Cologne faces huge evacuation: three bombs have to be defused!

Cologne faces huge evacuation: three bombs have to be defused!

In Cologne, the impending defusing of three World War II bombs lamely lame downtown and forces numerous people to evacuate. On Wednesday, June 4, 2025, two American 20-centers bombs and a 10-tentner bomb that were discovered in Cologne-Deutz on Monday are to be defused. The background to this measure is the fact that Cologne was one of the most bombarded cities during the Second World War. Many are now aware of this, because according to n-tv it is one of the greatest evacuations in recent years.

About 20,000 people have to leave their apartments, including residents of 58 hotels and accommodation companies as well as some urban facilities, such as the Eduardus Hospital and two care facilities. Several museums, including the Ludwig Museum and the Wallraf-Richartz Museum, are not averse to their fate. The Cologne cathedral is just outside the evacuation area, but the old town of Cologne and Deutz are also directly affected.

RTL and NTV at new locations

The media landscape in Cologne is also affected. The RTL Germany broadcasting center in Cologne-Deutz is in the evacuation area and therefore the team is forced to work from the mobile office during the defusing. In particular, the day magazines "Point 6" and "Point 7" have to become creative in these times and are sent live from Cologne-Deutz. “Point 8”, on the other hand, does not apply because the building must be evacuated until 8 a.m. All other programs such as "Point 12", "RTL Aktuell" and "Nachtjournal" are relocated to the main town studio, as well as DWDL

A similar scenario had to go through the employees in April 2024 when prior bombing made an evacuation of the location. The reporting will also be changed on Wednesday for the news transmitter NTV, whereby the current reports are produced from Cologne-Ossendorf from 7 a.m.

evacuation measures and traffic disruptions

The evacuation measures are comprehensive: a radius of 1,000 meters around the site is defined and is secured with roadblocks. This also includes three important bridges over the Rhine, the Severinsbrücke, the Deutzer Brücke and the Hohenzollern Bridge, which are blocked for traffic. Train traffic to the main train station and various KVB lines are also severely impaired.

The city of Cologne pulls all the registers to ensure the security of the citizens: inside during defusing. Information on the upcoming road closures and other traffic disruptions is communicated about the city of Cologne. A contact point will be announced on Tuesday and a FAQ on the City of Cologne website provided.

As the city itself explains, such bomb defuses in Cologne are not an isolated case. But the dimension of the current evacuation measure is enormous and raises questions: How long will the closures take? And what does the affected go on? Everyday planning is on the brink for many. Let's be looking forward to the developments!