Physical geography and geomorphology, 47, 1–2 (123–124), 40–52

https://doi.org/10.17721/phgg.2024.1-2.05

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Historical landscapes of the Ukrainian uranium industry  
  

Yulian Tyutyunnyk(1), Natalia Pisarevska(1), Serhiy Yarkov(2) 

1) Boris Paton State Polytechnic Museum at the National Technical University of Ukraine  "KPI" named after I. Sikorskyi, 37, Beresteyskyi Ave., Kyiv, 04053, Ukraine

2) Kryvyi Rih State Pedagogical University, 54, University Ave., Kryvyi Rih, 50086, Ukraine

 

Abstract

The history of the creation of nuclear technologies on the territory of modern Ukraine dates to 1910. During the twentieth century, it was distinguished by several scientific and technical innovations and priorities, which until recently were carefully kept silent for political reasons.  The article reconstructs landmark events related to the beginning of the mining and processing of uranium raw materials in Ukraine in the middle of the 20th century. These events created the prerequisites for the manufacture of Soviet atomic weapons. Their history was reflected and imprinted in the industrial, mining, extractive, and urbanized landscapes. Some landscapes continue to perform their social and technological functions, remaining technogenic. Still, most of them are in an abandoned, dilapidated, and destroyed state. They are post-technogenic industrial and urbanized landscapes of areas and places of uranium mining, pyro- and hydrometallurgy of uranium. Since such landscapes are associated with major events in the mining and processing of uranium raw materials, they should be considered historical and belong to the industrial heritage of Ukraine.  In the work, technogenic and post-technogenic landscapes of the Ukrainian uranium heritage are identified, they were found on the ground, and the current state was characterized (partly at the level of individual technogenic and natural elements). These are the production landscapes and man-made landscape elements of the first uranium mines and uranium pyro- and hydrometallurgy enterprises of Ukraine. Their study is exclusive to anthropogenic landscape science.  

 

Keywords

Historical landscape, technogenic landscape, post-technogenic landscape, industrial heritage, uranium industry

 

Received: 26 February 2023 / Accepted: 16 April 2024 / Published online: 31 May 2024

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