26 April 1986 – 2026

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Some might still remember those days.

It was around spring break.

Easter was just around the corner. Hence, Easter preparations were in full swing.

Officials stayed quiet until that was no longer an option. And even then, there was barely any reporting.

Business trips to that area or the surrounding area could not be canceled. People were forced to go. They returned with strange coughs that nobody could explain…or were not allowed to explain, out loud.

In classrooms, students were advised what to do in case of a nuclear explosion.

Cancer made a comeback. First, touching those who’d been in remission for years, and then the very young and the very old.

Radiation touched everything and everybody: the grass, the cows that ate the grass, their milk and meat, and the people drinking the milk and eating the meat. Some of those people insisted on keeping their picnic plans. After all, radiation was in the air, but so was spring….

The Chernobyl site has been void of humans for decades now. Some dogs, “the dogs of Chernobyl” have survived.

Photographers and journalists have been brave enough to document the site. The remains of the town that once was, as well as its (hi)story, before and since April 26, 1986.