"ЧЕРНОБЫЛЬ"

On April 26, 1986, a nuclear reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded, ejecting radioactive substances into the atmosphere, especially during the first few days. The evacuation of the inhabitants took place step by step in an area of more than 30 km.

Two years ago, Engelbert Reis (Gars am Kamp, Lower Austria) traveled the restricted area in the Chornobyl region with his own guide. There is much to discover in his photographs: the streets lie abandoned, overgrown with trees; schools or music schools without children; hospitals without patients, nurses and doctors; a Ferris wheel rusting away; swimming pools without water; a leisure harbor without hustle and bustle; residential buildings, factory buildings, post office and church are deserted.

Engelbert Reis, born in 1952, studied law in Vienna and has been self-employed since 1982. For more than 40 years, he has been involved in photography alongside his professional activities. The beauty of the ephemeral and the morbid always appears in his motifs.

He has acquired great mastery in the production of salt prints and other photographic processes from the early days of photography. The photo exhibition is a small building block in the courageous efforts of the city of Zittau and the region to apply for the title of European Capital of Culture 2025. Until the end of July 2019, all visitors can view these photos during the opening hours of the university library in Zittau.