# Pripyat Palace...& Shooting Range!



## UrbanX (Jul 4, 2011)

Pripyat Palace of Culture....

I wouldn’t normally bother posting a location report like this. It is a spectacular building, but has been covered so much by other people. 

However… I found places that my guide, who has been coming here for 10 years never knew existed, so I’d like to share it with you….

Sports hall:





















Large lecture theatre:










Mural:










Toddlers pool: Graf allegedly only a couple of days old





Cinema film: 











Vid of a quick balancing walk across the beam above the pool, whilst filming my feet…
*http://youtu.be/gXv9EouXz94*











My attention was drawn from the abacus to a small stairwell leading down into the darkness. I followed it down to a pitch black room, which seemed to be at least as long as the palace. I followed it down for over 100m through the darkness to what seemed like four figures standing at the far end...






It was an underground shooting range! 





25 Years on, and the paper targets still hang undisturbed: 





I take a couple more photos and make my way through the darkness back towards ground level:





I tell my guide about the shooting range and he is amazed that he’s never seen it. He also reminds me that it’s forbidden to go underground. 

After my previous Pripyat rooftop antics (www.urbanxphotography.co.uk/rooftopping) I was hooked. 

Although I love it underground it’s time to head to the roof. Making sure the guide was distracted two of us slipped away and found a quick route up six stories to the roof:











The back of the palace offered nice views across to the Ferris wheel (I know, I know I said I wouldn’t post any pics of it!) 






The back is great, but the front is better. I’d seen a lot of photos of how the palace looked in it’s hey day, with it’s iconic rooftop sign: 































One more from the 1970’s: Note the Ferris wheel in the background, same location, but different wheel. 





We hear the guide honk the horn on our vehicle, and we decided to race back down, one last moody shot:


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## klempner69 (Jul 4, 2011)

Very interesting stuff Li.Any news/developements on the closure?


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## UrbanX (Jul 4, 2011)

klempner69 said:


> Very interesting stuff Li.Any news/developements on the closure?



Hmm... one minister reckons it will be open in "Nearest Future" 
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90777/90853/7425703.html


> The Ukraine minister of emergency situations said Wednesday that suddenly prohibited tours to the Chernobyl zone will resume in a month.
> 
> "I had a conversation with the attorney general and we will soon resolve the issue. It will happen in one or two weeks maximum and after a month the trips would resume definitely," Minister Viktor Baloga told reporters.
> 
> ...


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## Janey68 (Jul 4, 2011)

Wow and once again wow!!!!!

Amazing pics once again......love them


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## nelly (Jul 5, 2011)

You wouldn't have got me up that ladder!!!! 

Well, done, fantastic photos again and as always a brilliant story to go with it.


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## night crawler (Jul 5, 2011)

I love the way you keep teasing us with more excilent photo's of this place, keeps you waiting with bated breath for the next instalment.


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## UrbanX (Jul 6, 2011)

night crawler said:


> I love the way you keep teasing us with more excilent photo's of this place, keeps you waiting with bated breath for the next instalment.



Lol, I am a tease! 

I have a few more I intend to post here before leaving the zone. I'm currently writing a "Getting to, and living in Chernobyl report, which is 99% urbex related, but I wasn't sure if it was 100% relevant here... 

I'll def post you a link either way when it's done. 

Cheers for all the positive comments guys and gals, it makes the hours of swearing at Photobox worth it...


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