The background to the dispute is apparently the advertisement on his Christmas hut for the Bundesamt für magische Wesen (the Federal Office for Magical Creatures) which he co-created. BAfmW is a fantasy authority created by German fantasy authors including Maresch, who writes under the pseudonym Hagen Ulrich. Maresch was not available for comment on Tuesday.

Marc Hoffman from the city press office confirmed the dispute is about the advertisement for the BAfmW. He did not want to comment further. “There will be another discussion with Mr Maresch. We will not comment before that,” explained Hoffmann.

The BAfmW Facebook site gives more information about the dispute. On the site, the beekeeper explains that he has “invested a lot in BAfmW advertising and decoration on his honey hut” and that he had also told the market authorities about it in advance.

Many visitors had been amused by the stand and had taken photos of it. “And then along came the market authority and banned me from using our office sign,” he complained on the Facebook page.

After his honey factory was completely destroyed last year by unknown perpetrators he closed his business down for good five weeks ago. He writes he no longer has the energy to continue and has therefore also closed the stand.

He continues on the Facebook page that he does not hold out hope of coming to an agreement with the market authorities. Many people have left supportive comments and some have accused the authorities of narrow-mindedness.

Maresch says he thinks he will hold a closing sale on Thursday/Friday and then remove the stand. “We will possibly move the stand to Cologne,” he says.

Operators of surrounding stands said they understood the dispute with the market authority was about books and other BAmfW products that the beekeeper had allegedly sold at his stand without approval.

Original text: Lisa Inhoffen. Translated by Kate Carey.