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Nuclear heritage
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Nuclear heritage
The town of Visaginas was built as a satellite of the Ignalina nuclear power plant. Despite the fact that in 2009 December 31 nuclear activity was stopped, you can find many "nuclear" objects in the city.
You can learn about the NPP's past and ongoing activities by visiting the NPP information center, where the principles of nuclear power plant operation, dismantling processes and the circumstances of radioactive waste storage are vividly presented.
You can also book a tour of the power plant in advance. During the tour you can walk through the corridors of the nuclear facility and even feel like a real NPP employee.
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Ignalina nuclear power plant control panel simulator
The heart of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) power unit - the control panel - can be seen up close not only in the power plant but also in the Visaginas Park located by Lake Baltas, 3 km from the city. In 1997, after 2 years of hard work, an exact copy of the NPP control panel was installed here - a simulator with identical buttons, levers, screens and dashboards.
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The atmosphere of a "nuclear" city
When you enter Visaginas, you will immediately feel the atmosphere of a "nuclear" city: near the municipal building, you will be greeted by a sculpture of a stylized bird rising to the sky, built in 1989 in the Leningrad workshop - a crane, which is the official symbol of the city. It means vigilance and caution. After all, these qualities are very important when having such an object as a nuclear power plant. The neighborhood of the Ignalina nuclear power plant required special preparation in order to protect people from the consequences of possible accidents. For this reason, loudspeakers were installed on most apartment buildings throughout the city, through which information would be announced to residents in the event of an emergency. Loudspeakers can be seen on houses even now.
The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant on April 26, 1986 changed the course of the history of Visaginas: confidence in the nuclear power plant with the same type of RBMK ceased.
It is important to mention that approximately 7,000 Lithuanian residents, including approximately 600 residents of Visaginas, participated in the liquidation of the consequences of the Chernobyl accident. Every year, the club of liquidators of the Chernobyl accident "Chernobyliesiai" gathers in the park near Kosmoso st. 40 houses at the memorial stone to honor the dead with a minute of silence. On the order of the Ignalina nuclear power plant, artist Viktoras Tatarenko laid out the mosaic "Man and the Elements" on the wall of a residential building (Sedulinas al. 6), which also reflects the Chernobyl disaster - the ball in the upper right corner symbolizes a cracked peaceful atom.
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„III Unit“
The atmosphere of the atomic plant inspires not only artists, but also businessmen who create names for products and even names for restaurants with the theme of the power plant. In 2008, one of the restaurants opened in the city was ironically called "III Unit". In the center of the logo there is a sign of radiation. Although it is impossible to experience the authentic atomic atmosphere in the cafe, you can definitely find a piece of history in the photos and taste the "Atomine" pizza.