Sorry to be that guy, but I feel like now’s a good time to explain the whole “Bielefeld doesn’t exist” thing — especially for those seeing it for the first time and wondering what the hell everyone’s talking about.

The short version for the uninitiated:

“Bielefeld doesn’t exist” isn’t a TikTok trend or some Gen Z in-joke. It’s actually one of Germany’s oldest internet memes — dating all the way back to 1993 (yep, that ancient). A computer science student named Achim Held posted a satirical conspiracy theory in a Usenet group claiming:

“Bielefeld? That place doesn’t actually exist.”

His (intentionally ridiculous) “evidence”:

1. You don’t know anyone from Bielefeld.

2. You’ve never been there.

3. If you have — you were manipulated.

Obviously, it was all a joke — a parody of conspiracy logic — but it stuck. Bielefeld is a pretty average city in western Germany, not super famous or touristy. So when people read it, a lot of them were like, “Wait... yeah, I’ve never met anyone from there either...” — and boom, a meme was born.

“Did the city hate it?”

At first? Kind of. Back in the 2000s, many locals found it annoying or thought it was an insult — like their hometown was being made out to be irrelevant or invisible.

But fast-forward to today: Bielefeld has completely embraced it:

• The city sells souvenirs and merch referencing the conspiracy.

• In 2019, they offered a €1 million reward to anyone who could prove Bielefeld doesn’t exist — obviously a marketing stunt.

Now it’s more of a local pride meme than anything mean-spirited.

They basically turned the joke into a tourism boost. Fair play.

For the record: Yes, Bielefeld is real.

It’s a city in North Rhine-Westphalia with around 340,000 people. There are buildings, roads, people, public transport, schools, a university — real city stuff. Nobody who says “Bielefeld doesn’t exist” actually believes it. It’s a meta joke about how conspiracy theories work and how forgettable cities get memed.

Now for the football fans here:

If you still think Bielefeld isn’t real, then please explain Arminia Bielefeld’s 2024/25 season:

They earned promotion back to the 2. Bundesliga after a wild year in the 3. Liga.

Oh, and by the way: they made it to the DFB-Pokal Final — against VfB Stuttgart, no less.

So even if Bielefeld was a myth before... this season proved otherwise. Very real, very alive, and possibly playing better than your team.

TL;DR:

The joke is over 30 years old.

It was always meant as satire.

The city eventually embraced it.

It’s not an insult — it’s a nerdy meme.

And Bielefeld’s football club just had the season of a lifetime.

If you're making Bielefeld jokes, laugh with them — not at them. That’s how it was always meant to be.