From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fireworks in honor of Catherine during her trip to the Crimea. Painting by an unknown artist, late 18th century

Potemkin villages- a historical myth about fake villages, which were allegedly built at the direction of Prince Potemkin along the route of Catherine II during her trip in 1787 to the Northern Black Sea region - the territory of modern Russia and Crimea, which were recaptured from the Ottoman Empire (see Travel of Catherine II to Crimea ).

According to legend, in the recently remote area, the empress saw many buildings, troops, and a prosperous population. The Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol also appeared to her eyes. These achievements surprised not only the Empress, but also representatives of foreign courts who traveled with her, as well as the Austrian Emperor Joseph II, who joined them incognito.

Currently, the authorship of the legend is attributed to the Saxon diplomat Georg Gelbig. It is believed that for the first time the legend was published anonymously, later - in the book-pamphlet by G. A. Gelbig "Potemkin Tauride" (Russian translation - "Pansalvin - the prince of darkness"). In 1811, this book was published in Russian, causing indignation among Potemkin's still living relatives. In fact, stories about fake villages painted on shields and villagers brought to their “place of residence” many miles away are found in European writings about Russia and Catherine II long before the publication of this work. French traveler Forcia de Piles, who visited Russia in 1791-1792. and published materials four years later, briefly touching on the Empress’s journey to the Crimea, in particular, he wrote that, like any sovereign, she was often deceived, and on this journey she rejoiced and admired everything, not knowing that “the roads were repaired only then, when it became known about her departure; that these numerous villages, the object of her admiration, were created for her passage and destroyed on the same day, and the unfortunate peasants, who came thirty and forty leagues to stand on the sides of the road and live in these houses for several days, were sent home . That was the invention of the genius Potemkin, who managed to convince his monarch with such a new kind of cunning that the country, revered by the desert, is prospering.

A few years later, a French work by J. Ch. Thibault (Laveau) “The Secret Love Stories of Catherine II and Her Lovers” was also published. This is a collection of fantastic stories about the intimate life of the Empress, and should not be taken seriously. But in the chapter on a journey to the Crimea, the author again reports on decorative settlements painted on canvas, sandbags depicting barns full of grain, and unfortunate peasants driven from afar to depict populated villages.

The legend about the "Potemkin villages" could [ ] appear due to the use of shields depicting imaginary structures, which is generally characteristic of that time (one can recall the decorations of the Tsarskoye Selo road on the route of Henry of Prussia in 1770, depicting mountains with a volcanic eruption and architectural structures), the remoteness of the route from capital cities, when there are no spectacles there were a large number of educated spectators, and a large number of Potemkin's detractors.

Expression " Potemkin villages" has firmly come into use in the meaning of ostentatious well-being, hiding an unseemly state of affairs.

Examples of the organization of "Potemkin villages"

The Saxon diplomat Georg Gelbig, who was in St. Petersburg at the court of Catherine II on business, in 1787, together with the Empress, went on a trip to the distant Crimea. Upon his return, he anonymously wrote an article in the German magazine Minerva, in which he said that the villages he saw on the way were supposedly only painted on the boards. These painted villages were built by Prince Potemkin. Since that time, the stable expression “Potemkin villages” has developed in the meaning of window dressing, eyewash. But were Catherine and those accompanying her really so stupid that they did not notice the deception?

Grigory Alexandrovich Potemkin (1739-1791). Unknown artist. 1847

The Saxon diplomat did not like Russia. He did not like living in it, its customs and orders. He was by no means delighted with the rapprochement between Russia and the West and irritated that this peasant country managed to defeat Turkey in a short time, conquered vast territories in the south, went to the sea and managed to build a navy there. An uneducated power could threaten an enlightened Europe. And who is Potemkin? Yes, he is none other than the “prince of darkness”, embezzler, bribe taker, liar, who created the scenery along the route of the imperial carriages.

In the article, Gelbig also wrote that, according to his observations, during the trip of the Empress, the inhabitants of one village and their cattle were driven to another in order to show those who traveled that the villages were inhabited, the inhabitants had meat, milk, and livelihoods. Gelbig launched the myth of the "Potemkin villages" into international circulation. And this myth from his submission began to be interpreted as a reality. In the pamphlet book “Potemkin Tauride”, published later, in Russian translation its name is “Pansalvin the Prince of Darkness”, Gelbig painted his impressions, which later caused great discontent in Russia.

In fact, everything was completely different. The Empress and her favorite, Prince Grigory Potemkin, planned a trip to the Crimea back in 1780. Catherine really wanted to see new lands, especially Little Russia, Taurida, Crimea. She dreamed of seeing the Black Sea, cypress trees, breathe the air of oleanders. Prince Potemkin talked about the wonderful warm climate, about fruit trees, fruits, and berries growing in abundance. He shared his extensive plans for the transformation of this region, the construction of new cities, settlements, fortresses from the raids of the Turks. Catherine II agreed with him, allocated funds, and Potemkin set to work. He was an indefatigable personality, clutched at a lot, not everything turned out the way he wanted, but still he managed to lay several cities that developed according to plan and were filled with visitors.

In 1785, Count Kirill Razumovsky, the last Ukrainian hetman, went south. He visited Kherson, founded by Potemkin in 1778, examined the fortress and the shipyard, then visited the military fortification (the future city of Nikolaev), also founded by Potemkin in 1784, which was to become a powerful naval and shipbuilding base of the Russian fleet. He also visited Yekaterinoslav on the Dnieper. This city, according to the plan of the Empress, was to become the third capital of the Russian Empire. Razumovsky noted that these cities surprise with their “development”.

On the site of the former desert, villages appeared every 20-30 miles. Potemkin, having caught the desire of his mistress, tried to make Ekaterinoslav not just a provincial city, but similar to the metropolitan metropolis. He planned to build a university there, build a conservatory, and set up a dozen factories. He agitated people to go there, to develop new lands. And people went and mastered.

At the end of 1786, Catherine finally expressed her wish to go on a trip next summer. Potemkin had to hurry. He wanted to impress the empress with various accomplishments in the south. He gave a lot of strength to the strengthening of the Black Sea Fleet. Created fortified settlements for the Russian army. Military and service people were sent to the places, new settlements and villages were created.

In the autumn of 1786, Potemkin developed an approximate travel route: from St. Petersburg to Smolensk, from it to Chernigov and Kiev, then Yekaterinoslav, Kherson, Bakhchisarai, Sevastopol, Sudak, Feodosia, Mariupol, Taganrog, Azov, Belgorod, Kursk, Orel, Tula, Moscow and further to St. Petersburg. In total, the distance is approximately 5657 miles (about 6000 kilometers), of which 446 miles are by water, including along the Dnieper. At the same time, the prince gave the order to the regiments of the Russian army to settle in the places of the travel route of the empress and invited guests, thereby ensuring the safety of the movement of the imperial expedition and having soldiers on the ground to carry out certain preparatory work. Only near Kyiv the army under the command of P.A. Rumyantsev number 100 thousand.

Allegory "Journey of Catherine II in the South of the Russian Empire in 1787". Unknown artist. Con. 18th century

On January 2, 1787, the “imperial train” set off from St. Petersburg: 14 carriages drawn by many horses, 124 sledges with wagons and 40 spare sledges, 3 thousand people. Tall Cossacks rode ahead, the horse guards accompanied the "train". The empress herself sat in a carriage designed for 12 people, which was pulled by 40 horses. Among her distinguished foreign guests was the incognito Austrian Emperor Joseph II, a personal friend of the Russian Empress and her ally. The Saxon diplomat Georg Gelbig also rode there.

As we approached the south, small villages began to appear along the road, cleanly dressed peasants, cattle grazing peacefully nearby. Potemkin certainly tried. He showed the distinguished guests only the best, so he traveled along the entire route in advance. He ordered to repair the houses, paint the facades, decorate with garlands, and change the peasants into new clothes. And he asked everyone to smile and wave handkerchiefs. But there were no popular constructions along the way.

Fireworks in honor of Catherine II during her trip to the Crimea. Unknown artist. Con. 18th century

The “imperial train” reached the Crimea at the very end of May. Especially for his arrival in the Old Crimea, a small palace was built. Catherine and those accompanying her were met by the Tauride Regiment, which saluted her and bowed their standards to her. Trumpets played all evening, timpani beat. After fireworks and music, the empress was invited to drink tea in a special pavilion built in oriental style with a fountain. The Austrian emperor could not contain his emotions at the sight of such innovations: The master commands, the servants follow, he remarked enviously. - Catherine can spend as much as she wants. We are beggars! Neither in Germany, nor in France, no one can afford what is being done here by the Russians ... "

Joseph reflected the hidden mood of many European monarchs, who envied Russia, which managed to acquire such important territories, thereby increasing its power and political weight. Ekaterina and her guests were especially struck by the view of the harbor city of Kherson, where vineyards were blooming, one could taste grape wine. Sevastopol delighted even more, in the bay of which there was a sailing squadron of 15 large and 20 small ships. This was clear evidence that Potemkin cared about the development of the navy, really took up the transformation of the region.

Catherine's Mile on the north side of Sevastopol

Catherine's miles - monuments and architecture, road signs built in 1784-1787. on the proposed route of Empress Catherine the Great.

After inspecting the Crimea, many diplomats went to their homes to talk about what they saw. Prince Potemkin took the Empress to Kharkov, where he was to part with her. At parting, the Empress expressed her gratitude to him for what he had done and awarded him the title of "Prince of Tauride."

Catherine wanted a lot and planned a lot, but the political situation suddenly changed, alas, not for the better. Turkey, more precisely the Ottoman Empire, its rulers, absolutely did not like this arrangement of Russia in the south. The rulers of Turkey were eager to regain the lands that had gone to Russia after the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774, including the Crimea.

And it was then that the Austrian emperor Joseph II remembered Catherine's former hospitality and took her side. Potemkin assumed the role of commander. In the same year, 1787, he had to gather troops, now to repulse the enemy, to expel him from the territories conquered with such difficulty.

The war ended in 1792 with the victory of Russia and the conclusion of the Iasi Peace. A significant role in the victory was played by the new villages and cities created by Potemkin: Kherson, Nikolaev, Sevastopol, Yekaterinoslav.

Catherine's Cathedral in Kherson, founded by Potemkin, where he is buried

One of the most important achievements of Grigory Potemkin should be called the creation of a military fleet on the Black Sea, which was initially built in a hurry, from actually bad and even unusable material, but rendered invaluable services in the Russian-Turkish war. In addition, Potemkin rationalized the uniforms of soldiers and officers. For example, he eradicated the fashion for pigtails, curls and powder, introduced light and thin boots into shape.

Also, Grigory Alexandrovich developed and introduced a clear structure of units in the infantry troops, which made it possible to significantly increase maneuverability, the speed of operations, and the accuracy of a single fire. Potemkin was very fond of ordinary soldiers, as he stood up for the humanity of the attitude of officers towards their subordinates.

For example, the supply and sanitary standards for the rank and file improved, and for the use of soldiers in private work, which was almost the norm, the perpetrators suffered the most severe, often public punishment. Thus, thanks to Grigory Potemkin, at least relative order began to be established in the Russian army.

According to materials:
https://24smi.org/celebrity/3091-grigorii-potiomkin.html.
https://russiapedia.rt.com/of-russian-origin/potemkinskie-derevni.
One hundred great secrets of the world. Moscow: Veche, 2010.

Potemkin village - falsehood, eyewash, deceit, ostentatious brilliance in order to hide flaws
The phraseologism owes its origin to the historical fact of the journey of the Russian Empress Catherine II in 1787, during which the main organizer of the trip and at the same time the Yekaterinoslav, Tauride and Kharkov Governor-General Count G. A. Potemkin allegedly presented to Catherine non-existent achievements in the development of the region, such as: fake villages , warehouses of bread, where there was sand in bags instead of flour, fat herds, for the sake of which the same herd was driven from place to place at night, a fortress in Kherson, which collapsed after the first thunderstorm, etc. Was it really so historians are still arguing.

Some argue that the stories about Potemkin’s dishonesty (“Potemkin villages”) are the malice of his many enemies and envious people, both among Catherine’s entourage and among European diplomats who accompanied the Empress on a trip. Others cite the testimonies of the participants of the trip - the Austrian Emperor Joseph II, who participated in the journey incognito under the name of Count Falkenstein, the French diplomat Segur.

True, most likely, as usual, in the middle. Potemkin, of course, wanted to present himself and everything he had done in Novorossia in the best possible way. There is nothing shameful in this. The Europeans, for whom Russia's successes in the south were not very pleasant, in order to level these successes, could invent or embellish something. Catherine also invited foreigners on a trip for a reason. She hoped to show them both her power and the increased power of the power she led. That is, the theater arranged by Potemkin was not intended for her at all, but for her guests, but she, as a smart woman, saw everything perfectly, knew and, quite possibly, was in collusion with Potemkin.

Is it so, otherwise, but it was not possible to lead travelers to both Russian and European “Potemkin villages”. The secretary of the Saxon embassy at the court of Catherine II, Georg-Adolf Wilhelm von Gelbig, who lived in St. Petersburg from 1787 to 1795, but did not participate in the trip, collected rumors and gossip about her in the capital, and in 1809 in Hamburg embossed a book containing 110 biographies of famous Russian people, including Count Potemkin. In Russia, the book immediately gained fame, thanks to literary magazines that reprinted excerpts from it, but in full, although with many cuts for censorship reasons, it appeared in Russia in 1887 under the title "Russian chosen ones and random people." Only in 1900 in Germany was it completely published in Russian. Gelbik is considered to be the indirect author of the phraseologism "Potemkin village", but history has not preserved the name of the real author.

Phraseologism "Potemkin villages" has become firmly established in everyday life as a symbolic interpretation of eyewash, ostentation, swindle. The phrase has existed for almost 250 years, since the historic trip of Empress Catherine II to the Crimea. The journey took place in 1787, after the end of the war with the Ottoman Empire, as a result of which territories north of Taurida, under the general name Novorossia, joined Russia.

Catherine's favorite Gregory, with whom the Empress was in close relations and, according to historians, even married him, decided to impress his beloved with an unprecedented spectacle. All along the path of the royal motorcade, decorative huts, rural houses and all kinds of presences, churches, cathedrals and chapels were built in a multitude. Hundreds of peasants worked in the fields, fat herds grazed in the meadows, children ran along the village streets. But all this was frankly sham in nature, the houses were painted, herds of cows were driven from one place to another during the overnight stay of the empress and her retinue. On the route of the Empress' motorcade, another "Potemkin village" arose.

Peasant families also moved under the cover of darkness to a new location. Catherine II was amazed by the wealth of the lands and the huge number of village people who tirelessly bowed to her all the way. Similar tricks have happened in Rus' before, each governor tried to hide, as far as possible, the flaws in his patrimony, to embellish reality, where to close unsightly houses with high fences, where to pave a new road before the arrival of the authorities. And since higher-ranking officials came quite often, “Potemkin villages” arose here and there.

However, such a large-scale performance, which was arranged by Prince Grigory Potemkin, was completely unique both in scope and in terms of the funds invested in the event. Everything was paid from the state treasury, and the "Potemkin villages" cost more than one million government money. The most expensive gift to the Empress was a fireworks display with fireworks on the Sevastopol roadstead, where Catherine the Second saw the Black Sea Fleet in all its glory, but most of the ships were also painted. Nevertheless, the picture of well-being along the entire route of the royal cortege from Kyiv to Sevastopol received a worthy conclusion in the form of a gala dinner at the gallery of the palace in Inkerman overlooking the Sevastopol Bay.

They fired, fireworks took off one after another into the evening sky, the holiday was in full swing. The next day, the Empress examined the city of Sevastopol. New streets and quarters were shown to her from afar, the facades of buildings were hung with canvases with painted architecture, the “Potemkin villages” became part of Sevastopol. Catherine remarked with surprise: “... three years ago there was nothing here, but now I see a beautiful city, a large flotilla, a harbor, a pier. We must pay tribute to Prince Potemkin for his tireless concern for the state and foresight in business ... ". A noble Frenchman, Count Segur, who accompanied the Empress on her Crimean trip, wrote: “It is incomprehensible to the mind how Prince Potemkin in such a short time managed to build a city, build ships, build fortresses and gather so many people for public service.”

Phraseologism "Potemkin village" meaning

About something fake, arranged to create the appearance of well-being, prosperity, etc.

Expression potemkin village means deception with the express purpose of embellishing the situation. Where did this expression come from? Let's look at history again.
In 1787, Catherine II made a trip to the recently annexed Crimea to Russia. All along the way, lovely pictures opened up to her eyes. Good houses were pleasing to the eye. Smartly dressed people noisily greeted the Empress. Fat herds of cows grazed on pastures, barns were bursting with bread. The richest land, the promised land!
Satisfied Catherine showered favors on the conqueror of the Crimea Potemkin. She did not know that it was not the villages that caught her eye, but the scenery. That herds of cows are just a single herd driven from place to place when she, the Empress, rested. And the sacks were not wheat at all, but sand. And that the subjects who met her with “bread and salt” would be taken away from their magnificent clothes and ordered to continue to keep their mouths shut.
Unparalleled swindle has become history. There was an expression potemkin villages- the formula of ostentatious brilliance, imaginary well-being.

Example:“Batmanov remembered Rogov's promise to make the hostel an exemplary one. Vasily Maksimovich was very pleased in his soul, but found fault and grumbled: - An obvious "Potemkin village!" (V. Azhaev).

(Prince G. A. Potemkin, before visiting Empress Catherine II of Crimea, ordered the installation of decorative similarities of villages along her route in order to convince her of her success in developing the southern lands of Russia. This expression arose from here).