16-floors Skyscrapers twins, Pripyat

On the rooftops of two white 16-story towers in Pripyat, giant Soviet state emblems still hang. The country that put them there is long gone. So is the city below them. But the emblems remain.

These are the twin skyscrapers — the tallest residential buildings in the ghost city and one of its most iconic panoramas. They’re the go-to image when photographers want a single frame to say: «Pripyat is frozen in the Soviet era forever.»

Location Card

In This Article

1. What this place is and why people come here
2. History: the high-rises of a model city
3. Legends and local lore
4. What to see on site
5. Getting there and access
6. Traveller’s checklist
7. Frequently asked questions

What this place is and why people come here

The twin skyscrapers are two white 16-story residential towers on Lesi Ukrainky Street — the tallest buildings in Pripyat. Their defining feature: large Soviet state emblems on the rooftops, visible from far away, that turned ordinary high-rises into an enduring symbol.

People come here for two reasons. First — the USSR emblem itself: a rare case where an ideological sign of a bygone era stayed up, literally hovering over an abandoned city. Second — the view: from the upper floors you get the best panorama of the entire forest-swallowed Pripyat, a must-see off the beaten path shot.

For Pripyat these were «premium comfort» apartments — the so-called Kyiv type, of which only a handful existed in the city. Living here was considered prestigious.

History: the high-rises of a model city

Pripyat was built from 1970 as a showcase city for Soviet nuclear energy. It was meant to embody the «city of the future»: wide boulevards, modern architecture, a standard of comfort that most of the USSR could only dream of.

The twin 16-story towers became the architectural centrepieces of that vision. White, tall, crowned with state emblems, they anchored the city-centre skyline alongside the Polissya Hotel, the Energetyk Palace of Culture, and the Ferris wheel.

The emblem on the roof was meant to symbolise the state’s greatness over its model city. Today it symbolises something closer to the opposite: a relic of an empire that outlasted both the empire itself and the city the empire was so proud of.

After the evacuation on 27 April 1986 the buildings emptied along with the rest of the city. Apartments were eventually looted, but the emblems at the top of a 16-story drop proved impossible to reach — and so they survived.

Legends and local lore

The tallest buildings in the ghost city were bound to collect stories.

1. The emblem that «couldn’t be taken down»

Stalkers (urban explorers of the Zone) trade different theories about why the Soviet emblems are still in place: from «too dangerous to climb up there» to «deliberately left as an exhibit.» The most likely explanation is mundane — removing a heavy structure from the roof of a 16-story building is hard and nobody needs to bother. But admit it: the «sign that refused to leave» version sounds far more compelling.

2. The roof where you can see everything

Reaching the twins’ rooftop was for years a «must-do» for stalkers: from up there Pripyat spreads out like a map — forest swallowing entire neighbourhoods, the Chornobyl NPP (Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant) silhouetted on the horizon. Hence the claim that this is the single best vantage point for grasping the full scale of what happened.

3. The buildings holding up the sky

There is also a grimmer modern legend: every year the structures decay further, and eventually the emblems will fall with the roofs. Meaning the symbol that outlasted an empire will ultimately lose to the most patient adversary of all — time.

What to see on site

The rooftop emblems. The main reason to visit. Best viewed from ground level at a slight distance, when the full height of the tower and its emblem fit in a single frame.

Pripyat panorama. The twins are the city’s highest point, making the views of the overgrown blocks around them particularly dramatic — a hidden gem for photographers.

The adjacent city centre. Nearby are the central square, the Polissya Hotel, and the Energetyk Palace of Culture. All are worth exploring together. For the full picture, see our overview of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.

Getting there and access

Important. The towers are located inside the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Access is only possible through an organised tour with official permits and an authorised guide.

Current status. Due to the full-scale war, the Zone’s temporary occupation in early 2022, and ongoing demining of parts of the territory, tourist access is currently closed. Note also that even before the war, climbing to the rooftops or entering the stairwells was strictly prohibited due to structural hazards.

Landmark. Lesi Ukrainky Street, central Pripyat. The towers are visible from many points around the city thanks to their height.

Traveller’s checklist

When the Zone reopens:

• Official tour and permit: mandatory.
• Geiger counter: radiation levels in the city centre are uneven.
• Telephoto lens: to shoot the emblem up close without climbing onto the roof.
• Sturdy footwear: rubble and dense vegetation surround the buildings.
• Common sense: no solo climbs onto structurally unsafe rooftops.

What NOT to do: attempt the roof or upper floors without a guide — this is one of the leading causes of tragedies in the Zone.

Frequently asked questions

Why are the Soviet emblems still on the rooftops?

Because removing a heavy structure from the top of a 16-story building is difficult and nobody has needed to bother. So they survived, unlike the looted contents of the apartments below.

Are these the tallest buildings in Pripyat?

Yes, the twin 16-story towers on Lesi Ukrainky Street are the tallest residential buildings in the city — the so-called Kyiv type, of which only a handful were ever built in Pripyat.

Can you go up to the roof?

Not currently — the Zone is closed. And even before the war, rooftop climbs were prohibited due to structural hazards, despite being a popular stunt among stalkers.

Can you visit the twin towers of Pripyat now?

Not at present. Tourist access to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone remains closed due to the war and ongoing demining operations. Check the latest official announcements for updates.

The twin skyscrapers may be the most precise single-frame summary of Pripyat there is. The city was built to project state power, and they crowned it with emblems on the highest rooftops in town.

Now, beneath those emblems, there is neither state nor residents — only forest, silence, and wind on the sixteenth floor. The symbol outlasted everything it was meant to symbolise. And that, perhaps, is the most eloquent thing Pripyat has ever said about its era.