#fake cities

[yahoonewsphotos]

Photographer travels the world snapping incredibly realistic yet completely fake cities

While taking a break, this photographer opts to take in a, well, fake world, traveling to photograph cities and buildings that serve as illusions.

Gregor Sailers's unique series has taken him to the likes of Mosul re-creations situated in the Mojave Desert, Calif.; a New York-style town in Sweden, used to test cars; and a Dutch village in China, giving the locals or Chinese tourists a taste of Europe.

The photographer, who is based in Tyrol, Austria, came up with the idea for his project in 2015, having initially researched the likes of backdrops, illusions and artificially created urban constructions.

In total, the 37-year-old Gregors's intriguing work has taken him to 25 locations across seven countries and three continents. (Caters News)

See more photos of fake cities and our other slideshows on Yahoo News.

[themetacenter]

Staged Reality - Once Upon a Muddy Time Desolated Streets in a false Europa

[matjazz]

A Europe made in China

Everybody knows that China has become the world's factory for all kind of cheap and fake goods, from luxury bags to any type of electronic device. But not many are aware of one of the latest trends in the country: building up replicas of european cities. It doesn't matter if it's a Paris boulevard or an Italian medieval village, many Chinese wealthy has grown fond of some of most archetypal european sites and decided to take it back home and rebuild them in impressive detail. While in Guangdong province you can find an exact mimicry of the Austrian Hallstatt town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in other parts of the country you can find copies of buildings like the Tower Bridge of London, the Eiffel Tower and even a bizarre newly-created Stonehenge site. It has never been easier to enjoy a good dish of spicy tofu while feeling in the middle of the Alps!

[encyclopediaofree]

IMAGINE IF YOU WERE given the opportunity to live in Disney’s Magic Kingdom. Your house: the fairytale castle to end ‘em all. Your neighbors: life-sized versions of animated animals. Your dinner: a healthy serving of hopes and dreams.

But would you feel at home? Knowing that it’s all an artificial facade meant to trick the mind, if only briefly, that such a place evolved naturally–could you live your life as if it were The Truman Show and you were in on the experiment?

Calling the following cities “fake” is not to undermine their uniqueness. And many of them are equally entitled and equipped to call themselves legitimate communities. They are not artificial in the theme-park way that EPCOT pretends to be the Experimental Community Prototype of Tomorrow, but neither are they “real” cities, like New York or London. They exist somewhere in between the real and the artificial, and if you can get past the initial faux-culture-shock, you might realize that your own hometown is no more real than the meaning you’ve endowed it with.

Enjoy!