While we were exploring the Jupiter Factory the clouds broke up and the sun came out, changing the atmosphere in Pripyat from gloomy-spooky to “Let’s enjoy a picnic on this wonderful day!”. Sadly none of us brought any food, but I guess there wouldn’t have been time anyways – “Zolotoj Kluchik” (Golden Key), one of Pripyat’s many kindergartens, was waiting for us…
Although quite close to Lenin Square, Golden Key was surrounded by apartment buildings and at the time of our visit, in late August of 2010, mostly overgrown – we even had to push the green aside to get into the building. A building that was in terrible shape.
One of the staircases was blocked by… I actually forgot, some kind of construction that once was screwed to the wall. The place was seriously vandalized, dilapidations were visible everywhere and I’m sure the mold does one last thing to make this kindergarten one of the next buildings to collapse. Dripping water was audible in a lot of rooms and I generally had a bad feeling about the Golden Key. Furthermore I was getting pretty tired, so I was slowly moving from room to room, taking pictures rather randomly here and there.
I remember taking the picture of a doll in one of the rooms, but it was not until I saw it on a computer screen that I realized how powerful the subject was: A naked plastic doll with grey hair, the arms connected to the body only by a thread, wearing a gas mask. Obviously set up by some really weird photographer – a week ago, a month ago, a year ago? Who knows… The scene was definitely staged, but not at all shocking – not anymore, not after 1.5 days in the Zone Of Alienation. Same with the tea party and the rotten piano for kids. Just the metal tank and truck… I knew that picture would look good! Although I actually didn’t realize there was a gas mask lying in the background when I pushed the shutter release.
I strongly recommend visiting the kindergarten early on a tour, not in the evening of the second day – it was an awesome location I didn’t fully appreciate when being there and I’m really happy how good the pictures turned out to be. But I didn’t even take a video. So we left the Golden Key after just half an hour – and at that point Sebi and Maxim were sitting on the sunny terrace for 20 minutes already…
(If you would like to know more about my trip to the Zone Of Alienation please *click here* to get to the “Chernobyl & Pripyat” special. For a map of the area please *click here*. You can *like Abandoned Kansai on Facebook* and *follow this blog on Twitter* – and of course there is the *video channel on Youtube*…)
Zone Of Alienation – Pripyat: Kindergarten “Zolotoj Kluchik” (Golden Key)
2011/03/10 by Florian / Abandoned Kansai
This was the most moving part of your tour for me… Somehow that book cover made me almost cry. I thought of children of Pripyat… On one hand, I want to visit the city but on the other hand I think to me – what kind of person am I, to be interested in suffering of others. Children once played there, innocent and pure… and then the radiation made them sick, made them suffer and after a long and painful disease they died… It just makes me extremely sad and depressed. Children should play as the children on that book cover. And we, adults, should play too in some way – see Chernobyl disaster when we start to be too serious and we are keen on pride and reputation. Such a tragedy of mankind! Such a tragedy of every individual being!
It is very sad to see the places where children played, and to know that they probably became sick and may have never played again is very sobering. I am confused about why there are so many bed frames, though.
I guess those beds were used for naps… Maybe they were in separate rooms before the catastrophe?