# Fake City Photography Gregor Sailer's 'Potemkin Villages' Highlight Fake Cities Around the World By Joey Haar | Published 2017-11-07 | Tech Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/potemkin-villages References: [archdaily](https://www.archdaily.com/882833/these-potemkin-villages-display-a-world-of-architectural-fakery) & [gregorsailer](http://www.gregorsailer.com/The-Potemkin-Village) Potemkin Villages are fake cities. The name itself stems from an 18th century dictum from Catherine the Great commanding Field Marshall Potemkin to build artificial settlements that would disguise the dereliction she faced along her route to Crimea. The term has since expanded to include fake cities designed for all sorts of reasons, and Gregor Sailer has used it as the title of his new [photography book](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/photography-seoul-museum-of-art) on the subject of [fake cities around the world](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/realitymaps). Some Potemkin Villages are designed for tourism. In China, for examples, there are complete town centers that [replicate the sleepy architecture](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/a-week-at-the-knees) of quaint British hamlets, and these are popular domestic tourist destinations for the Chinese. Other world Potemkin Villages are more sinister: a US town called Junction City is designed to train soldiers for fighting in Middle Easter towns, for example. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 6.8/10 - Popularity: 99% | Activity: 98% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Tech](https://www.trendhunter.com/tech) > [Photography](https://www.trendhunter.com/photography) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Fake City Tourism:** The rise of Potemkin Villages designed for tourism creates opportunities for companies to innovate and provide unique experiences for travelers. - **Military Training Cities:** The use of fake cities for military training purposes presents opportunities for defense and technology companies to develop new training technologies and simulation systems. - **Eco-friendly City Design:** The creation of sustainable and eco-friendly fake cities can disrupt traditional construction industries and provide innovative solutions for urban planning. ### Who This Affects Most - **Tourism:** Tourism industries can capitalize on the growing popularity of Potemkin Villages and offer new immersive experiences for travelers. - **Defense:** Defense companies can develop advanced simulation technologies to improve training effectiveness and create more realistic training environments. - **Construction:** The use of eco-friendly materials and design in fake city construction can revolutionize the construction industry and provide sustainable solutions for urban planning. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Satirical Destination Marketing Videos](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/switzerland-is-fake.md) - [Dramatic Doomsday Bunker Images](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/alastair-philip-wiper.md) - [Colorful Metaverse Cities](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/metaverse-cities.md) - [Protest Sand Architecture](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bland-castles.md) - [Optical Illusion Replica Artworks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/liberty-science-center.md) - [Social Experiment Virtual Apartments](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/uncanny-spaces.md) - [AI-Generated Real-World Transformations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ai-generated-world.md) - [Abstract Fantasy Home Exhibitions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/abstract-fantasy-home.md) - [Laser-Cut Urban Artistry](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/laser-cut-city-maps.md)