{"id":"the-bielefeld-conspiracy","name":"The Bielefeld Conspiracy","summary":"The Bielefeld Conspiracy is a satirical German internet joke claiming the city of Bielefeld does not exist and is an illusion maintained by a shadowy group called SIE (THEM). Started by a computer science student on Usenet in May 1994, it grew into one of Germany's most enduring online in-jokes and eventually forced the city itself to issue an official denial.","tags":["bielefeld conspiracy","die bielefeld verschwörung","achim held","SIE","german memes","usenet jokes"],"howToUse":[],"imageCount":4,"nsfw":false,"images":[{"url":"https://fcdtoybbbn2ccxbp.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/images/the-bielefeld-conspiracy/the-bielefeld-conspiracy-bielefeld-conspiracy-logo.webp","caption":"The official logo of 'Die Bielefeld-Verschwörung' featuring the Sparrenburg tower, a central symbol of the long-running German internet joke claiming the city of Bielefeld does not exist.","width":431,"height":423,"nsfw":false},{"url":"https://fcdtoybbbn2ccxbp.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/images/the-bielefeld-conspiracy/the-bielefeld-conspiracy-wojak-bielefeld-astrology.webp","caption":"A wojak-style iteration of the Bielefeld Conspiracy meme humorously equating belief in the city's existence with belief in astrology.","width":680,"height":669,"nsfw":false},{"url":"https://fcdtoybbbn2ccxbp.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/images/the-bielefeld-conspiracy/the-bielefeld-conspiracy-tumblr-bielefeld-explanation.webp","caption":"A Tumblr thread introducing the Bielefeld Conspiracy to international audiences, describing it as 'the oldest yet biggest German meme.'","width":681,"height":670,"nsfw":false},{"url":"https://fcdtoybbbn2ccxbp.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/images/the-bielefeld-conspiracy/the-bielefeld-conspiracy-newspaper-article-bielefeld.webp","caption":"A German newspaper feature on the Bielefeld-Verschwörung film, documenting mainstream coverage of the long-running internet joke.","width":548,"height":450,"nsfw":false}],"historyUrl":"https://fcdtoybbbn2ccxbp.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/images/the-bielefeld-conspiracy/history.md","related":["area-51-raid","zombocom","gi-joe-psa","godwins-law","salad-fingers","mrbeast-antichrist-comparisons","epstein-didnt-kill-himself","zodiac-killer-gary-francis-poste","15-minute-city","5g-conspiracy-theories","5g-its-fast-doe","911-was-an-inside-job"],"popularityRank":3748,"license":"Meme images and history: templates, screenshots, photos and fan edits, many of copyrighted material or real people. Explicit and offensive memes and images are included and flagged nsfw. Check you have the right to use an image before publishing."}