. What an amazing historical experience on this disaster ❤

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you! Check the continuation

[@akelsZM]

the music is very relaxing. thanks for the video

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you! Please check our other videos, you will find a lot interesting!

[@michaeljensen5020]

These videos instill a heavy and pervasive sense of sadness. Peoples lives upended. Destruction, loss, death. The clock ceases to run in Pripyat after that day in 1986... Although and, maybe, because of these overwhelming feelings when watching these videos of Pripyat, I would like to go and experience this place for myself.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Yes. Very well said. Though the clock continued running, just in a strange afterlife which turned it into a lab city, and then - after 2000, when the power plant stopped electricity generation, there happened the second, and seemingly final exodus. Right now there is only one facility which is running, and it looks surreal to see bright glowing windows opposed by long abandoned overgrown buildings.

[@nate_river_]

So many lives changed in one instant. I look at these faces and wonder what happened to them all. I hope they have found some happiness.

[@ChernobylFamily]

All those people are still mostly alive; however they were spread across all the former union. Some are still in the Zone, already as its staff.

[@ruairimadden8688]

Amazing as always. Love your videos keep it up guys.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thanks so much!

[@RoyHess666]

How, it is absolutely mind blowing how nature took over. Prypiat is now a forest

[@ChernobylFamily]

Check the next episode as well!

[@RoyHess666]

@@ChernobylFamily it is already in my "watch later" list! Thank you!

[@alexche1850]

Nice video and great pictures.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you very much!

[@cougsjohnson1]

This is just devastating when I think about the people who lived there coming back to see this decay. I visit my Childhood home from the 1980's and it barely looks different. I would probably break down & have tears if I saw my old home in Pripyat.

[@ChernobylFamily]

I know personally a few persons who decided not to visit Pripyat ever after the evacuation (despite they can), because they want to remember the city alive.

[@cho7707]

Awwww man this is sad. Pripyat was gorgeous.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Yes

[@MiSt3300]

This is so unbelievably sad

[@ShortFuse12]

Sir i have a question if in future i visit pripyat is it safe I'm not fearing radiation I'm asking about wild animals in town 😢

[@ChernobylFamily]

From our observation, large animals stay away from the city as it is not a good hunting ground. On average, you meet just birds, sometimes foxes. Though a few times, we met a moose. Anyway, guides know what to do and provide all necessary instructions.

[@terenceskill9526]

Simply outstanding. What a brilliant work ❤

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you! Check our newer episodes as well :)

[@lucasquintanilla1673]

@@ChernobylFamily seeing these pictures, reminds me of what the before and after photos of the interior of titanic are like. There are pictures of some of the first class, dining areas and suites back in 1912 and when the ship was just about to be finished a little bit before that. In a few cases expeditions to titanic since the 1980s have managed to find that some of the areas where these pictures were taken where is accessible to small underwater robots, known as ROV’s. In the instances where photographs could be taken in the exact positions where the old early 20th century pictures were taken, there were some startling comparisons to be made. Aside from the obvious fact that a century of decay has happened, and that the wood is long gone having been eaten by parasites and underwater worms there is a surprising amount of metals still around. One notable occurrence from the 2001 expedition to titanic successfully more or less re-created a picture from a first class dining room from 1912 when the light from a submersible shined through a metal and glass window into the dining area where a small ROV was filming. To the surprise of the explorers, the glass from the window was still intact despite the shock of the ship impacting the bottom, during the sinking, and the subsequent decay of a century. The shine of the light through the window was both beautiful and haunting in it’s similarity to the 1912 picture. I can only imagine what it must be to go through Chernobyl and doing similar things to locations especially when there are still a lot of people who remember the event and can still go back there unlike titanic.

[@princesslily592]

Both before and after are so beautiful, it’s just saddening to see that some parts that were once so lively have been lifeless for so long, but also beautiful to see nature regrow ‪♡‬

[@ChernobylFamily]

It has a.... different life now. We have been there on 26 April... good old lovely city, sent it greetings on behalf of all of you, guys....

[@johncogan8689]

One of my dreams is to spend a day in Pripyat when its quiet and taking photos in HDR, fascinating place, always has been. Thank you.

[@ChernobylFamily]

When the ongoing war will be over, contact us, maybe we will be able to make your dream come true.

[@Scott-uo9jz]

Thank you for this, excellent video. It's amazing how given time nature will absorb everything again.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you! There is a continiation of it, and there will be more

[@Dadsterful]

Thank you so much for these stunning pictures. I was there in 2019 and planned to go back the following year. Then the world went batshit crazy and has shown no signs of returning any time soon. Maybe one day we will return but in the meantime we have these fantastic memories.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Glad to bring them to you! More to come this week!

[@zerotonine807]

Amazing Work! Greetings from Poland

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you very much! Check our other episodes!

[@fonesrphunny7242]

I considered doing that for my hometown and surrounding landmarks, although it would be the other way around. You know, 1940s till today. Most of the old people are gone by now, so I think it would be a nice way to preseve and present local history. I also loved the mechanical reactor diorama. Makes me want to build a before and after model and put them side by side. Would be awesome to have it displayed somewhere; maybe our tiny museum. So many ideas, so little time.

[@ChernobylFamily]

@@fonesrphunny7242 but so good ideas!

[@Hvitserk67]

A very interesting and nice video. The way you have captured buildings and areas of the city before and after the disaster is truly mind-blowing. Especially when you consider that people actually lived in the city and had their lives there. This is easy to forget when you see the city today. As you point out in another post, the city was planned and modernist. This was a style that reached far beyond the former Soviet Union. I grew up in Scandinavia in the 70s and 80s and we had similar building complexes, albeit on a slightly smaller scale. Satellite towns in particular were built following inspiration from the Soviet Union, but also certain buildings with cultural and political significance such as schools and museums. For many years beyond the 2000s, these were hated and neglected, but today many of them have had a sort of postmodernist renaissance.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you! Today - a new video!

[@videomentaryproductionschannel]

That so sad to see those photos, Peoples Lives just distroyed in such a way, it looked like a thriving community in some of the films I have seen, I feel so sorry for those Familys that suffard and of cause the familys that lost love ones that worked at plant, yes would love to see more photos ans foodege like this even though it is sad to see, makes you think how lucky you are, thank you great video .

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you! For now, check the second episode we released after this one...

[@em6577]

This was really interesting but so sad... such hopes and dreams shattered. Thankyou

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you! Check newer episodes as well!

[@MariaGarcia-eg4wk]

I love your video because you don't have to many interruption keep it coming!?❤❤😊

[@ChernobylFamily]

See, if ru%%іаns would not bоmb our power plants, we would have electricity and could make videos more often. Now we have energy less than half a day every day. Will try to do our best, of course...

[@harbselectronicslab3551]

Yes , it is important history........thank you for your effort

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you! Going to have tech episodes soon as well...)

[@robertliskey420]

Thank you! Extremely moving!

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you! Today - a new video!

[@RideOnTimePH]

Some parts of my city looked like this during the pandemic. Vegetation grew and the buildings grew molds.

[@valentinaurelian2980]

What hit me the most is that you knew someone who lived in the apartment flat, bought the place two days before the evacuation. Unbelievable. You strive to buy a place to live, to make a future, and in a flash, all of it changes... like forever. Also seeing the children with their parents on the alleys, then all of it in ruins... very very sad. Hopefully those kids are now adults with their own kids, sadly many people perished years later because of radiation and inhaled particles. I heard people from Moldavia region and N-E Romania suffered from the toxic cloud and repercussions are with us even after 40 years. Best regards.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Yes. The saddest thing is, many - around 40% - of those who lived at district 1 (you can see a continiation video about it) passed away now. Radiation co ditions varied very very much, and where was that apaerment you mentioned above levels were x10000 lower than at D1.

[@ChinaChinaChinaChinaChinaChin4]

love your channel ❤ be safe always from ph 🇵🇭

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you! Will do!

[@highmounta9182]

The most saddest thing is when the buildings are new😢

[@ChernobylFamily]

Yes.

[@johnorlitta]

It's sad for me to see the before and after photos, how it was before when Pripyat was occupied by residents that lived their lives as we all do, and then to see how things progressed over time and how the earth is reclaiming what once was a bustling and energetic place. It's a reminder of how life as we know it can change in a single moment. Very sad.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Very right words.

[@resolute1306]

Brilliantly done. Thank you for sharing.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Glad you enjoyed it! Check our other videos!

[@daveys]

Haunting. Thanks for posting.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you! There is a continuation, andbwe are planning to have more.

[@daveys]

@@ChernobylFamily - I was watching it during my lunch. I’ve seen loads of footage from Pripyat before but this felt really eerie. It really made me feel for the folks who lived here.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you! Stay tuned. We will show more, much more in a meaningful way.

[@Vikom07]

Beautiful work, not like those "before after" videos, where they use "shutterstock" pictures even for the present day. I'm surprised how many of those "before" photos I haven't seen before (and I thought I've seen most of them). Do you have some special source? Anyway, I have few suggestions on topics I would be personally interested in. - Bus transport: there were some bus stops, was there some kind of a city bus/marshrutka route, or it was for intercity buses passing through? What were the routes and how do the stops look now? - Traffic lights: I only know about lights at L. Ukrainky X Sportyvna and by the Lazurnyi. Were there other locations? If not, why those very places? Especially the one by the pool is at no big crossroad. Maybe to help people from 4th mkr. go to the 3rd one? Maybe when the school #4 wasn't finished yet? - Floods in 70s. According to some aerial photos, the Prypiat river quite marginally raised one time. Any more info about it? - Sewer system: What was "fekalka" for and what's inside? Are any of the manholes accessible and are they safe to climb into? Would the system work even now? Etc.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Well, we are in the Zone for a long time and know many people, that's it... even more is on our Patreon page. For your questions: 1) there was a ring route and a shuttle to the power plant. Both were relatively little used, a ring one - to see/show the city in particular. The shuttle had a stop at the central square near sewage pump building. Most people however, went to their work on foot by a trail through the forest. 2) Those two places only. Near Jupiter due to the size of a crossroad (standards), near School #3 - for a greater safety of kids because that one accommodated 1600 students and pre-school kids, so it was bigger than others. 3) There was a flood. There is a photographic evidence that water reached upper levels of the stairs in the river port. Not in the last reason memories of this was the reason why in 1986 a long dam between the river port and the city has been created following Naberezhna - Ogneva st. 4) Fekalka (there were many of them) are black water pumping facilities that used to distribute that to water cleanup station near oil base of the ChNPP. After 1986 pipes mostty were cut and blocked to prevent contamination getting to the river. Some are accessible, but they are VERY contaminated. Some parts that cross the central square were/are functioning to service operational facilities of the city.

[@Vikom07]

@@ChernobylFamily Awesome! Thank you for your answers!

[@Innochamp]

Great video👍🏻 Nature always wins. Please more

[@ChernobylFamily]

Very soon a new series about the Zone is out!

[@2lol4php]

03:55 Now the note is restored again :)

[@ChernobylFamily]

Yes, but it is a delicate story;)

[@cruachan463]

Extraordinario! Saludos desde Buenos Aires.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you!))

[@Wendell_Lima]

This place must be scary at night. Thank you for the video.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Well, specifically at night it is.

[@tmonkey3323]

its already depressing even to me but imagine being from pripyat and watching this video

[@ChernobylFamily]

Yes. Some former inhabitants checked it. Well... this is a big subject, from what we experienced - feelings vary from emotional to indifferent. For some, it is still vivid, for some - a life which is gone. Check our new documentary series, which is a continuation of this.

[@dasbo6312]

great comparison

[@ChernobylFamily]

I am working on a big Computers Of Chornobyl episode, so I decided to try this as well. Glad that you like it!

[@cathedraldarkness]

I love the before and after. It’s totally wild.

[@kenjiione]

more videos like this pls!

[@ChernobylFamily]

Happily will make - you know, it should be not only Chernobyl tech stuff, because if we will not talk about the Zone, many will miss some inportant contextual details.

[@ptrck99]

This is so amazing. Impresionante, un saludo desde Montevideo, Uruguay.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you!