Pripyat amusement park

The Prypiat Ferris Wheel, as seen from the City Centre Gymnasium.

The Prypiat amusement park in Prypiat, Ukraine is an abandoned amusement park. It was to be opened on May 1, 1986 in time for the May Day celebrations (decorations for this event are still in place in Prypiat today) but the plans were interrupted when on April 26 the Chernobyl disaster occurred a few kilometers away. The park was opened for a couple of hours on April 27 to keep the city people entertained before the announcement to evacuate the city was made. Today, the park, and in particular the Ferris wheel are a symbol of the Chernobyl disaster. The amusement park itself is located behind the Palace of Culture in the centre of the city.

Attractions

The park had four attractions: the iconic Ferris wheel, bumper cars, swing boats, and a paratrooper ride. Photographers are known to place stuffed toys in the Ferris wheel to reflect its sadness.

Radiation

Radiation levels around the park vary; the liquidators washed radiation into the soil after the helicopters carrying radioactive materials used the grounds as a landing strip, so concreted areas are relatively safe. However, areas where moss has built up are dangerously high; some areas can emit 25 µSv/h, among the highest levels of radiation in the whole of Pripyat.

Films and games

The park appears in the video games S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, in film Chernobyl Diaries and is also the inspiration for Atlantic Island Park in The Secret World.

• Graham Gilmore Photography | Chernobyl Exclusion Zone
• Abseiling The ferris Wheel In Prypiat
• Satellite photo of Prypiat ferris wheel, Google Maps