Kurchatov city — Chernobyl’s Twin
No, we don’t mean that somewhere nearby Kursk there is an exploded nuclear reactor abandoned town and only inhibited by mutated animals or plants. But this article will be rather interesting for readers as we discovered info that are genuinely not available in English!
Pronounciation: Not ‘Kurchatov’ but rather ‘Kurchatough’
First and foremost, Kurchatov city initially was nothing more but an average Russian village, but due to the fact there is a huge lake in its geographical landscape, the Soviet government decided to build a nuclear reactor there to provide efficient energy supply. The lake will act as a coolant to the high levels of heat produced in the nuclear fission process.
The name Kurchatov itself was due to a tribute to the Soviet nuclear physicist and father of Soviet atomic bomb, Igor Vasiliyevich Kurchatov (1903–1960). Let’s clear some doubts, Igor Kurchatov was not from Kursk region as the city of Kurchatov was founded in 1968. He was not involved with the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki either as those were by the Americans who discovered the hydrogen bomb earlier. Igor Kurchatov was a smart man and dedicated his life to science. He even swore that he would not trim his beard until the A-bomb program will be a success. He continued to grow a large beard for the rest of his life, earning him the nickname “The Beard”.
So in 1968, 2 giant groups of youth age 20–24 were brought into the region for development of the city: Engineers for the Nuclear Power Plant (Energetikov) and Builders (Stroiteltsva). So the names of their 2 main twin streets are dedicated after them.
So now, let's travel! How to reach here?
Make your way to 50 let oktyabrya bus stop. There you will find hourly vans that go to Kurchatov bus station. The trip was 45 mins and costs 100 rubles. Be aware as we believe some vans charge a little higher (120 rubles) as their final stop is further from Kurchatov.
So once you reached the bus station (Avtostansiya), head towards ‘Pamyatnik Gagarinu’ as that is the best view of the promenade along the lake accompanied by a sculpture to Yuri Gagarin, the first man who traveled to space. The promenade is a lovely place to feel the strong breezy winds, the melodic sound of water crashing the shores, and a smooth walk along the promenade as well.
Next, you should head to the Local Lore Museum which only costed us 50 rubles as a student while 100 rubles otherwise. We did not order an excursion, but the curator of the museum was very excited to receive us and gave us an almost full tour of the museum. It was awesome and epic to find Mammoth jaws, precious metals, and many interesting archaeological artifacts. Go see it for yourself to be amazed.
Another curator guided us and gave us all the info as we mentioned above regarding to the history of the city, facts on the Nuclear Power Station and even the times of World War 2. She even said with a serious grim yet a genuine smile on her face that: “Kurchatov people are considered strong, smart, and full of energy, as the youth who came here 50 plus years ago were physically strong (builders) or mentally smart (engineers)”.
We felt their tone of excitement to receive us and as well a little sadness as they were touched that foreign visitors know about their museum while even local Kurchatov people do not know about the existence of a local museum. Hence do support them when you are there :)
Next up, another interesting figure who basically saved the city and millions of lives from kilometres away! The unsung hero’s name was Tom Petrovich Nikolayev who was a nuclear scientist. He was also a student of the late Igor Kurchatov and fellow genius. Being the first chief engineer of Kurchatov’s Nuclear Power Plant, he was a man of principles who strictly made sure that safety comes first.
Why was he considered a hero of many thankful souls? Because Tom Nikolaev DENIED the experimentation program that was supposed to be carried out in Kurchatov. His calculations along other scientists concluded that the specific experiment to be done would end up disastrous. After being denied by Tome Petrovich, the experiment program was held in Chernobyl, Ukraine. Both Chernobyl’s Nuclear station and Kurchatov’s Nuclear station were built like identical twins. It was considered a modern Nuclear facility during its time. That is why the experimentation program went to Chernobyl.
Unfortunately, on 26 April 1986 the ‘Chernobyl disaster’ was forever printed in history. The citizens of Kurchatov was truly blessed and grateful for Tom Nikolaev for denying the experimentation program to be authorized in Kurchatov’s Power Plant. Today you can see the monument dedicated to him located on the main square.
So that’s about the main history of Kurchatov, now to go for sight-seeing, first up will be the Serafimskaya Tserkov. We could easily nickname it into the ‘Gingerbread’ church, but everyone has their own opinion. During spring and summer, the gardens are filled with dozens of flowers that are very pleasant to the eyes and adds more details to your Instagram worthy shots. Inside the church, you can find various jaw-dropping paintings and murals.
Just behind the church, you will find the Kurchatov Bird Park that only works on summer months from 10am — 5pm. Various exotic birds and chickens can be seen. Surprisingly, it is free entrance to visitors. Don’t miss this opportunity.
Last but not least, the ultimate ‘attraction’ and the soul of the city: Kurskaya Atomnaya Energiya Stantsiya (AES) a.k.a Kurchatov Nuclear Power Plant. Please take note that the Power Plant itself is not a tourist attraction and is dangerous. But we have discovered a little spot that will make your whole journey worth it. It is even unavailable on google maps, but we will give you the coordinates.
It is essentially called the Observation Deck (Smotrovaya Ploshadka) of the Power Plant, which is nothing more than a platfrom that is situated on a high hill that gives you a complete panorama of Kurchatov and the amazing Nuclear Power Plant. No doubt that it will be more beautiful in the night but since time was our enemy, we could not stay long.
To our disappointment, there was no public transport that goes there and even some locals had no idea about it when we inquired for details. We ordered a cab via Yandex taxi which was 350 rubles from the city center. When we decided to return, Yandex app showed that they do not operate in this region, which was just ridiculous.
They provided alternative taxi company numbers on the app, so we called them and ordered a taxi from Smotrovaya Ploshadka to Avtostansiya to capture the van back to Kursk. Eventually, the taxi driver came and dropped us at the bus station. Improve your Russian speaking skills before wanting to reach the Observation Deck.
Coordinates: 51.696256, 35.587452
So in conclusion a day trip to Kurchatov will definitely be sweet and fruitful as long you stay safe and able to navigate yourself around.
