This payday is designed with the conspiracy theorist in mind. The German city of Bielefeld is dishing out a 1.1 million dollar reward to the first person who can offer incontestable evidence that this very-real city does not exist. Yes, this sentence is correct. No, we did not make this up—check out #Bielefeldmillion on Twitter. It all ties back to the Bielefeld Conspiracy that started around 1993-94. Let’s take a trip back to when Jurassic Park hit theaters, Meatloaf would do anything except “that” for love, and online forums were the social media option.
Deep in the recesses of a German forum, a conspiracy theory was concocted about Bielefeld’s origins and lack of existence. The rumor suggests that the city is an illusion created by several government intelligence organizations, including Israel’s Mossad and the CIA.
There have been claims that Bielefeld University is actually alien spaceships using a very intricate cloaking device (someone’s a Doctor Who fan), Elvis lives there, and the fake city holds secrets about the moon landings. The Bielefeld Conspiracy continued to spread over the years, with Chancellor Angela Merkel referencing it years later in a 2012 speech. And people still email and call the Bielefeld mayor’s office to ask if they are calling an actual place.
There are three classic questions that theorists ask about Bielefeld:
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Do you know anybody from Bielefeld?
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Have you ever been to Bielefeld?
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Do you know anybody who has been to Bielefeld?
Anyone who answers “yes” to any of these questions is obviously part of this on-going scam to fool the world. It’s a funny, long-running Internet joke that started long before memes about an 805 year old city with 340,000 residents.
So, how can you prove that something real is absolutely not real? Is the offer really real… or is it a part of an elaborate scheme? We have no idea, but the person who wins this contest will become an instant legend. If you’re up for the challenge, then send your argument to kommunikation@bielefeld-marketing.de with the subject “Bielefeldmillion” and hope for the best in an impossible situation.
Image Credit: YouTube/Tom Scott
