Continuing the Chernobyl Then and Now series, we begin by revisiting shops on Lenin Avenue leading to the Main Square. Before the Chernobyl Disaster, Lenin Avenue connected to the main road from the Chernobyl town. There were three shops located along the main street: baker’s shop “Kolosok”, “Fish Meat And Vegetables”, and “Strumok”, shown below in that order. All three shops featured beautiful, detailed mosaics on their walls. There is one more small deli shop “Gastronom” hidden behind an apartment building on the other side of the street.
We turn left and go behind the apartment buildings just before the Main Square to find three further shops adjacent to each other – a piano shop, a liquor shop and a household goods shop. Once full of TV and radio sets, washing machines, alarm clocks and other gadgets, today it reminds us about the wealth Pripyat residents had access to, compared to the rest of the country often struggling with supplies of some basic commodities.
We continue the journey further north with a quick visit to the Pripyat Post Office located by the Main Square, on Lazareva Street The building also housed a communications centre where Pripyat citizens could use public telephones or send telegrams. Behind the three Post Office employees we can see one of the most iconic murals in Pripyat of a woman and a cosmonaut with “USSR Postal Service” written on a banner between them.
Further in the northwest direction we find ourselves in the IV Microdistrict of Pripyat, in the “Yubileyny” Shopping Centre on the corner of Lazareva and Sportyvna streets. Time for a haircut.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Establishing the rightful owner of the “before” photographs was difficult due to the number of copies shared online. Many of those I used belong to PRIPYAT.COM project with permission for non-commercial use and can be found in the gallery here: http://pripyat.com/gallery/pripyat-do-avarii.html
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Thank you so much for your beautiful work! I love all of your articles. This is one reason why i stay more and more in front of the PC. There are such beautiful blogs out there, i have to read so much and can`t resist.
Prypjat and his history is very fascinating for me. I also love the soviet living and style. I worked with some people from ukraine and russia. I also had a girlfriend from St. Petersburg. Beautiful and nice people.
My depest respect goes to the desaster of chernobyl power plant. The russian people are so intelligent in science, mathematics, engineering and medicine. But this chapter went terrible wrong.
No one wants to loose his hometown. Just terrible. They gave their live for saving europe.
I will never forget that. Big Love and Hope from Germany.