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

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

On Wednesday, June 4, 2025, Cologne-Deutz will be all about security. Three World War II bombs were discovered there, triggering the largest evacuation operation since World War II. Around 20,000 people have to leave their homes while a 1,000 meter danger zone around the bombs is cordoned off from 8 a.m. Not only 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 evacuated.

What is 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 comedian Tedros “Teddy” Teclebrhan in the Lanxess Arena was postponed to Sunday. This bomb search and the associated measures present the city administration with a major challenge.

RTL and the broadcast program

Another big issue is the RTP headquarters, which is directly affected. The programs “Point 6” and “Point 7” will continue to be broadcast live by RTL from the broadcast center. However, the show “Point 8” was canceled due to the evacuation. Production for the programs “Point 12”, “RTL Aktuell” at 6.45 p.m. and the “RTL Nachtjournal” at midnight has now been relocated to the capital studio in Berlin. Meanwhile, the daily TV program from the news channel n-tv is produced in Cologne-Ossendorf from 7 a.m reports T-Online.

The evacuation also affects RTL Deutschland's mobile office, which is intended to instruct employees to continue to do work wherever possible. The experience with such measures is not new: in April 2024, the broadcast center was evacuated during a live broadcast due to a bomb defusal, which could have made the preparations for this Wednesday easier.

The impact on traffic

The city of Cologne is doing everything it can to ensure the safety of its citizens. Deutsche Bahn has already reported that there will be disruptions to long-distance traffic because the stop in Cologne Deutz/Tief will be canceled and trains between Düsseldorf and Frankfurt will run without a stop in Cologne/Messe Deutz Tief. In addition, the Hohenzollern Bridge will be closed to defuse the situation. For passengers who still want to go to Cologne city center, the main station remains accessible - but not from the direction of Deutz.

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

A city on alert

In order to provide affected citizens with a source of information, a citizens' hotline was set up where interested parties can call 0221/221-0 or 115. The police are also responding to the serious situation and could intervene in forced evictions if people do not remove themselves from the danger area. The situation remains tense as the exact time for the bomb defusal and the lifting of the closures is unclear is reported by the Tagesschau.

While the city and the people of Cologne prepare for these unexpected challenges, it remains to be hoped that everything can take place quickly and without incident. Cologne shows once again that it sticks together even in times of crisis and handles the situation with a good hand.