MOSCOW, November 22 (RIA Novosti) – At least a Potemkin village is meant to look nice.
So the derision was understandable when photos appeared online of crumbling wooden homes in a Russian town sheathed in what appeared to be plastic sheets depicting pristine, if kitschy, exteriors.
The low-rent renovation in picturesque and historic Suzdal, a town about 215 kilometers (134 miles) northeast of Moscow, took place ahead of a planned visit by President Vladimir Putin.
As can be seen on photos uploaded by the o-dimitrios.livejournal.com blog earlier this month, the fronts include details like cats and plants in the windowsills for added realism.
But the online clamor caused by the blog elicited protests from local officials, who late Thursday denied that they were seeking to create a Potemkin village.
The term “Potemkin village” stems from a possibly apocryphal account of Russian Prince Grigory Potemkin building fake settlements to impress Empress Catherine the Great during her tour of Ukraine in the 18th century.
A spokeswoman for the government of Vladimir region, where Suzdal is located, said town authorities were unable to demolish or renovate the houses because their owners’ whereabouts are unknown.
The spokeswoman cited the precedent of St. Petersburg, saying that it was in that city that the practiсe originated. She said authorities there covered up buildings damaged during the 900-day Nazi siege during World War II.
“It’s often done nowadays as well,” she said.
Renovated houses in Russia are often covered up with pictures of their expected post-repair state. But it rarely affects multiple buildings and the pictures do not typically include animals or houseplants.
In the event, Putin skipped his scheduled November 8 visit to Suzdal.
