Foto: The Chernobyl reactor (bron: -)
Ukraine - The Chernobyl nuclear disaster was a major accident involving one of the reactors at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, which occurred in 1986 near the town of the same name in Ukraine (then part of the Soviet Union), close to the Belarusian border. The reactor exploded in the middle of the night, while most of Chernobyl’s residents were asleep. The area around Chernobyl and Pripyat was sealed off due to the high levels of radiation. With no people living there anymore, nature has taken over. The area has become a true nature reserve, home to rare flora and fauna. Trips to Chernobyl are organized to witness this natural recovery. Visitors can also see the power plant itself, although they are monitored by the SBU (Ukrainian secret service), which guards the site due to the remaining—and potentially usable—uranium, which could be used for terrorist purposes. Tours were stopped in 2011 due to controversy over the large profits made by a government ministry. However, in 2013, trips to Chernobyl resumed through various private travel agencies.
Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv
Ukraine - The Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv is one of Ukraine’s most famous monuments on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The church's name is derived from the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. It was built in the 11th century and served as the burial place of ...
The SpasoPreobrazhensky Cathedral of Odessa
Ukraine - The Cathedral of the Holy Transfiguration is a Ukrainian Orthodox cathedral in the Ukrainian city of Odessa. Empress Catherine the Great, the founder of Odessa, commissioned the construction of a church dedicated to the Transfiguration of the Lord. Construction ...