Soviet History & Architecture

Slavutych, Ukraine: The Soviet City Built for Chernobyl Refugees

November 14 2020 by Megan Starr 28 Comments

I have witnessed the Chernobyl disaster go from being a globally-recognized mass tragedy to a clichéd source of trite tourism where travelers go in with their cameras hugging their hips, all ready to shoot the perfect photo (which has inevitably been taken 3,790 times already that same month) for bragging rights about how they visited such a creepy and dangerous place.

They will leave being able to boast about what an adventurous soul they are for having visited Chernobyl. They’ll never make mention of the fact that Chernobyl gets well over 10,000 visitors a year. Furthermore, the travelers will leave knowing nothing more about the place aside from that it was a nuclear disaster and that people died and survivors were evacuated.

I may very well fall into the type of traveler mentioned above. After all, I did write a post and showcase photos from my time in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. I’m not here to judge (okay, just a little bit), but the thing I find the most painful about hearing about someone’s trip to the exclusion zone is that there is never any mention or curiosity regarding the people that lived there.

What happened to them? Are they safe? Where are they now?

The “Where are they now?” question has lingered in my mind since I was a teenager and did my first report on the Chernobyl tragedy. I knew the answer; I had done my research. But the place was out of reach and not really a place many people visit, let alone know about.

Slavutych, Ukraine

Slavutych was the last city the Soviet Union built. About 40 kilometers from Chernihiv and nearly 200 from Kyiv, Slavutych was named after the old Slavic name for the Dnieper River.

Construction of this purposely-built city began in 1986 and its first residents arrived in October 1988. Its new residents? The once inhabitants of Pripyat and those working at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

The city of Slavutych (population of around 25,000 people) was built to be a 21st-century city and still to this day is one of Ukraine’s most affluent and prized cities. Interestingly, 8k of the residents that relocated to Slavutych were children. The city was built around that and was supposed to be a safe haven for the children that had experienced so much in Pripyat.

Building Slavutych

Slavutych had to be built at a moment’s notice and as quickly as possible. The unique circumstances led the city to be constructed in a manner foreign to nearly every other city of the Soviet Union.

Workers and architects from eight Soviet countries joined forces to build Slavutych, and each country built a district of the city in their typical and traditional architecture. These districts, or quarters, were appropriately named after the capital cities of each country.

The countries that combined efforts to build Slavutych were Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, and of course, Ukraine. The photo above is a monument dedicated to the capital cities of each country.

Before construction even began in Slavutych, the workers had to lay down two meters of uncontaminated soil. While the city is in a livable area and didn’t suffer nearly as much radiation damage from Chernobyl as areas slightly closer, it still had a fair amount of contaminated soil that deemed it unlivable until taken care of.

Eighty percent of homes in Slavutych are in apartment blocks and the other twenty percent are stand-alone houses. The city is home to a youth center, modern community center, town hall, internet cafe, very modern clinics, sports facilities, and a hotel. They also have a few restaurants, cafes, and bars.

Slavutych Today

Slavutych today is an utterly fascinating place. The city was declared a Special Economic Zone as most residents lost their jobs at the nuclear power plant by 2001.

While some 3,000 are still employed at Chernobyl, most other residents had to be retrained by the Ukrainian government in order to build their skills in another field. The train station in Slavutych actually still has a train sending workers daily to Chernobyl.

My Time in Slavutych

I was the only tourist in Slavutych when I was there. For all I know, I was probably the only one for weeks. I started my day out by grabbing some food after my marshrutka ride from Chernihiv. The Old Tallinn restaurant was the first place I stumbled upon and the food was actually really tasty.

They had a set lunch menu, a rather common thing in Ukraine, and I received a bowl of borscht, some beef and potato dish, and fruit in a bowl for dessert.

As I went to pay for my meal (I sat at the bar as the restaurant was packed with locals and researchers), the bartender told me there was no charge and proceeded to explain why. I never understood what he was saying, but I certainly didn’t complain about it.

After my early lunch, I walked around for a few hours. The city took me in and out of courtyards, playgrounds, and through each and every district. I was enamored by how much the construction varied from district to district. The styles brought back fierce memories of Armenia and some of the other places I had visited.

The Yerevan quarter was my favorite as the buildings all had a pinkish hue to them reminiscent of the ones I remembered from the Armenian capital. In a way, walking about the city felt like stepping into several countries at once. It was something I had never felt in any other city I had ever visited in the former Soviet Union.

I stayed in Slavutych until dusk. I had dinner at Old Tallinn Restaurant (a big heaping bowl of borscht and some pelmeni sans dill because dill is evil) alongside a giant beer.

While Old Tallinn restaurant had been packed for lunch, there was not much of an early dinner crowd aside from an American researcher who had been working at Chernobyl for some years and a local guy who accompanied him. English was the last language I expected to eavesdrop on that day, but on a day of pleasant and unexpected surprises, I should have known better.

Slavutych remains one of the oddest places I have ever visited in regards to its history and construction. It wouldn’t strike too many others as odd, but I know a great deal about the Chernobyl disaster and everything about the birth of this Soviet city intrigued me.

In Slavutych, I found extremely friendly people, clean grounds, and a city with soul despite its riveting past.

<This was inside of the Yerevan district of the city>

<The medical center and its grounds>

<inside the Georgian district>

<on the way to Slavutych>

How to Get to Slavutych

Apparently, there are buses that leave a few times a day from Kiev. I couldn’t find definitive information about this, so I opted to use Chernihiv as my base. Turns out, Chernihiv is pretty cool in its own right, so I am beyond happy with the decision I had made now looking back on it.

From Chernihiv, you can take a train to Slavutych from the main train station around four times a day or you can take a marshrutka there. I took a marshrutka (which leaves rather frequently from the main train station in Chernihiv).

There were no set times, so you just need to show up early to the train station and wait for the next to leave. I didn’t pay more than $1-2 for the ride there and back.

There are plenty of grocery stores and kiosks within the city that you can visit for food and drinks. As for a meal, I highly recommend the restaurant Old Tallinn which can be found at Tbilisskiy Kvartal 1 in the city center.

Looking for more things to do in Kyiv? Check out my guide.

Duga: The Russian Woodpecker inside the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

November 14 2020 by Megan Starr 10 Comments

The Soviets never did anything in an unostentatious manner. Not even radars that were supposed to be kept a secret from the rest of the world. Such is the case with “Duga” (meaning “arc” in English), commonly known as the Russian Woodpecker.

I have long had a desire to travel to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. I had arranged to go there in 2011 when I was in Kiev, but I later had to change my plans as the tours were shut down for corruption purposes.

My reasoning for wanting to go to the Exclusion Zone had nothing to do with photographing abandoned buildings taken back by nature or the bragging rights of saying I’ve had been there, but instead to put a lot of my research papers on the place to actual use.

At university, I wrote two research papers on the Chernobyl catastrophe. The first was brief, but the second was around sixty-pages long and involved copious amounts of research and time.

I have seen documentary after documentary on Chernobyl and had previously visited the museum in Kyiv after the tours were discontinued in 2011. In a way, I knew as much as any person directly unaffected by the tragedy could possibly know.

But there was one part of the Exclusion Zone I knew very little about…

Duga.

Duga was a Soviet radar system that existed between July 1976 and December 1989. It released a signal reminiscent to that of a very sharp and continuous tapping noise, hence the nickname “Russian Woodpecker”. Several countries had intercepted these signals on shortwave radio bands transpiring into several complaints globally. And a lot of denial from the Soviets.

Getting into specifics is challenging, but if you want to read more on the Russian Woodpecker, you can check it out on Wikipedia.

I considered detailing it a bit more here, but I honestly find the information a bit stale for the overall point being so freaking fascinating. Just typing about radio wave specifics would have put me to sleep… my apologies. And no need to reinvent the wheel when the information is already out there on the web, of course.

So, what does this have to do with my trip? Well, the Russian Woodpecker is located in the Exclusion Zone and is a rare piece of the Zone that I know very little about. Getting to see this with my own eyes was something I greatly desired to do.

Not every tour makes it to the Russian Woodpecker (and Duga just opened in recent years and was completely off-limits beforehand unless one obtained special permission). It is an ‘if we have time’ stop on most tours and there is no guarantee you will go there unless you book something a bit more private. I was grateful that the first stop we made was to Duga.

The Woodpecker is about a twenty-minute drive through the radiation-ridden forests and is in a clandestine location compared to the reactors, Chernobyl town, Pripyat town, and everything else. It was very evident that the Soviets wanted this monstrosity kept a secret, except for the fact that the structure is gargantuan.

Once you arrive at the Woodpecker, you must go through a gate and onto the property. You will walk a bit- strolling past decrepit buildings, rusted deposits, and lusterless propaganda on the sterile, concrete walls. Eventually, you will end up at Duga, which will inevitably be one of the most obscure and cryptic structures you will ever lay eyes on.

We were permitted to climb around on the heavily-oxidized mass, but I passed knowing my clumsiness would probably shorten the entire tour. I spent the entire time just enamored by the framework and its history (and the vagueness that surrounds that history).

We stuck around the Woodpecker for quite a bit of time and then carried on to the next place on our tour, the famously abandoned city of Pripyat. And while I enjoyed visited Pripyat, nothing quite mesmerized me as Duga did.

A Travel Guide to Soviet Kharkiv, Ukraine

November 14 2020 by Megan Starr 14 Comments

I remember the moment that I booked that train to Kharkiv from Kyiv’s central station. I wasn’t sure what I was doing, but I knew I had wanted to head east and Kharkiv just seemed like the obvious option. I booked my ticket a few weeks in advance on the ‘fast train’, but I never really got around to planning the trip.

Aside from Derzhprom, I really didn’t know what there was to do in Kharkiv. I booked a solid three days there but just planned to sit around in cafes and write… or cry because I was missing my dog.

I’ve already shared my coffee post here and my impressions of Kharkiv, but I was most eager to share a post about my favorite buildings and architecture from Soviet Kharkiv.

I accidentally deleted the fancy Google map that I had made and was overcome with total discouragement as some of the places weren’t easy to find because the addresses online weren’t always accurate. I have finally redone the map and can share some of my favorite (and some overrated) sights in Kharkiv.

This map and guide are by no means conclusive. If I had more days in the city, I would have ventured outside of the main city a bit to discover another side, but I only (stupidly) planned three days in Kharkiv.

In between exploring the coffee culture and craft beer culture there, I wasn’t left with a whole lot of time. Please do leave additional places in the comments so I can check them out next time I get back there!

Derzhprom

Ahhh, Kharkiv’s most famous Soviet masterpiece. I have spent a great deal of my life seeing this behemoth of a building in books and on architecture websites and was super stoked to finally see it in person. Maybe I had hyped it up a little too much in my mind, but I found it to be a bit of a letdown.

Maybe I was in a blasé mood that day or something… but I found the exterior to be pretty and the interior to be a bit boring which is basically the opposite of what I like in a Soviet building.

Taking photos of Soviet buildings in the sunshine also kind of ruins the mood (I am sure about 4% of you reading this will understand where I am coming from). Nevertheless, it was great to finally see this building with my own eyes and I think I will trek back that way in winter to see how it glistens in the snow and grey skies.

While I found the building itself to be a bit of a letdown, the history of the building is anything but boring. Derzhprom was designed by Sergei Serafimov, M. Felger, and S. Kravets and was unveiled to the world in 1928.

A Soviet constructivist showpiece, the building was the highlight of Kharkiv, which at the time was the capital of the Ukraine SSR.

Its construction took a whopping 5,000 people and cost 9 million rubles. When the capital was later moved to Kiev, it seems as though Derzhprom was kind of forgotten about. Even today, this gem has not reached architectural significance like some other buildings across the world have. In a way, that kind of makes a visit to it a tad bit cooler.

Kharkiv Circus

So I am actually working on a circus post of the Soviet circuses I have visited which will come out sometime this summer.

Standby for that, but for now, you can see the Kharkiv Circus on this Soviet guide because it is one of the oldest circuses in Ukraine and was most definitely built during the Soviet times.

The construction of this building began in 1966 and was completed and opened for its first performance on April 9, 1974. I don’t believe in circuses and their treatment of animals, but I am a big fan of the architectural style of many Soviet circuses, so this is a must-visit if you want to add to your list of Soviet structures.

Kharkiv Metro

Another post I am working on is about the various metro stations in Kharkiv. On my Sunday morning in the city, I rode the metro for hours and stopped to take photos of as many stations as I could.

Until I get yelled at, that is (which it took about an hour and a half before getting reprimanded for my horrible actions… which is impressive and better than my old days in Kyiv).

I actually had no expectations of the Kharkiv Metro and didn’t realize its greatness until I went underground to take the metro to where my hotel was.

It is pretty impressive and every station is slightly different. That Sunday morning, I actually rode for nearly three hours and used my phone for all photos… but it was one of my most enjoyable experiences in the Ukrainian city.

The Kharkiv Metro construction began in 1968 and was opened to the public in 1975. Only one line, Kholodnohirsko–Zavodska, existed at the time and the other two, Saltivska and Oleksiivska, didn’t open until 1984 and 1995, respectively.

The metro system isn’t privatized like the Kyiv system and has 30 stations. The system runs for 37 kilometers (23.4 miles) and has a daily ridership of nearly one million passengers.

Central Post Office

I actually have no photos of this building. I actually saw it twice, but couldn’t locate the photos I took of it… but don’t worry, if you are located close to the main train station, you can’t miss it.

It now serves as a police station, but it achieved historical status as a post office. Another perfect example of Constructivism, this Arkady Mordvinov designed project opened in 1929 after a year of construction.

Kharkiv State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre

My favorite building in all of Kharkiv. I don’t know why I was so drawn to this building, but I was enamored by its presence, details, and hidden elements.

The Theatre is located next to Shevchenko Park and is mammoth in size. It is actually Ukraine’s oldest academic theatre and was named after Mykola Lysenko, who was a famous Ukrainian composer, pianist, and conductor.

He briefly studied biology at Kharkiv University while studying music privately before being awarded a music scholarship to study further in Leipzig.

The theatre was erected during the constructivist period in 1925 and its first opera was “Sorochynska Yarmarka” by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky. The architect behind this building was Mirgorodskii.

While this building is a beauty as a whole, I found that its real beauty was covertly masking in its details and its secret corners on the side and rear of the building. Also doesn’t hurt that one of my favorite coffee shops, A7, was hidden in an obscure corner of this building.

Palace of Culture for Railway Workers

Another building I can’t find my photos from. I really should work on my organizational skills. The Palace of Culture for Railway Workers is right in the center of Kharkiv and is extremely easy to get to if you use my map above (another map I used was off and most information out there wasn’t accurate, unfortunately).

The building is large enough that you will have no issue finding it. You can use this photo as guidance.

The Palace of Culture’s construction began in 1927 and was officially opened in 1932, becoming another example of the Constructivism that dominated Kharkiv which still exists today. The architect behind the project was Aleksandr Dmitriev.

Hotel Mir

I find that every large post-Soviet city has a desirable Soviet styled hotel. Kyiv has Salyut, Almaty has Hotel Kazakhstan, Chisinau has quite a few, etc. Kharkiv’s is Hotel Mir, and the brilliant building is still open today.

I went inside to see if the hotel had a bar as I have this thing for drinking or staying in every renowned Soviet hotel across the former Soviet states but I failed to do the obvious… go to the top to get a view of the city. Apparently, but don’t mark my word, you can get a killer view of Derzhprom from up there. Perhaps next time.

Hotel Mir is located 50 yards from Botanichesky Sad Metro Station and has a sauna and billiards inside. The staff was pretty nice from my interaction with them. It is also located across the street from my favorite craft beer bar in the city, Black Door Pub.

Ukraina Cinema and Concert Hall

Inside of Shevchenko Park, you will find the Ukraina Cinema and Concert Hall. A small building really, it was designed by Vadym S. Vasiliev in 1963 and dons a wide Soviet mosaic on its front. I didn’t have many expectations for this building, so I don’t really have a whole lot to say about it.

Water Pavillion Kharkivska – 1

Another great from Vadym Vasiliev, the Water Pavillion Kharkivska-1 can be found inside of Sarzhyn Yar Park. It was opened for public usage in 1960 and the obscure structure has stood since, giving thousands of Kharkiv locals access to clean drinking water daily.

To easily see the Pavillion, you can enter Sarzhyn Yar Park after visiting Hotel Mir (and kicking back a few pints at Black Door Pub, of course) by walking into the park and finding the small lakes where locals and children will be fishing. You truly can’t miss it.

Kharkiv Cable Cars

On my map, I gave the exact location of where to take them from up on the hill, but you can actually take them from inside of Gorky Park too. I just did things the other way around as I made it my mission to visit the water pavilion above first (and walk up the hill to the cars).

These cars used to be greyish beige and black and numbered and looked like prison cars. I really wish I had gotten to see that. But they painted them in 2014 and now they are an assortment of colorful hues.

They also never used to have windows. Perhaps adding windows was in my best interest as I tend to be a bit clumsy sometimes.

The cable cars have a rather intriguing history as they were never intended for public use after their opening in 1971. They were built for workers of the Kharkiv Aviation Production Enterprise and Kharkiv Machine building factory called “FED” as it gave them easier access to their workplaces from the Pavlovo Pole area. They only just opened to the public in 2012. The ride is a total of 18 minutes long and really is a must-do when in Kharkiv.

Even The Guardian ranked this ride as one of the world’s best cable car rides. I suspect it would have been cooler feeling like I was off to a prison in the beige and black ones, but this ride was pretty dang fun too.

I am not sure if it is still there as it was under heavy construction when I was there, but at the beginning of the ride (not the Gorky Park entrance), there was a large Soviet mosaic inside of the entrance hall that was interesting. I imagine it is gone by now, but if someone gets an update on this, please let me know.

<the end of the cable car ride leads you to Gorky Park, pictured above>

Roofed Market Saltovskyi

The one place on this list I didn’t have a chance to make it to. I had planned on seeing it on my last day as there was a coffee shop in the vicinity I wanted to check out, but I just never ventured there. I still wanted to keep it on this list as it looks wicked and worth stopping at.

Be sure to use the map I provided above as the other maps were off (I double-checked with locals and Google satellite). To read more about this piece of architecture, you can click here.

The Roofed Market at Saltovskyi is currently listed as Kruglyy Rynok and is found in Microdistrict 524 (near metro station Heroiv Pratsi). To see a photo of what it looks like- check out this link.

Soviet Tank Graveyard

While these tanks may be Soviet, the place certainly isn’t abandoned. I read an article about this place several years back and decided to check it out for myself. It was a letdown. Many of the tanks have been moved and it is no ‘graveyard’ of tanks. It is simply a factory that has tanks inside of the property’s walls.

You may be able to climb over the walls, but why would one want to? I did decide to walk there myself and see what was happening. The walls were high and I’m short, so I didn’t have much luck seeing inside, but I did get some photos from lower sections of the wall and through the occasional hole.

Nothing too exciting, to be honest. But I listed it here as everyone that goes to Kharkiv inquires about it.

To get to the area by foot is another story. And it may make this ‘tank graveyard’ worth the trek, after all. In order to get there on foot, you really need to set aside a few hours of your day. If you follow the map I have above, you can cross the bridge before it after walking through a super-residential area of Kharkiv.

There are homes, some small shops, and quite a few stray dogs loitering this neighborhood. You will eventually come upon a bridge. Don’t be alarmed at how small and decrepit it is. I was certain I was at the wrong place when I approached it… but you’ll be on the right track.

Simply cross that bridge and you will see a massive gated wall… that is it. If you circumnavigate the premises (which is massive), you can check for gaps and holes here and there.

If you’re with someone, you can probably get them to give you a boost to see above. Just a note- you can take public transport here (a bus) but that is kind of boring, now isn’t it?

Children’s Pioneer Pool

This pool is kind of off the trodden path of Kharkiv and took some research and major trial and error to find. I have it listed correctly on the map above… but other maps don’t have the address correct or its location.

The Pioneer Pool was designed by R. Zarb and N. Kozhevnikov and opened in 1977. It is hidden in a residential area near a shopping plaza, but once you see that crazy roof, you will know you’re at the right place.

There are many other Soviet structures that can be found in Kharkiv, but these were the most notable or were my favorites. I’d love to have some updates or other places listed… so if you have any others worth mentioning, please list them in the comments.

Issyk-Ata: A Soviet Sanatorium in Kyrgyzstan

November 14 2020 by Megan Starr 17 Comments

My first experience with a Soviet sanatorium was back in Sukhum, Abkhazia in 2013. I had booked a place on Couchsurfing to stay that ran me $1 (free accommodation was illegal at the time in Abkhazia so the hosts were mandated to charge something) and upon my arrival in the city, I was unable to figure out how to get to their place.

Frazzled and on the verge of checking into an actual hotel for $100, I eventually found a taxi driver that could make the phone call to the host to get specific location information (Georgian SIM cards don’t work in Abkhazia). My host told the taxi driver to take me to the sanatorium and she would meet me outside and drive me to her place. The friendly man dropped me off and I waited for a while before she arrived.

Three and a half years later, I found myself back at a Soviet sanatorium, however, this time it was 77 kilometers outside of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan at a place called Issyk-ata.

For those of you unfamiliar with sanatoriums, they are establishments that deliver medical treatment for people who are convalescing or suffer from a chronic illness. The Soviet Union took this idea and concept very seriously and it is reflected in the many sanatoriums they built or continued operating.

Every Soviet sanatorium is a little bit different, but most utilize the local area’s natural resources and offerings. Issyk-ata is famed for its hot springs that offer healing properties to visitors. It is also located outside of Bishkek enough to experience pristine mountain air and not the dust and grime that incessantly plagues the city.

History of Issyk-ata and Its Hot Springs

Issyk-ata sanatorium was built in 1891 and was controlled by the Jeti-Suukskyi department of the Red Cross until 1917. The first mention of the hot springs and area dates all the way back to the second or third century BC and there are Buddha carvings in rocks in the region that prove its history.

Known as Arashan to locals, Issyk-ata sits at about 1775 meters above sea level right at the foot of the Tien Shan mountains in the Chuy Valley. This sanatorium, one of Central Asia’s most notable and oldest, specifically was and still is currently in use as a treatment center for bone and muscle ailments, esoteric gynecological cases, and radiation illnesses that followed the disaster at Chernobyl.

Many treatment programs here rely on the hydro-sodium thermal water and nutrient-rich peat mud. The crystal clear water is said to have magical healing properties despite its sulphuric taste and smell.

During World War 2, Issyk-ata was used as a treatment center for soldiers. Overlooking the dining hall area is a large hill that was used as a mass grave for soldiers and civilians that perished during this time. In 1957, Issyk-ata went from being a seasonal sanatorium to being open year-round.

Today, Issyk-ata has the capacity to host 800 visitors yet I highly doubt they even book an eighth of that. The area is home to quite a bit of flora such as sea buckthorn, mountain ash, wild rose, barberry, and other bush berries, all of which are vitamin-rich and used in spa settings for their own healing and health properties.

My Day Trip to Issyk-ata from Bishkek

I ended up at Issyk-ata after nearly exhausting all other day-trip options from Bishkek over my many jaunts to the Kyrgyz capital.

I knew Issyk-ata existed, but it wasn’t until my partner came to visit me during my three-month stint in Central Asia that I decided to actually make the effort to go out there. We set off for Issyk-ata mid-morning and decided to just grab lunch upon arrival.

It took around two hours for us to catch the marshrutka and arrive at Issyk-ata. Upon arrival, we scoured the area for a restaurant, bar, or anything offering a hot bowl of soup and a beer. To our surprise, there was nothing.

We asked around to ten different people about where we could grab a bite to eat and every single person told us something different and pointed to various nearby buildings.

After two hours of investigating and hunger pains so bad that I was even willing to put a piece of dill in my mouth (okay, they weren’t that bad), we sucked it up and walked into the grocery store and bought two Snickers bars that were well past their expiration date.

The shop had no bread (at the time), no food, nothing. It was a barren and pathetic excuse for a grocery store considering people were overnighting in the area. Lesson learned.

While we had searched around for food, we ended up inside of a large building that was locked, yet had doors and windows so broken that we were able to sneak inside. One person had told us that there was a restaurant inside of this building.

We found nothing of the sort and the unkempt place looked like it had been left abandoned for some time. This was undoubtedly the culture center for the resort. However, on one wing of it, we found a billiards bar that was closed but left a door unlocked.

Due to the immediate gust of heat thrown into our faces, we knew that the billiards place was not abandoned, but perhaps just closed at the time.

**After a little research, I discovered that this cultural center once had its own library and 400 seat auditorium, amongst other things.

The sanatorium had a fair amount of visitors for the winter season, but nothing aside from an eco-lodge and its heated pool seemed to be open. It was kind of strange really. We walked up to different buildings and explored, finding more heated pools and a few people utilizing them. Aside from that, we nearly had the place to ourselves.

After coming to terms with the fact that we may die of starvation at some point or another during the day, we headed up the side of the mountain to start hiking the trail towards the waterfall.

We were not going to stand a chance of making it to the waterfall since our quest for food had taken so long, but we at least got to be out in the middle of the wilderness in the snow so we could soak up the clean air and do a little snow leopard spotting.

I had been in the Kyrgyz wild several times, but this time was particularly special as I was able to share it with someone so dear to me and not by myself (although that is pretty special, too).

A couple of hours later, we headed back to the ‘base-camp’ to catch our bus, the last bus of the day, back into Bishkek.

We went back to our beloved grocery store only to find a new delivery of bread sitting there waiting for us to feast on. We purchased a large bread reminiscent to that of an Indian roti with onion baked into it and indulged before our long trek back to the city.

Issyk-ata is an ideal day trip for those looking to experience some nearby and accessible nature when in Bishkek. The sanatorium itself may not be of interest to all as it still remains very Soviet, but the nature surrounding it makes up for that and then some.

Getting to Issyk-ata

You can obviously hire a taxi and pay larger fees to get out there. But if you’re on a budget like I was, the best way to get out there is via marshrutka.

Marshrutkas take about an hour and a half and leave from Bishkek’s east bus station (this is not where the buses from Almaty go in and out of FYI). Currently, the scheduled departure times are 0830, 1000, 1130, 1330, 1700, and 1800 daily.

These marshrutkas don’t fill up before leaving as they are on a regular route and schedule and will stop around 590 times before reaching its final destination of Issyk-ata. The fare is around $1-$2.

Getting back to Bishkek

Do not miss the last marshrutka! Really. The scheduled marshrutkas back to Bishkek leave at 0745, 0830, 1100, 1315, 1430, and 1600. They all leave from the front gate at the same place they dropped passengers off at.

You can also take a day-trip to Issyk-ata with the TUK (Trekking Union of Kyrgyzstan). The prices are extremely affordable and open to anyone as long as you sign up in time. To find out more information, check out TUK’s website.

Tips for a Trip to Issyk-ata

Pack food. And alcohol, if that’s your thing.

If you want to enjoy the hot, thermal pools you can for the price of 100 som per person. Just ask around when there where the public pools are as I was unable to locate them.

Where to Stay

I say stay in Bishkek and go to Issyk-ata as a day trip. Accommodation is sparse out this way and is by no means luxurious. There is an eco-lodge out there, but it appears to have a very limited number of rooms. To find out more about where to stay at Issyk-ata, you can call +996 (772)89-19-89.

Thoughts and Photos from My Time in Chernobyl and Pripyat

November 14 2020 by Megan Starr 9 Comments

My first trip to Ukraine was all the way back in 2011. I say ‘all the way’ back because, unless you have been ignoring all major world news in recent years, you surely have heard about the revolution that took place in Ukraine and is still unraveling today.

Ukraine in 2011 is a very different place than Ukraine in 2016. One of the plans I had whilst in Ukraine back in 2011 was to visit the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.

I had done thorough research and at the time, there were not many tours being offered. I finally found one suiting and was about to book it when I found out that the tours were indefinitely canceled.

Government corruption was rampant and the tours were feeding into all of it. I was gutted that I had to pass up Chernobyl and Pripyat on that trip but found solace in visiting the Chernobyl Museum in Kyiv (which is a fantastic and kitschy museum).

Over the years, I lost a bit of interest in visiting Chernobyl. It became more mainstream and people were visiting for bragging rights and not to learn more about the tragedy.

It seemed to be the hip place for photographers to go; one of the creepiest places in Europe … which never made much sense to me as everyone’s photos look identical in the end and it’s not really that creepy. Even the private tours are so common these days that you rarely see unique perspectives and photos.

No matter what tour guides say to travelers, someone else has done the same tour as you and someone has the exact same photos as you. And while that drove me to become a bit apathetic about visiting the place, the tragedy was something of deep and sincere interest to me and has been for decades.

I have written massive research papers on the Chernobyl disaster. I lived in Europe when it happened. I’ve always been immensely curious about its history. Yadda, yadda. So, despite knowing the experience would feel contrived and a bit artificial, I still desired to do it.

I booked a tour to Chernobyl when I went back to Ukraine this March. My group was very small, but did consist of a bunch of annoying Belgian guys on a ‘lad’s holiday’.

It also included a French woman filming a documentary (who held our group up continuously) and a Spanish girl who constantly asked what Chernobyl was and why it was a big deal. Before even arriving in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, I realized that dark tourism there has become more mainstream than I previously thought.

In the van on the way to the Exclusion Zone, we watched a documentary about Chernobyl, which was a film I had already seen twice. We arrived after a couple of hours and had our passports checked and proceeded into the zone. The different tour companies had it fairly well planned so you’re not crossing other groups and have most places to ourselves, which was nice.

My highlight was definitely the Russian Woodpecker, which I previously wrote about. It was a part of the zone I knew very little about and it was interesting to see it in person and find out a little more which drove my curiosity. The rest of the trip seemed a bit staged, on the other hand. I have a Ukrainian friend who told me that many Ukrainians will sneak into Pripyat or other areas of the zone at night and drink and party.

Based on the fact that floorboards are being torn up for money and pieces of equipment and things left behind are being sold like scrap metal, I definitely don’t doubt her for a second. The creepy dolls scattered about? Let’s be real here- they make for the perfect Instagram photo.

And the gas masks? Well, it really adds to the aura of the place. Parts of it were absolutely staged no matter how compelling it is to think otherwise. Do I care? Not really. I assumed it was going to be this way before I even booked the tour.

I have to say that I found the day and the cost very worthwhile and the experience was exactly what I figured it would be.

It was a mix of Belgian guys trying to squat into weird positions and not caring about the others around them as they tried to capture the perfect photo (that about 500K other people already have), the Spanish girl constantly placing her purse on the moss or pieces of metal despite being told not to, the French lady being twenty minutes late at arriving back from every building and location, and my travel partner and I enjoyed every minute of it despite all of that.

Would I do it again? Probably not. But if I ever did, I would book a private tour for just two people.

Regardless of how artificial parts of the tour felt, it was kind of like putting that missing piece of the puzzle with the others. I had a lot of knowledge about the Chernobyl disaster and Pripyat. Getting to see it with my own eyes was something I had always dreamt of doing. And I had.

There is only one piece of the puzzle still missing and that is Slavutych. I will be in Slavuytch at the end of this month and I look forward to sharing some photos and details about the place once I have traveled there.

Below are some photos of my time in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and Pripyat:

Obviously, everyone’s experience at Chernobyl and Pripyat varies. If you have been, please let me know what you thought of the experience! If you’re looking for essential things to do in Kyiv, definitely book a Chernobyl trip.

A Travel Guide to Soviet Dnipro, Ukraine

October 31 2020 by Megan Starr 15 Comments

Most travelers familiar with Eastern Europe are aware that the farther east you head in any of those countries, the more ‘Russified’ the place becomes. This doesn’t necessarily stand true for Central Europe or the Balkans, two regions often classified as Eastern Europe (and it kind of bothers me), but rather for Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltics, and the tiny country of Moldova.

I find it fascinating that cities in one country can be so completely different from one another. Perhaps that is why I love this region- it is as diverse architecturally as it is cultural. Dnipro, formerly Dnipropetrovsk, is no different. It is situated along the banks of the Dnieper in the eastern part of Ukraine. Dnipro has some new buildings, like the Menorah Centre (for Jewish Culture). Dnipro has some old buildings, like Potemkin’s Palace, the oldest building in the city. And then Dnipro has its Soviet structures. This is a guide to them. This is a guide to Soviet Dnipro.

This isn’t to say that this list is conclusive of all Soviet structures, buildings, and points of interest around Dnipro. These are ones I personally visited or gained interest in. If you walk down Karl Marx Prospect, a long avenue that constitutes Dnipro’s city centre, you will find the entire street saturated with bouts of Socialist Realism from the Stalin era. Trust me, you can’t miss it.

This list is more about showcasing individual buildings/structures and ones I feel are worthy of a visit if you are interested in the history of the Soviet Union or have a passion for obscure architecture. I am not giving out any transportation information on this one as I did with my Kiev guide, simply for the sheer fact that the majority of these are within walking distance of one another. I also did not give specific addresses as some of these are so abandoned that it is just easier to use the mobile unresponsive map (seriously, thanks Google) provided above.

LAZAR GLOBA SUMMER THEATRE

What an odd structure this one is. Built in 1978, this theatre is one of the symbols of Dnipro, despite not really being able to find out too much about it from a traveler’s perspective. The locals refer to it as ‘the shell’. The theatre can be found inside of Lazar Globa Park. Soviet architecture aside, this park is worth a visit for Dnipro’s visitors. During the warmer months, you will find cotton candy, cafes, kids running around, theme park rides, a lake filled with swans and little boats, and of course, your standard motorized Hot Wheels-esque cars for kids to enjoy at an affordable price.

PIONEERS PALACE

What good would a Soviet architecture list be without a Pioneers Palace on there? Dnipro’s Pioneers Palace actually is a newer addition to the city having just opened its doors in 1990. I never made it down to the grounds itself, but instead saw it from above with power lines obstructing my view. Next time I am in the city I will get a better glimpse at the place.

POPLAVOK RESTAURANT

UFO looking restaurant? Check. On an industrial river? Check. Another famed Soviet structure lurking in the background? Check. Poplavok Restaurant is a restaurant/lounge that sits atop the Dnieper and is a very renowned place in Dnipro. Construction on this restaurant began in 1976 and it is still in operation today. Depending on what side of the restaurant’s pier you stand on, you get a different view. I think I preferred the angle with Hotel Parus in the background.

HOTEL PARUS

As a foreigner, if I was to envision one building that was a symbol of Dnipro, I would envision this one. Abandoned and haunting, Hotel Parus stands as a symbol of what could have been for this city. This hotel was built by the Soviets and construction ceased when funding ran dry. It has been left to rot on the shores of the Dnieper ever since.

Hotel Parus was open to the public until just a year or so ago. Evidently, teens went up there to drink and get rowdy and there was more than one incident of a teen falling to their death inside the structure. It was also rumored that the Dnipropetrovsk Maniacs took refuge here years ago throughout their killing spree.

You can get inside of Hotel Parus today if you’re willing to bribe the guards. No thanks. If open to the public again, I’d love to climb to the top to get that spectacular view of the city I have seen so many photos of. Nevertheless, there is no telling how long Hotel Parus will grace the Dnieper’s shores in Dnipro… there is constant talk of tearing it down as it serves little purpose to a community desperately trying to rid themselves of all things Soviet. We shall see…

MONASTYRSKIY ISLAND

Taras Shevchenko Park has two parts to it- one is on an island called Monastyrskiy Island and one is on the mainland where the city is. I didn’t explore too deeply on the mainland part but did spend a lot of time on Monastyrskiy Island. It was Women’s Day when I was in Dnipro and the city sure didn’t disappoint with festivals, activities, and celebrations. The park has a church, old restaurants, marina, theme park, etc.

In reality, this park and island aren’t Soviet at all. It dates back long before the Soviet Union was even close to being in existence. But, there are remnants of the Soviet Union scattered throughout the park whether it be a restaurant, shashlik joint, Ferris wheel, or its zoo. I stopped for a beer inside of an overgrown kiosk and shashlik joint that had a massive mural of Khor Virap in Armenia as its bar backdrop. This island is definitely a can’t miss for an afternoon stroll.

RESTAURANT MAYAK

I really do not know too much about this building except that you can get a nice glimpse of it leaving Monastyrskiy Island. Once you catch that first glimpse, it will leave you a bit intrigued. Designed by Elvina Davydova, I actually can’t find information anywhere confirming if this place is still open or not. Some sites give hours for it (daily from 0800-2000) and then others have nothing. I’d be curious to find out when I get back there.

LENIN PALACE OF CULTURE ‘ILYICH’

Perhaps one of the better-known sites for ‘zabroshki’, or urban exploration in Dnipro, this beauty opened in 1932 and has been left abandoned and to nature since 2000. It is a commonplace for locals to visit… it even has its own Instagram account and Facebook page. Atlas Obscura just released a post about it less than a month ago, getting the word out there even more. It is also home to a yearly arts festival called the Construction Festival (the city gives permission for this to occur).

Palace of Culture Ilyich in Dnipro, Ukraine

ROCKET PARK

Rocket Park is small and there is not much to do or see there. But the reason that Dnipro was closed off during the years of the Soviet Union was that the city is home to missile manufacturer, Yuzhmash. The missiles and parts manufactured in Dnipro were used in the famous Space Race between the USA and the Soviet Union as well as preparation for a Cold War turns Nuclear War.

The reason my middle school had bomb shelters was that of what was produced at Yuzhmash (and I’m sure they had something to the contrary in regards to the missile production in my country). Rocket Park is not located where Yuzhmash is, but rather in the center of Dnipro. Today there are some rockets on display and memorials to soldiers recently deceased from the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

OLD CIRCUS

Most people don’t realize this, but Dnipro has two circus buildings. The very famous one is still in use today, but the old one is gated up and has been left abandoned. You really can’t find much information out there about it, and I actually didn’t even know if it was still standing before going on a quest to find it. But it is still there, rotting away. While I would have liked to have gone inside, I am certain it was guarded and I have read that nothing is left of the place and the inside is far less captivating than its outside.

The Old Circus building opened with an act from the Belarusian circus on June 23, 1960. The architect behind it was Vladimir Zhukov and it was built in the typical Stalinesque architecture one can find littering Dnipro. This circus remained Dnipro’s only until 1980 when the new building by the river took over all shows as the old building had no heating and was limited to having performances solely in the warmer months. You can find the Old Circus in front of the city market “Ozerka”.

NEW CIRCUS

The new circus building in Dnipro opened in 1980 and is still in use today. It has a capacity of 1,914.

ACCOMMODATION FOR CIRCUS ARTISTS

A construction project that began in 1985, this very brutal structure was the brainchild of Oleg Tchmona and is situated directly beside Dnipro’s new circus building. I have to admit, I had no idea what it was, but it fascinated me. I stayed next door to it and saw it nearly six times a day when in Dnipro and grew more and more mystified by it. I found that I was more into this building than the new circus building itself.

Dnipro is completely overshadowed by Kiev, and rightfully so. Kiev is one of the greatest cities I have ever been to and there is a plethora of things to do in Kyiv. Nothing in Ukraine compares. But, Dnipro definitely warrants more tourism than it deserves. Soviet architecture enthusiasts will have a field day there. There is definitely a cool, modern, and hip side to the city, on the other hand… and I plan to write about that soon. In the meantime, I hope that if you’re into Ukraine and Soviet Modernism that this post finds you well.