Komsomol Kindergarten PMK-169

The Komsomol Kindergarten is a small, crumbling building located in the PMK-169 district just outside the Pripyat city limits. This school once served the children of young workers who prepared the land for the famous nuclear power plant. Today, the building is a shell of its former self, destroyed by years of neglect and the hands of looters.

The name of the school comes from a very famous Soviet youth group. Almost every teenager over the age of 14 was a member of this “Communist Union of Youth.” For many people, it was not just about politics. It was a normal part of growing up where they made friends and learned new skills. Most former members still have happy memories of their time in the group, which they saw as a step toward becoming successful adults.

Building the Foundation
The district where the kindergarten sits was a special settlement for these young workers. Before the power plant or the city of Pripyat even existed, these people arrived to drain the local swamps. They worked hard to turn the wet marshland into solid ground so the giant reactors could be built. Over time, the settlement grew into a small village with its own homes and this little preschool for the workers’ children.

A Delayed Evacuation
When the disaster happened in 1986, the people in this village had to wait longer than their neighbors in the city. While Pripyat was emptied quickly, the residents of PMK-169 were not evacuated until a full week later. This delay meant they were exposed to much more radiation than those who lived in the center of town. After they left, the village was abandoned and left to the forest.

What is Left Today
Because the kindergarten was small and hidden away, it did not stay in good shape. Thieves have taken almost everything of value from the inside. The roof is falling in, and the walls are covered in moss and dirt. You can still see a few small chairs or broken toys scattered in the rooms, but the happy sounds of children are long gone. It stands as a quiet reminder of the young workers who built the very foundation of the Chernobyl zone.

The ruins of the Komsomol Kindergarten show how the forest is slowly swallowing the history of the people who built the city.