ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Bielefeld conspiracy

The Bielefeld Conspiracy is a silly and funny joke that started in Germany in the 1990s. It is based on the idea that the city of Bielefeld doesn't actually exist and that it is just a made-up place. Some people claim that they have never been there, seen it on a map or know anybody from there.

Imagine if your friend told you that there was a place called "Unicornland" and they have never been there, seen it on a map, or met somebody who lived there. You might laugh and say, "That's silly! There's no such place as Unicornland! It's a made-up place!" That's kind of like what people are saying about Bielefeld- they think it might be a made-up place.

Even though Bielefeld is a real city in Germany, some people still joke about it not existing, and they have come up with all kinds of crazy conspiracy theories about why this might be true. Some people say that aliens have erased all the evidence of the city, or that the government made up the city as a cover-up for some secret project.

But don't worry, Bielefeld is a real place, and you can even go visit it if you want to! The Bielefeld Conspiracy is just a fun and harmless joke that people like to tell to make each other laugh.