There is an invisible boundary in the heart of the German countryside in the east. Out of the trees, the towers of a massive castle can be seen. Visitors are formally informed that they have entered what is essentially a new country by a notice on the front entrance.With its own self-declared monarch, the "Königreich Deutschland" (Kingdom of Germany) is a self-declared autonomous state.
Peter the First, as he wants to be called, welcomes us into a dark room with wood paneling.
It has been around ten years after his coronation,
which included a ceremony with an orb and scepter, and the establishment of his
purported kingdom, which issues its own currency, ID cards, and flag.
He is one of the 21,000 or so
"Reichsbürger" (German for "Citizen of the Reich"), as
designated by the nation's intelligence services, who reject the legitimacy of the
German state established after World War II.
With the arrest of 25 persons in raids on
Reichsbürger accused of planning to invade the German legislative building, the
Reichstag, and overturn the government violently, they have gained notoriety
this week.
Peter the King claims he has no such inclinations of violence.
He does, however, think that the German state is "destructive and diseased."
I don't want to be a part of this diabolical and
totalitarian society, he declares.
We sit in another room to discuss, on luxurious
recliners under a beautiful chandelier.
We are surrounded by lights and cameras, yet this is not a salon. King Peter plans to launch a TV station, and I find that one of his subjects will be filming every second of our conversation. This is King Peter's personal TV studio. He said that after trying in vain to run for mayor and a seat in the German parliament, he felt compelled to build his own country.
In the German system, "people with an honest heart, who wish to change the world for the better, in the interests of the common good, don't have a chance. Those who are dishonest, criminal, or prepared to be exploited flourish." His true name is Peter Fitzek, and due to his actions, he frequently runs afoul of the police in Germany.
Germany rejects the kingdom and its legal documents;
Mr. Fitzek has a history of driving without a license convictions and running
his own health insurance scheme. He spent several years in prison for
embezzling funds belonging to his countrymen, but the sentence was eventually
overturned.
The regional intelligence service informed us that
they saw it as a danger and that they had been keeping an eye on him and his
kingdom for over two years. They compare it to a cult that introduces members
to radical ideas and conspiracy theories.
Due to the epidemic, such ideologies and beliefs
have exploded in Germany in recent years.
Mr. Fitzek estimates that his population is around
5,000. He is enlarging the kingdom by acquiring land in Germany to establish a
number of communities where those people can eventually reside.
About 150 miles (240 km) distant from the king's
castle, we went to one of these outposts.
In the village of Bärwalde, about an hour and a
half's drive south of Berlin, a historic castle is surrounded by mature woods.
Thirty or so people reside on the property, either in the main structure or in
the trailers that are dispersed throughout the grass near the main driveway.
It's a desolate location despite the castle's fading
splendor. The buildings are still being renovated, and the grounds are being
cleared. An ancient greenhouse's skeleton is still pierced by tree trunks.
However, the locals take great pride in their home,
which they also view as kingdom territory.
People refuse to take their children to school,
which is against German law, and they do not pay German taxes. They are
governed by their own judicial system, which is, according to what I've been
informed, King Peter, and they eventually want to have their own healthcare
system.
"Everything you require for daily living may be found in the kingdom. Social security, food and nutrition assistance, and other such systems exist "Benjamin, who recently relocated with his small family and is in charge of PR, explains. The population seems to have little confidence in modern medicine despite its ambitions to use contemporary technologies to create a sustainable green community.
Benjamin informed me that nobody in this place had
received the Covid-19 vaccine. It's a common viewpoint among Reichsbürger, many
of whom joined rallies against measures the control.
According to Benjamin, "those who think for themselves nowadays will frequently be branded as conspiracy theorists." But it's a truth that they are frequently the individuals who remain up at night debating issues, including not just their personal but also societal and political ones. A neighbor was on his front yard as we drove back through the village after leaving the commune.
When I inquired what he thought of his neighbors, he
frowned. He advised them to pay taxes. They did, after all, continue to use
German resources. He said that his own children were his biggest concern. How
will this group of people affect them?
Reich burger was somewhat of a national joke for a
long time. Germany is improving at taking things seriously.