Bielefeld conspiracy

The Bielefeld conspiracy (German: Bielefeldverschwörung or Bielefeld-Verschwörung, pronounced [ˈbiːləfɛltfɛɐ̯ˌʃvøːʁʊŋ]) is a satirical conspiracy theory that claims that the city of Bielefeld, Germany, does not exist,[1] but is an illusion propagated by various forces. First posted on the German Usenet in 1994, the conspiracy has since been mentioned in the city's marketing,[2] and alluded to in a speech by former Chancellor Angela Merkel.[3]

Memorial on the occasion of the end of the Bielefeld Conspiracy
Bielefeld

Synopsis

The theory proposes that the city of Bielefeld (population of 341,755 as of December 2021)[4] in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia does not actually exist. Rather, its existence is merely propagated by an entity known only as SIE ("they" in German, always in block capitals), which has conspired with the authorities to create the illusion of the city's existence.

The theory is based on three questions:

  • Do you know anybody from Bielefeld?
  • Have you ever been to Bielefeld?
  • Do you know anybody who has ever been to Bielefeld?

A majority are expected to answer no to all three queries. Anybody who can answer yes to any of the queries, or claim any other knowledge about Bielefeld is promptly disregarded as being in on the conspiracy, or having been themselves deceived.

The origins of and reasons for this conspiracy are not a part of the original theory. Speculated originators jokingly include the Central Intelligence Agency, Mossad, or aliens who use Bielefeld University as a disguise for their spaceship.[5][6]

History

The conspiracy theory was first made public in a posting to the newsgroup de.talk.bizarre on 16 May 1994 by Achim Held, a computer science student at the University of Kiel.[7] When a friend of Held met someone from Bielefeld at a student party in 1993, he said "Das gibt's doch gar nicht", meaning "That doesn't exist", it spread throughout the German-speaking Internet community.

In a television interview conducted for the 10th anniversary of the newsgroup posting, Held stated that this myth definitely originated from his Usenet posting, which was intended only as a joke. According to Held, the idea for the conspiracy theory formed in his mind at a student party while speaking to an avid reader of New Age magazines, and from a car journey past Bielefeld at a time when the exit from the Autobahn to it was closed.[8][9]

Historian Alan Lessoff notes that a reason for the amusement value of the theory is Bielefeld's lack of notable features, as being home to no major institutions or tourist attractions and not being on the course of a major river: "Bielefeld defines nondescript".[10][11]

Public reception

The Bielefeld conspiracy remains one of the most popular Internet jokes originating in Germany.[12]

In November 2012, German Chancellor Angela Merkel referred to the conspiracy in public when talking about a town hall meeting she had attended in Bielefeld, adding: "... if it exists at all", and "I had the impression that I was there."[3]

Official response

The city council of Bielefeld made efforts to generate publicity for Bielefeld and build a nationally known public image of the city. However, even 10 years after the conspiracy started, the mayor's office still received phone calls and e-mails which claimed to doubt the existence of the city.[8]

On April Fools' Day in 1999, five years after the myth started to spread, the city council released a press statement titled Bielefeld gibt es doch! (Bielefeld does exist!). In allusion to the origin of the conspiracy, the 800th anniversary of Bielefeld was held in 2014 under the motto Das gibt's doch gar nicht (Unbelievable!, literally That doesn't exist).[2]

In August 2019, the council offered to give €1 million to any person who could provide "incontrovertible evidence" of Bielefeld's nonexistence in an effort to increase interest in the city.[13][14] As no one was able to prove Bielefeld's non-existence, the city therefore sees its existence as conclusive and the conspiracy as ended. To commemorate it, the city erected a glacial erratic block in the historic center near the Leineweber monument. A QR code on it directs to further background information.[15]

Film

In 2009, film students at Bielefeld University started a project to develop a feature film based on the Bielefeld conspiracy. The project was financed by the university and local sponsors. Most of the project's staff and actors were students or university employees, a few professionals, such as the actress Julia Kahl and cameraman Alexander Böke, joined the project. The screenplay was written by Thomas Walden. The film premiered in Bielefeld on 2 June 2010.[16][17]

Similar satirical conspiracy theories

Similar satirical conspiracy theories have been made about other places, such as Australia,[18] the Brazilian state of Acre (Acre conspiracy),[18] Finland,[19] the Portuguese city of Leiria,[20] the Israeli city of Petah Tikva,[21] the Italian region of Molise,[22] the village of Ackworth in West Yorkshire,[23] the US state of Wyoming,[24] the Argentine province of La Pampa,[25] the Mexican state of Tlaxcala,[26] the Greek city of Kilkis[27] and the Dutch province of Drenthe.

See also

References
  1. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Tom Scott (19 October 2015). "The Bielefeld Conspiracy". YouTube.
  2. von Lüpke, Marc. "'Ich habe die Bielefeld-Verschwörung unterschätzt'" [I underestimated the Bielefeld Conspiracy]. Der Spiegel (in German). Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  3. drpd (2012-11-27). "Auch Merkel zweifelt an Existenz Bielefelds". Die Welt. Retrieved 2013-05-07. (in German)
  4. "Aktuelle Einwohnerzahlen". Bielefeld.de. 2021-12-31. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  5. Die Bielefeld-Verschwörung – German page detailing the conspiracy, as originally setup by Achim Held in 1994. (in German)
  6. "Germany's Latest Conspiracy Theory – DW – 11/18/2004". dw.com. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
  7. The first newsgroup posting (Archived version at Google Groups) (in German)
  8. "Transcript of the TV interview with Achim Held in 2004". Archived from the original on September 28, 2007.
  9. "Der Mann hinter der großen Bielefeld-Verschwörung". Die Welt (in German). 2013-01-23.
  10. Alan Lessoff (28 February 2015). Where Texas Meets the Sea: Corpus Christi and Its History. University of Texas Press. pp. 17–18. ISBN 978-0-292-76823-9.
  11. Philippe Blanchard; Dimitri Volchenkov (23 October 2008). Mathematical Analysis of Urban Spatial Networks. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 11–12. ISBN 978-3-540-87829-2.
  12. "The Bielefeld Conspiracy". Know Your Meme. 20 September 2010.
  13. Jensen, K. Thor (21 August 2019). "A Germany City is Offering $1.1 Million to Prove it Doesn't Exist". Newsweek. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  14. "German city offers $1.1M to whoever proves it doesn't exist". AP News. 21 August 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  15. "'Bielefeld exists!': How a German city debunked an old conspiracy". thelocal.de. 2019-09-18. Retrieved 2020-12-09.
  16. ""Bielefake"-Satire: Wir sehen uns nur in dieser Welt" ["Bielefake" satire: We only see each other in this world]. Der Spiegel (in German). 4 June 2010. ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  17. Die Bielefeld Verschwörung at IMDb
  18. Ball, James (15 April 2018). "Australia doesn't exist! And other bizarre geographic conspiracies that won't go away". The Guardian.
  19. Lamoureux, Mack (December 8, 2016). "This Dude Accidentally Convinced the Internet That Finland Doesn't Exist". Vice. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  20. "Concelho que não existe". Diário de Leiria.
  21. "האם פתח תקווה קיימת?". 2020-09-13.
  22. Sakalis, Alex (23 October 2019). "The Italian region that 'doesn't exist'". BBC Travel. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  23. "Ackworth, West Yorkshire". Cartographia UK.
  24. Goodrick, Jake (20 November 2020). "Growing online theory says Wyoming doesn't exist as well as the Scottish town of Niddrie". AP News. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  25. Diario1, Diario1 (June 21, 2019). "El tuit viral que asegura que "La Pampa no existe": sus argumentos".
  26. "¿Por qué los mexicanos decimos que Tlaxcala no existe?". El Heraldo de México (in Spanish). 2021-02-26. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  27. "Η πιο… αστεία θεωρία συνωμοσίας: «Το Κιλκίς δεν υπάρχει, είναι φανταστική πόλη για να γεμίζει ο χάρτης»". in.gr (in Greek). 7 December 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2023.

Bibliography
  • Günther Butkus, ed. (2010). Rätselhaftes Bielefeld. Die Verschwörung (in German). Pendragon. ISBN 978-3-86532-188-6.
  • Thomas Walden (2010). Die Bielefeld-Verschwörung. Der Roman zum Film (in German). Pendragon. ISBN 978-3-86532-194-7.
  • Thomas Walden (2012). Drachenzeit in Bielefeld: Aufgabe 2 der Bielefeld Verschwörung (in German). tredition. ISBN 978-3-8472-3859-1.
  • Karl-Heinz von Halle (2013). Gibt es Bielefeld oder gibt es Bielefeld nicht? (in German). Eichborn-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-8479-0546-2.
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