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Around 20,000 Cologne residents have to leave their homes because of unexploded bombs!
Mega evacuation on June 4, 2025 in Cologne-Deutz: 20,000 people affected due to bomb defusal. All information here.
Around 20,000 Cologne residents have to leave their homes because of unexploded bombs!
On Wednesday, June 4, 2025, the people of Cologne will face an extraordinary challenge: around 20,000 people will have to be evacuated due to the defusing of three unexploded bombs from the Second World War. The measure affects the Cologne-Deutz area, more precisely the Deutz shipyard, where the bombs were discovered on June 2, 2025. Among those affected is Gerd Harmatiuk from Cologne, who only returned from the Philippines on Tuesday and whose apartment is within the evacuation radius, reports EXPRESS.de.
The evacuation begins at 8 a.m. The affected bombs are filled with TNT and have impact detonators that can trigger a chain reaction when hit. Safety first: For this reason, the danger zone of 1,000 meters around the site is cordoned off, affecting various critical infrastructures, such as the Eduardus Hospital and two nursing homes.
Extensive evacuation measures
The Cologne city administration reacted quickly and took numerous measures to ensure the safety of residents. In addition to the evacuation, important transport connections are also affected: the Severins, Deutzer and Hohenzollern bridges as well as numerous KVB lines and train traffic to the main station must be stopped. These changes also affect Cologne's old town, where there are a large number of accommodation providers that rely on the influx of guests.
The Cologne city public order office has taken responsibility for further measures, while the explosive ordnance disposal service of the Düsseldorf district government is defusing the bombs. Citizens are informed via various channels, including the City of Cologne website, Radio Cologne, WDR and other media. A central contact point for evacuees will also be announced on Tuesday.
The background to explosive ordnance disposal
The need for such large-scale evacuations is often not sufficiently recognized. But dangerous wartime remnants still lurk in the middle of the cities. Like the website Wikipedia explains, explosive ordnance disposal includes not only the defusing of explosive devices, but also extensive historical exploration that is important for the security of public infrastructure. In Germany there are different responsibilities for military and civil explosive ordnance disposal.
Cologne will show how efficiently and quickly the authorities' teams work to ensure the proper defusing of the unexploded bombs. It is also important that the people of Cologne are aware of the risks and follow the instructions of the authorities. Various revered facilities such as the Lanxess Arena and the Musical Dome are also on the list of affected locations. Planning is in full swing and the city will provide regular updates on current developments.
The situation is serious, and while the people of Cologne prepare for this evacuation, there is still a lot of work ahead of those responsible. Stay tuned as events continue to unfold.