Abandoned village Korogod, Chernobyl exclusion zone

On the eve of the accident, 934 people lived in Korohod: 466 households, an eight-year school, a community club, a library and even its own maternity ward. Erasing that life took three days — from 4 to 7 May 1986.

Quick Facts

What It Is and Why People Come Here

Korohod is one of the Polissia villages that emptied forever after the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident. Unlike ghost cities such as Prypiat, this is the rural «cross-section» of the catastrophe: cottages, vegetable plots, a village school and club, all swallowed by the forest.

People come here for the quiet, un-Hollywood truth about Chornobyl: not tower blocks, but an ordinary village that simply ceased to exist in three days.

History

Until the 1970s, this was actually two villages: the northern part was called Malyi (Small) Korohod, the southern part Velykyi (Large) Korohod, later merged into one. In 1971, the combined settlement had 1,395 residents.

On the eve of the accident the village had 934 residents and 466 households, and Korohod served as the local council centre. It had an eight-year school, community club, library and maternity ward — a fully functioning Polissia village.

The village was fully evacuated 4–7 May 1986 — as part of the mass evacuation in which more than 116,000 people were removed from the 30-kilometre exclusion zone.

Legends and Zone Lore

1. The Self-Settlers Who Returned

As in many zone villages, after the evacuation some people quietly crept back to their homes — the so-called samosely (self-settlers). Their stubbornness has taken on an almost legendary quality: people who chose radiation at home over safety in a strange place.

2. The Forest That Eats the Village

Over decades without people, the Polissia forest is literally consuming Korohod: trees grow up through floors, cottages disappear into undergrowth. Local guides say the zone «takes back what is hers» — an image that is more ecology than mysticism.

What to See on Site

Village buildings. Polissia cottages, farm outbuildings, fence remnants — everything the forest is consuming.

Community buildings. Traces of the school, club and library — the former heart of the village community.

Rewilded nature. The exclusion zone has become an unexpected nature reserve: forest, wildlife and silence without humans.

Getting There

Organised tours only. The Chornobyl Exclusion Zone is a restricted-access area. Entry requires an official permit and a guide, normally as part of an authorised tour.

Important. Access to the zone depends on the security situation: rules have changed since 2022. Always check current access conditions before planning your visit.

Visitor Checklist

• Bring: an official permit and guide — entry without these is not allowed.
• Bring: closed clothing and shoes, water.
• Check: whether the zone is currently open to visitors.
• Don’t: touch objects or remove anything from the zone.
• Don’t: stray from the route or your guide’s instructions.

Frequently Asked Questions

When was Korohod evacuated?

The village was fully evacuated 4–7 May 1986 during the mass evacuation of the 30-kilometre zone around the Chornobyl NPP.

Can you visit independently?

No. This is an exclusion zone with restricted access: an official permit and guide are required, normally as part of an authorised tour.

How many people lived in the village before the accident?

On the eve of the accident, Korohod had 934 residents and 466 households, with a school, club, library and maternity ward.

Korohod is Chornobyl without the set dressing. Not a photogenic tower block, but an ordinary village that had a maternity ward — meaning a place where people were born.

And it is precisely that ordinariness that hits hardest: a catastrophe erases not just cities but quiet, unremarkable lives.