Pripyat Azure Swimming Pool & Chernobyl-2 Sports Hall

Pripyat Azure Swimming Pool

The Pripyat Azure Swimming Pool (Lazúrnyj) is a famous abandoned swimming pool. This is one of three swimming pools which existed in Pripyat. The building lies deep in the 20km Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.

This large pool opened in 1970, and features a basketball court and sports hall in an adjacent room. The swimming pool has a huge glass frontage and two diving boards. Recently, this location was also featured as a level in the video game Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

Surprisingly, the Azure Swimming Pool remained in operation long after the 1986 disaster. Liquidators and other parties kept the Azure Swimming Pool in operation until 1998. Widely considered to be the cleanest place in the Exclusion Zone, workers would enjoy this clean and inviting sports complex. The Azure Swimming Pool closed in 1998 after a health inspection.

Ravaged by over two decades of decay, the pool is only a shadow of its former self. The large window frames are now totally devoid of glass.

Chernobyl-2 Military Base Sports Hall

Chernobyl-2 was a small military town, built for the workers of the Duga-1 radar site. The social club was a meeting place for the community of this small town. There is a gymnasium with vaulting box and wonderfully decaying wooden floor. On the walls are original posters with cartoons depicting sporting events. There is green mould on the walls and ceiling, and clumps of moss colonising the floor. Cyrillic alphabet lettering adores the wall, flaking away over time.