Middle School Number 3 is one of 5 secondary schools in Pripyat. Located on Sportivnaya Street, right next door to the indoor swimming pool, it houses the most photographed collection of gas masks in Pripyat.
Hundreds now lie strewn across the floor having been removed from storage by looters in search of the tiny amounts of silver within their filters.
The Russian-made child-sized masks would have been kept on-site during the cold war era and were designed to provide protection against nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) attack.
When in use the school was modern and well equipped with extensive music and sports facilities. Today the structure of the building remains in relatively good condition when compared to many of the other learning establishments of Pripyat. Water damage is not so extensive, especially on the lower floors. Having predominantly wooden window frames they all remain in place with many open. The cast iron radiators, however, are long gone.
Relatively large and centrally located I managed several short visits. For a school, there was considerable variation and I never knew what to expect as I turned into each corridor or walked through a doorway. The many stacks of exercise books a timely reminder of the hundreds of children who once ran through the corridors.
There seems little information on the school (at least in English) so if anyone has any further details please get in contact.
“There will always be sun!” a line from a popular children’s song. The High School itself is shown bottom right. Those pictured include: Inna Lyosik, Andrei Cherkasov, Sergey Vasin, Valery Shevchuk, Guletskii Lesch, Olya Polyakova, Prischepa Lena, Prokofiev Olya, Guletskii, Sadowski ( Pripyat.com)
The middle school in 2011
Middle School Number 3 in winter
The swimming pool complex borders the playground of Middle School Number 3