Bielefeld Conspiracy

The Bielefeld marketplace. This photograph and other alleged proof of the existence of Bielefeld are regarded as part of the conspiracy.

The Bielefeld Conspiracy (German: Bielefeldverschwörung or Bielefeld-Verschwörung) is a satire of conspiracy theories that originated in 1994 in the German Usenet, which claims that the city of Bielefeld does not actually exist,^[1] but is an illusion propagated by various forces. Originally an internet phenomenon, the conspiracy has since been represented in the city's marketing,^[2] and referred to by Chancellor Angela Merkel.^[3]

Synopsis

The story goes that the city of Bielefeld (population of 323,076 as of 2011)^[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 THEM (SIE in German), which has conspired with the authorities to create the illusion of the city's existence.

The theory poses three questions:

1. Do you know anybody from Bielefeld?
2. Have you ever been to Bielefeld?
3. Do you know anybody who has ever been to Bielefeld?

A majority are expected to answer 'no' to all three queries. Anybody claiming knowledge is said to be part of the conspiracy or to be deceiving themselves.

The origins of and reasons for this conspiracy are not a part of the 'canonical' theory. Speculated originators jokingly include the CIA, 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 May 16, 1993, by Achim Held, a computer science student at the University of Kiel.^[7] When a friend of Achim Held met someone from Bielefeld at a student party in 1993, he said "Das gibt's doch gar nicht", a phrase comparable to "I don't believe it", signifying disbelief or surprise. However, its literal translation is "That doesn't exist."; thus he (accidentally) implied that he refuses to believe that someone came from Bielefeld. From there, it spread throughout the German-speaking Internet community, and has lost little of its popularity, even after 23 years.

In a television interview conducted for the tenth 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]

There are a number of conflicting theories about the reasons behind the joke's gain in popularity, the most popular being a flame war between Usenet admins and the Bielefeld-based Z-Netz BBS about text encodings.

Historian Alan Lessoff notes that a reason for the amusement value of the theory is Bielefeld's lack of notable features or reasons to visit it, 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.

In November 2012, German Chancellor Angela Merkel referred to the Bielefeld 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 tries hard to generate publicity for Bielefeld and build a nationally known public image of the city. Even after 17 years, however, the mayor's office receives phone calls and e-mails which claim to doubt the existence of the city.^[8]

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!) on April Fools' Day. In allusion to the conspiracy the 800th anniversary of Bielefeld was held under the motto Das gibt's doch gar nicht (colloquially "This can't be true", but literally "That doesn't exist at all").^[2]

Movie

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 movie was premiered in Bielefeld on June 2, 2010.^[12][13]

References

Literature

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

Coordinates: 52°01′22″N 8°32′00″E / 52.02278°N 8.53333°E / 52.02278; 8.53333