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in Chernobyl

Cooling Pond Channelin Chernobyl, Ukraine

#4of 28 places to visitin Chernobyl

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How to feed giant catfish in ChernobylHow to see the giant secret station Duga-radar in ChernobylHow to see animals living in the ghost town in ChernobylHow to climb to the secret station Duga radar in ChernobylHow to climb up the the roof of 16-story building in ChernobylHow to climb onto the abandoned port crane in ChernobylHow to see ghost houses in the exclusion zone in Chernobyl
14 things to doin Chernobyl

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An artificial reservoir built to cool the reactors of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is the habitat of the giant catfish.
Cooling Pond Channel, Chernobyl
The artificial pond of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and its channels were created to cool its reactors. During the accident at the station in the cooling pond, fragments of the exploded reactor as well as many other contaminated elements were thrown away.

Now the level of water pollution in the pond has significantly decreased - radioactive nuclides have settled to the bottom and covered with bottom sediments.

Cooling pond canal near the Pripyat and Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant
Photo: Cooling pond canal near the Pripyat and Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, © Timon

Nowadays, from the bridge over the canal, plant workers and visitors feed fishes including huge catfishes, some them weigh from 70 kilograms and reach a length of three or more meters!

Things to do here 1

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#1Feed giant catfish in ChernobylFeed giant catfishДарья Слепакова

Chernobyl cooling pond is the habitat of one's of the most giant catfishes. Do not miss the opportunity to feed these creatures!

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Cooling Pond Channel on the map

Location: Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant
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TOP-28places to visit
in Chernobyl
Exclusion Zone →#5 of 28

Tours & excursions 3

#4Cruise on the ship to Chernobyl and PripyatCruise on the ship to Chernobyl and Pripyat

Get a sea of thrills from a boat trip to the lost world of a dead city.

UAH 335000/tour
#2One-day private tour (Chernobyl + Pripyat) from KievOne-day private tour (Chernobyl + Pripyat) from Kiev

One day in the Exclusion Zone and you will learn everything about this desolate tragical place.

UAH 1794+/person
#3Urgent one-day tour (Chernobyl + Pripyat) from KievUrgent one-day tour (Chernobyl + Pripyat) from Kiev

The most horrifying post apocalyptic picture of Chernobyl and Pripyat in one day

UAH 3999+/person

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Guest26 March 2025

More places to visit in Chernobyl

#6USSR 16-story building in ChernobylUSSR 16-story building

One of the few sixteen-story buildings built in Pripyat. if you rise up here, you can see the city as on the palm of your hand.

#1Pripyat in ChernobylPripyat

A dead and long-neglected ghost town is widely known throughout the world after the tragedy that occurred at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

#26The Red Forrest in ChernobylThe Red Forrest

Trees in the forest became frighteningly red and their radioactive glow could be seen in the night, because of the radioactive substances ejection into the atmosphere.

#14NPP observation deck in ChernobylNPP observation deck

You can see the sarcophagus, which is covering the fourth reactor, and the other parts of Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant right from here.

#25Pripyat Sign in ChernobylPripyat Sign

At the entrance to Pripyat the impressive size sign with the name of the city is located. It looks like the monument, but for USSR it was too normal.

#27Morgue of MSCh-126 in ChernobylMorgue of MSCh-126

Morgue is located near by the Hospital MSCh-126. This is one of the most creepy and frightening places in the ghost town of Pripyat.

#23KGB building in ChernobylKGB building

Shortly before the Chernobyl disaster, here, in Pripyat, located in a couple kilometers from the power plant, the construction of the KGB building began.

#12Buryakovka machinery graveyard in ChernobylBuryakovka machinery graveyard

By the influence of time and weather, the surfaces of objects at the cemetery became rusty, look gloomy and sad.

#11Amusement park in ChernobylAmusement park

An amazingly tempting and simultaneously frightening place, which has become popular thank to many games and movies - is truly worthy of its reputation.

#18Lenin monument in ChernobylLenin monument

The monument in honour of the first Union of Soviet Socialist Republics leader is still located in the deserted dismal Chernobyl city.

#5Exclusion Zone in ChernobylExclusion Zone

The most contaminated with radiation area around the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant was named a 30-kilometer exclusion zone.

#17Music school in ChernobylMusic school

This school is a true example of the post-apocalyptic atmosphere of the gloomy, dark, abandoned Pripyat ghost town.

Photo credit © Eamonn Butler