Ten years ago, the leaders of Rogachev, a humdrum city of 35,000 in eastern Belarus, hatched a plan. To encourage tourism and beautify the city, they would build a public park in the center of town. Manicured lawns would be dotted with elegant fountains. Children would play on a new playground. A deep, man-made lake would be constructed - and then populated with a flock of imported swans. The swans would draw tourists from far and wide: even, some residents hoped, from as far afield as France.
Vice News: How a photo of a park pissed off the authorities in Europe’s last dictatorship
A view of Rogachev, Belarus, on June 2012.
