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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Bielefeld conspiracy (German: Bielefeldverschwörung or Bielefeld-Verschwörung, pronounced [ˈbiːləfɛltfɛɐ̯

ˌʃvøːʁʊŋ]) 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 posited 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]

Synopsis [ edit ]

The story goes 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 Memorial on the occasion of the
only as SIE ("they" in German, always in block capitals), which has conspired with the authorities to create the end of the Bielefeld Conspiracy
illusion of the city's existence.

The theory poses 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. Bielefeld

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 [ edit ]

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.[citation needed]

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 [ edit ]

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

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 [ edit ]

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 (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.[12][13] 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.[14]

Film [ edit ]

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 the cameraman Alexander Böke, also joined the project. The screenplay was written by Thomas Walden. The film premiered in Bielefeld
on 2 June 2010.[15][16]

Similar satirical conspiracy theories [ edit ]

[17]
Similar
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Mexico the Brazilian state of Acre (Acre conspiracy [pt]),[17]
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See also [ edit ]

Birds Aren't Real

Li's field
Omission of Tasmania from maps of Australia
Ted Cruz–Zodiac Killer meme

References [ edit ]

1. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : Tom Scott (19 12. ^ Jensen, K. Thor (21 August 2019). "A Germany City is Offering $1.1
October 2015). "The Bielefeld Conspiracy" . YouTube. Million to Prove it Doesn't Exist" . Newsweek. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
2. ^ a b von Lüpke, Marc. " 'Ich habe die Bielefeld-Verschwörung 13. ^ "German city offers $1.1M to whoever proves it doesn't exist" . AP
unterschätzt' " [I underestimated the Bielefeld Conspiracy]. Der Spiegel News. 21 August 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
(in German). Retrieved 16 May 2014. 14. ^ " 'Bielefeld exists!': How a German city debunked an old conspiracy" .
3. ^ a b drpd (2012-11-27). "Auch Merkel zweifelt an Existenz Bielefelds" . thelocal.de. 2019-09-18. Retrieved 2020-12-09.
Die Welt. Retrieved 2013-05-07. (in German) 15. ^ " "Bielefake"-Satire: Wir sehen uns nur in dieser Welt" . Der Spiegel (in
4. ^ "Aktuelle Einwohnerzahlen" . Bielefeld.de. 2021-12-31. Retrieved German). 2010-06-04. ISSN 2195-1349 . Retrieved 2022-11-28.
2022-02-08. 16. ^ Die Bielefeld Verschwörung at IMDb
5. ^ Die Bielefeld-Verschwörung – German page detailing the conspiracy, 17. ^ a b Ball, James (15 April 2018). "Australia doesn't exist! And other bizarre
as originally setup by Achim Held in 1994. (in German) geographic conspiracies that won't go away" . The Guardian.
6. ^ "Germany's Latest Conspiracy Theory – DW – 11/18/2004" . dw.com. 18. ^ Lamoureux, Mack (December 8, 2016). "This Dude Accidentally
Retrieved 2022-11-28. Convinced the Internet That Finland Doesn't Exist" . Vice. Retrieved
7. ^ The first newsgroup posting (Archived version at Google Groups) (in 2021-01-18.
German) 19. ^ "Concelho que não existe" . Diário de Leiria.
8. ^ a b "Transcript of the TV interview with Achim Held in 2004" . Archived 20. ^ Sakalis, Alex (23 October 2019). "The Italian region that 'doesn't
from the original on September 28, 2007. exist' " . BBC Travel. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
9. ^ "Der Mann hinter der großen Bielefeld-Verschwörung" . Die Welt (in 21. ^ "Ackworth, West Yorkshire" . Cartographia UK.
German). 2013-01-23. 22. ^ Goodrick, Jake (20 November 2020). "Growing online theory says
10. ^ Alan Lessoff (28 February 2015). Where Texas Meets the Sea: Corpus Wyoming doesn't exist as well as the Scottish town of Niddrie" . AP News.
Christi and Its History . University of Texas Press. pp. 17–18. ISBN 978-0- Retrieved 27 January 2021.
292-76823-9. 23. ^ https://diariotextual.com/inicio/index.php/2019/06/21/tuit-viral-asegura-la-
11. ^ Philippe Blanchard; Dimitri Volchenkov (23 October 2008). Mathematical pampa-no-existe-argumentos/
Analysis of Urban Spatial Networks . Springer Science & Business Media.
pp. 11–12. ISBN 978-3-540-87829-2.

Bibliography [ edit ]

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.

External links [ edit ]

Die Bielefeld Verschwörung at IMDb

Categories: Conspiracy theories in Germany Internet humor Usenet Bielefeld Hoaxes in Germany 1994 in Germany
Contemporary German history 1990s in Internet culture Culture of North Rhine-Westphalia German satire Satirical conspiracy theories
Internet memes introduced in 1994

This page was last edited on 12 June 2023, at 00:53 (UTC).

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