Inside the Sargophagus

Not the Sarcophagus

Many of us are curious about Reactor 4 and the Sarcophagus, but for what reason? To make a scientific experience; because of an obsession or just to have been there?

Already I've heard from people who desperately want to get into the Sarcophagus due to beliefs that it hides and protects a secret, and in this way the 4th Reactor of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant has already become a myth. Trust me when I say that there are no treasures hidden in there. 

The slaves of ancient Egypt, who built the graves and monuments for their Pharaos were said to bury many secrets with their lords. Ancient Egypt were a realm that worshipped death, and they prepared the Pharaos' sarcophagi for an afterlife. In Chernobyl, there's only half ife, and inside the Sarcophacus, death is served in portions.

A number of people have work and education to accomplish in which Chernobyl and the 4th reactor become relevant, and recently I was introduced to one of them. 

Janne Wallenius is a professor in reactor physics and the deputy head of the physics department of KTH (Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan,  Stockholm, Sweden) and every second year enters the Zone with Postgraduate students, as a part of their education.

In 2009, he had the rare opportunity of entering the control room of the 4th reactor of CHNPP...

An exception was made. He reckoned that cameras weren't allowed  in the Sarcophagus, and thus he entered with the camera already turned on...

 Janne Wallenius was 20 meters from the reactor core, of course not allowed to approach further.

Who is writing this?

It's impolite not to introduce yourself - especially if you're trying to be official about something. Today I noticed that this blog has had 146 viewers just over the last 24 hours, and far from all of you can know who I am, so allow me now to make a brief introduction of myself. 

Katja.

My name is Katja. In spite of my name, I'm neither Russian nor Ukrainian, but Sweden is the country of my origins. I live in Gothenburg, where I do most of my business as an artist and employee at the Gothenburg observatory.

Now you may wonder how come that I became so interested in Chernobyl? I could not explain this in enough objective words, but this isn't a new fascination of mine, but something that has been following me for years - ever since I was a child and first learnt about the disaster in April 1986. Already at that time I could read very well, and my interest for science was very strong. The for me new concept of radioactivity then captured my interest, but of how it would affect things, I knew nothing. 

Since then things have changed and my knowledge has grown. History and the human aspects of Chernobyl now thrills me more than the scientific one, and this year I finally could visit the zone, and it increased my interest even more. In this case I'm a researcher and my goal is to find out as much as I can.

But enough of these rants. Stand by for more articles instead.

The 29th of August, 2011

...will be the opening date for my exhibition, at 

Stadsbiblioteket Göteborg  

Götaplatsen 3

402 29 Göteborg,

Sweden

More updates will follow eventually.

Exhibition

On my way back from Ukraine it suddenly struck me what I was supposed to do with these new experiences of mine. I already had quite a fair amount of knowledge about Chernobyl, Pripyat, the disaster, history and so on, but finally I had been there myself, to witness what I could, with my own eyes, and that had mad an impact rather than just an impression.

I hadn't been home for even one day, when I contacted the City Library of Gothenburg, asking them if they'd be interested in letting me have a Chernobyl exhibition and almost immediately I received a positive reply. However, I needed some additional information before I could tell them that I accept their offered premise. Today I have received that information and am OK to go. All that remains is setting a date for this exhibition.

The Chernobyl Project continues.