Cologne stands still: 20,000 people evacuated due to bombing!

Cologne stands still: 20,000 people evacuated due to bombing!

On Wednesday, June 4, 2025, Cologne-Deutz is characterized by security. Three World War II bombs were discovered there, which triggers the largest evacuation campaign since the Second World War. Around 20,000 people have to leave their apartments, while a danger area of ​​1,000 meters around the bombs is cordoned off from 8 a.m. Not only the residents are affected, but also numerous facilities: almost 60 hotels, several museums, the Eduardus Hospital, numerous schools and even several daycare centers have to be cleared.

Particularly painful for many is the fact that large cultural events are also affected. A concert by the WDR symphony orchestra in the Philharmonie was canceled and the appearance of the comedian Tedros "Teddy" Teclebrhan in the Lanxess-Arena moved to Sunday. This search for bomb and the associated measures are a major challenge for the city administration.

RTL and the broadcast program

Another big topic is the RTP headquarters that are directly affected. The programs "point 6" and "point 7" will continue to be broadcast live from the broadcast center by RTL. However, the program "Point 8" was canceled due to the evacuation. Production for the programs "Punkt 12", "RTL Aktuell" at 6.45 p.m. and the "RTL Nachtjournal" at midnight has now been relocated to the City City Studio in Berlin. The daily TV program of the news transmitter N-TV will meanwhile produced from 7 a.m. in Cologne-Ossendorf T-online .

The evacuation also affects the mobile office of RTL Germany, which is intended to instruct employees: inside, to continue working wherever possible. Experience with such measures is not new: As early as April 2024, the broadcast center was evacuated during a live broadcast due to a bomb arrangement, which could have made preparations easier for this Wednesday.

The effects on traffic

The city of Cologne does everything possible to ensure the security of the citizens: inside. Deutsche Bahn has already reported that there will be impairments in long -distance transport, since the stop in Cologne is Deutz/deep and trains between Düsseldorf and Frankfurt without stopping in Cologne/Messe Deutz. In addition, the Hohenzollern Bridge is blocked for defusing. For the passengers who still want to go to the city center of Cologne, the main train station remains available - but not from Deutz.

The KVB also points out that light rail lines 1, 7 and 9 and several bus lines are affected by restrictions. It is urgently advised to avoid the city center during the evacuation. For all those affected, contact points such as the exhibition hall 10.1 and the Humboldtstraße vocational college are available reports RTL .

a city on alarm readiness

In order to offer the affected citizens: a source of information inside, a citizen phone has been set up, which interested parties can report on 0221/221-0 or 115. The police, which could intervene in forced evacuation, also react to the serious situation should not remove people independently from the danger area. The situation remains tense, since the exact time for the bombing and the cancellation of the closures is unclear

While the city and the Cologne residents: Inside, to prepare for these unexpected challenges, it remains to be hoped that everything can go on stage quickly and without incidents. Cologne shows once again that it also holds together in times of crisis and takes care of the situation with a good hand.