Power, murder, Münsterland: podcast "Die Einkreisung" about the territorial reform in Borken and Bocholt
First episode available now, live premiere on 7 May in Borken
A thriller in the turmoil surrounding the territorial reform: In their three-part podcast "Die Einkreisung" (The encirclement), Sarah Giese, Christoph Tiemann and Johannes Kraas travel to the year 1975. With the live premiere on 7 May at the FARB in Borken, they will open the presentation week of "Schilderwechsel - 50 Jahre Gebietsreform im Münsterland" (Changing signs - 50 years of territorial reform in Münsterland), a project by the Kulturbüro beim Münsterland e.V. The first episode is now available to listen to.
This is what "Die Einkreisung" is about: It is January 1975 and a young woman from Borken has a fatal accident on an icy road. This would have been a case for the police in Bocholt if the local government reform had not transferred responsibility to Borken. Now officers from both towns are investigating - and discover all kinds of inconsistencies.
Is there suspense in the air when it comes to the territorial reform in Borken and Bocholt? Yes, according to audiobook and television presenter Sarah Giese, presenter and author Christoph Tiemann and composer Johannes Kraas. During their initial research, they immediately recognised the potential for a story set in western Münsterland at the time and developed an idea. "We were spurred on by the idea of turning the supposedly dull reform into a popular audio format," reveals Giese. The result: a fictionalised true-crime podcast about an imaginary criminal case based on real events.
The trio of artists pored over old files, visited locations and interviewed historians. Other interviewees included Bocholt's former head of city planning, Bork's former chief of police and a contemporary witness who, 50 years ago, replaced the number plates from Bocholt and Ahaus with new BOR licence plates as an employee of a car repair shop. "The question of why the regional reform has caused such a stir hovers over everything. One example is Bocholt's loss of power - once an independent town, it suddenly became part of the Borken district. Many perceived the political reform as an encroachment on regional identity," says Giese. The podcast tells of this, peppered with local colour and the flair of the 1970s.
The real-life stories are complemented by original sound bites from contemporary witnesses. The criminal case was invented for good reasons, as Giese explains: "Our story is made for the quarrels surrounding the regional reform. We are not telling a true crime story, but are also taking a look at the sensationalist true crime genre."
The first episode ("Blutrote Aa") of "Die Einkreisung" is available free of charge at www.muensterland.com/schilderwechsel and wherever podcasts are available. Two further episodes will be released on 7 May ("Blauer Admiral") and 11 May ("Weißes Venn").
There's an opportunity to experience the entire podcast live in advance: Sarah Giese, Christoph Tiemann and Johannes Kraas will perform "Die Einkreisung" as a radio play on Wednesday, 7 May at FARB in Borken. The event starts at 7 pm. Admission is free, please register on the website.
"Schilderwechsel" is funded by the Ministry of Culture and Science NRW (funding programme RKP - Regionales Kultur Programm NRW), Volksbank Westmünsterland eG, Werte-Stiftung-Münsterland and Stiftung Kunst und Kultur Münsterland. The project is also supported by the LWL Cultural Foundation as part of the cultural programme for the anniversary year 2025 "1250 Years of Westphalia". The patron of this cultural programme is Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
