A Counterfeit Paris

This is slightly off-topic but I thought it was fascinating. As a IP lawyer, I help clients deal with the problem of counterfeit products. But how about a counterfeit city? During World War II, the French built a fake Paris, recreating all of its iconic buildings out of wood, in an effort to confuse the Germans and prevent the bombing of the real Paris. Fake Paris was 15 miles away, along the Seine. Fake Paris was immediately dismantled after the war. Whether it would have worked or not, we’ll never know but thankfully Paris avoided the German bombs anyway.