While debated if true or not, back in the day of Catherine the Great’s rule of Russia, there was a man named Grigory Potemkin who built fake towns to fool her. Russia had conquered parts of what is now modern-day Ukraine, and Potemkin was tasked in the area’s recovery. After war with the Ottoman Empire, it proved to be a difficult task. It is said that Potemkin would prepare for the Empress’ travel stops by making towns seem far better than they were.
Neko Random 