The village of Zalissya is usually the first one one encounters upon entering the Chernobyl exclusion zone. It is located just over 25 kilometers from the nuclear power plant, near the Dytyatky Checkpoint. It was the first village in the zone to be completely abandoned, in May 1986. Its 3,200 inhabitants left only slowly, initially unaware of the unfolding disaster just 25 kilometers away. This lively and thriving village had a supermarket, a cultural center, a hospital, and a school. The cultural center, as in many Ukrainian villages, was the community center. A meeting place, library, and concert hall were combined into a single, imposing building. Today, the village lies deserted, its buildings swallowed up by the surrounding forest, and an eerie calm hangs in the air.