Here’s a question to all those conspiracy theorists out there: does the German town of Bielefeld exist?
The maps and evidence suggests yes but Germans know the real truth: it doesn’t exist because it’s all a big conspiracy, don’t believe what anyone says about Bielefeld! Fake news!
Sorry, got a bit excited there.
Anyway, having dealt with people doubting Bielefeld’s existence for nearly three decades, officials are now taking some big steps to prove once and for all that their beloved town is real goddamn it.
According to AP News, officials are legit offering 1 million euros (about $1.6 million dollarydoos) to anyone who can deliver solid, incontrovertible proof of the German town’s non-existence.
Sorry, alleged German town.
This whole conspiracy thing began way back in 1993 when some German computer science student by the name of Achim Held met someone from Bielefeld, which is allegedly located about 330km west of Berlin, and he apparently said “Das gibt’s doch gar nicht“, which translates literally to “that doesn’t exist.”
After accidentally implying Bielefled doesn’t exist (which it doesn’t), this little joke quickly spread like wildfire throughout the German internet community and has remained popular even today.
The conspiracy theory consists of three questions:
- Do you know anybody from Bielefeld?
- Have you ever been to Bielefeld?
- Do you know anybody who has ever been to Bielefeld?
Most people are expected to answer no to those questions and anyone who answers yes is immediately labeled as being in on the conspiracy.
What makes this whole joke so amusingly convincing is the town’s lack of notable features, institutions or tourist attractions, nor has it done anything ridiculous to draw in attention, like fighting off the far-right using beer.
If you look up “nondescript” in the dictionary, you’d find, well, the definition of “nondescript”. What did you expect, a photo of “Bielefeld”? Don’t be ridiculous.
Credit to Bielefeld officials for playing along with the joke. Not only does the mayor’s office still get calls and emails doubting the town’s existence, officials have used the conspiracy to build publicity for the town, such as releasing a “Bielefeld does exist!” press statement on April Fool’s Day in 1999.
Hell, even Angela Merkel cast shade on the German town in 2012 when she talked about attending a town hall meeting in Bielefeld before adding in a cheeky “if it exists at all,” and “I had the impression that I was there.”
Having said all that, there’s just one slight problem with this generous 1 million euros offer from Bielefeld officials: how can a town that doesn’t exist offer us the prize?
Huh. Getting this prize may be harder than expected.