Major evacuation in Cologne: bomb defusal affects 20,000 people!

Major evacuation in Cologne: bomb defusal affects 20,000 people!

There is a state of emergency in Cologne today, June 4, 2025. The reason for this is the defusing of three World War II bombs that were discovered during construction work in the Deutz district. Over 20,000 people have been forced to leave their homes today, marking the largest evacuation operation in the city since World War II. The security measures are comprehensive: a danger radius of 1,000 meters has been set around the site where the bombs were found, which means that large parts of the city center are closed. Among other things, important cultural institutions such as the Ludwig Museum and the Wallraf-Richartz Museum are in the restricted area.

The measure also has an impact on long-distance and local transport. The Hohenzollern, Deutzer and Severins Bridges are closed to traffic and the Cologne Messe/Deutz train station is no longer accessible. The Cologne transport company is also warning of restrictions on its light rail and bus routes and is advising citizens to avoid the city center. The evacuation began this morning with a first pass at 8 a.m., followed by a second pass at 1:30 p.m. Contact points for the evacuated population were set up in exhibition hall 10.1 and in the Humboldtstrasse vocational college, where psychosocial support is also provided.

RTL and other impacts on the city

The bomb defusal also has an impact on RTL's programming. How t online reported, the RTL broadcast center will not be broadcasting on site in Cologne today, but from Berlin. The news formats “Point 6”, “Point 7”, “Point 8” and “Point 12” are therefore broadcast from the capital. RTL Deutschland has moved its employees to the mobile office, which creates additional inconvenience.

Security forces are active throughout the evacuation area and are going house to house to reach everyone affected. “We are trying everything to complete the measure as quickly and safely as possible,” said a police spokesman. The security could last until the evening, with the bomb defusing planned for Wednesday. However, the exact time has not yet been determined. Meanwhile, Rhine traffic will be interrupted as ships will also have to dock due to the measure.

Public containment and evacuated facilities

Facilities such as the Eduardus Hospital, two nursing and retirement homes as well as nine schools and many kindergartens are particularly affected by the evacuation. The pressure to carry out such a large-scale evacuation cannot be underestimated, and the city administration and security forces are under high pressure to ensure everything runs smoothly. If you have any questions, the citizen hotlines are available at 0221/221-0 or 115.

The people of Cologne are required to act carefully and respect the exclusion zones. “This is a major challenge for the city, but the safety of citizens is the top priority,” said a city representative. Defusing these bombs is an exceptional case, as around 1,500 to 2,000 bombs are found in North Rhine-Westphalia every year - around 200 of them with significant explosive power. But such an action poses a particular challenge in the densely populated city center.

It is now exciting to see whether everything goes according to plan and whether the defusing can be completed today. Meanwhile, the city will provide ongoing information about developments in the measure via its website and social media.