Marcin Mroz unofficially accessed the closed area of Chernobyl during a military inspection, exposing himself to 7009 microroentgen per minute (584 times the normal radiation), in order to document the current state of the area with interactive panoramas so that we can all remember this tragic event.

click here to view Prypec from a skyscraper's roof

click here to view Devil's wheel

click here to view a school corridor

click here to view in front of a hospital

click here to view a nursery bedroom

"To begin our journey", he tells us, "we must learn a little something about radiation. It is really very simple, and the device we use for measuring radiation levels is called a geiger counter . If you flick it on in Kiev, it will measure about 12-16 microroentgen per hour. In a typical city of Russia and America, it will read 10-12 microroentgen per hour".

click here to view high radiation in Red Forest

In the center of many European cities there are 20 microR per hour, the radioactivity of the stone. One roentgen is 100,000 times the average radiation of a typical city. A dose of 500 roentgens within 5 hours is fatal to humans.
Interestingly enough, it takes about 2 1/2 times that dosage to kill a chicken and over 100 times that to kill a cockroach. This sort of radiation level can not be found in Chernobyl now. In the first days after explosion, some places around the reactor were emitting 3,000-30,000 roentgens per hour.

The firemen, who were sent to put out the reactor fire, were fried on the spot by gamma radiation. The remains of the reactor were entombed within an enormous steel and concrete sarcophagus, so it is now relatively safe to travel to the area - as long as one does not step off of the roadway and does not stick in the wrong places.

click here to view Firemen's monument in Chernobyl

While leaving the closed area, all of his clothes, including his underwear, and even his tripod had to be destroyed because of radiation poisoning.

On September 17, 2007 it was announced that a new steel containment structure would be built to replace the aging and hastily built sarcophagus that currently protects the damaged reactor.
The French-led consortium Novarka will build a giant arch-shaped structure out of steel, 190 metres wide and 200m long to cover the old crumbling concrete dome that is currently in use.

click here to view the Nuclear Power Plant with it's sarcophagus

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko hailed the project:
"Today is probably the first time that we can openly look into the eyes of the national and international community and say that a solution to the problem, that has long been called the Chernobyl problem, was formally found," he said.

Marcin Mroz is sharing his experience in the following interview:

Why did you decide to shoot the Chernobyl panoramas?

This was a quick decision on my side, before that I would not have thought about ever visiting Chernobyl.
I knew about Chernobyl disaster since junior school.
I still remember the school day where we were all forced to drink a special drink that would have postponed the radiation effects.
Anyhow, some of my friends organize many off road races all over Europe to places that are unusual and dangerous such as Chernobyl. One day I received a call from one of them asking me if I wanted to go to Chernobyl. At first I had thought he was kidding but it turned out that it was a realistic offer.
My decision to leave didn't take long. From this moment on I couldn't wait the trip to begin.

Did you need a permission to reach the area ?

We were required to have a passport and personal identification at the border and many other detailed information to reach this closed area. Unfortunately I'm unaware exactly what detailed documentation was filled out because this was completed by my friend. I do know that this area is closed to all public access and we entered this area unofficially as an inspection.

Permissions to shoot panoramas?

No, I did not have permission to photograph, to my knowledge such permission does not exist and we did not receive any information in this regard. There were a couple of places where photography was not allowed; it was the radar construction Eye of Moscow and part of the Chernobyl plant.

Did you expose yourself to dangers?

To a certain degree I believe that we were, walking around buildings and small spaces in a area that has not been maintained properly. Additionally I was exposed to the radiation soiled environment which in itself is very hazardous.
At the Reactor 4 and in the Red Forest we had the highest radiation level readings.
The Dosimeter showed 7009 microroentgen per minute, in comparison to a normal reading range, which would be around 12-20 microroentgen. In the image, the person who is holding this dosimeter is the one of the workers in this closed area. As a nice to know, dosimeter "Bella" is a Russian version of Geiger Muller Counter measuring radiation levels.

What challenges did u face to create these panoramas?

Generally there were many challenges... at first it was raining so I had to cover the camera. Limited time at each site was the biggest challenge because I had to choose between four lenses and I had to manually set the correct exposures, hence requiring a lot of time.

Which technical problems did you have to solve?

Luckily I did not have to overcome any technical problem, meanwhile trying to be ready for anything.

Please describe your feelings/emotions/thoughts when you accessed the area.

When we arrived to the checkpoint, I was a little worried that something may not go as planned. Then the guards came over and checked our documents and we were allowed to enter. As soon as we went through the checkpoint, my worries subsided but the atmosphere grew stronger.
I was terrified just outside of the plant. On the "right side" of the fence I told myself "what am I doing in such unforgiving and dangerous place?"... But nothing could prepare me for what I saw next, when we arrived at the town of Prypec.
Right in front of me there was a town, not much different from my own, but completely abandoned, overgrown with trees and weeds. Everywhere around us there was an unknown silence, without a living thing, otherwise made by a sound of the leafs in the trees. If you think, 21 years ago this was a living town.

How close could you get to the reactor?

The closest panorama to the reactor that I was able to take was from about 400m. We were unable to get any closer, because the entire place is surrounded by concrete walls and barbwire.

Did something change in your feelings, in your thoughts, or even in your life after the visit?

Here I could go on for pages and pages of descriptions, so I will keep it short. I have come back from that area with a great impression on me. I have no doubt this trip is one of the most memorable experiences in my life which I wish to share with all people so that we can all remember this tragic event.

Why and when did you start shooting VR?

My history with VR started in year 1999 when my friend Krzysztof Walder visited me from USA. He showed me the basics of this new technology and how the pictures could be combined in order to make a complete panorama and later view it within QuickTime player. This technology sparked a great interest in me and...well this is how my journey began.

Can you tell us more about your VR activity?

I own a company FROSTGRAFIX which was established in 1995. In year 2000 I began offering panoramas VR to a number of clients. At first, clients were curious but not very interested in this technology. Three years later the VR market picked up, after newer technologies reached Polish market. Today, my company is one of the very few that offers VR services in Poland.

What professional services do you offer?

Besides the web development services I also offer creating the VR panoramas within 360stopni.pl. I shot panoramas from the ground level, elevated panoramas by a 6 m stick, and also panoramas from a helium balloon or a kite. In the future I would also like to offer underwater VR services.

Wirtualne Panoramy, FROSTGRAFIX, Marcin Mroz, ul. Sloneczna 46, 81-605 Gdynia

Links:
View more Chernobyl panoramas
Frostgrafix website
Email: panoramy at 360stopni.pl