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World War II bombs in Cologne: Huge evacuation affects 20,000 citizens!
On June 4, 2025, 20,000 people in Cologne-Deutz have to be evacuated to defuse bombs. The largest evacuation since the war.
World War II bombs in Cologne: Huge evacuation affects 20,000 citizens!
There are serious challenges facing Cologne-Deutz today: Over 20,000 people have to be evacuated while three World War II bombs are being defused. This massive evacuation operation is the largest since World War II and began at 8 a.m. this morning. The bombs, two 20 quintal bombs and one 10 quintal bomb, were discovered on Monday, June 2, 2025 and now pose a significant threat, as Moz.de reported.
The affected area, which has been cordoned off, covers large parts of Cologne's old town, including popular establishments and sights. The affected locations include the Eduardus Hospital, fifty eight hotels, several museums - including the Ludwig Museum and the Wallraf-Richartz Museum - as well as various schools and daycare centers. The well-known LANXESS Arena and the Musical Dome are also affected. Transport connections will be significantly affected and, among other things, the Hohenzollern, Deutzer and Severins bridges will be closed.
Evacuation and closures
The Cologne transport company (KVB) is expecting massive disruptions in city traffic. Tram lines and a large number of bus services are affected, and the KVB recommends that citizens avoid the city center area. Long-distance trains are being rerouted and the stop at Cologne Deutz/Tief station is cancelled. The first evacuation operations were calm; There were no objectors by midday, which is crucial for the defusing to stay on schedule, as well Tagesschau.de emphasized.
The evacuation measures are not only painful for residents, but also for working people in the city center. Numerous events, including a planned concert by the WDR Symphony Orchestra at the Philharmonie and a performance by comedian Tedros “Teddy” Teclebrhan, have been canceled or postponed to later dates. Weddings in the historic town hall had to be moved to Porz, and RTL Deutschland employees are working in a mobile office in Berlin because the live broadcasts cannot take place as planned.
Bases and information
Two central contact points have been set up for the evacuation: the exhibition hall 10.1 for the population on the right bank of the Rhine and the Humboldtstrasse vocational college for the left bank side of the Rhine. Both facilities also open at 8 a.m. People who cannot find private accommodation are asked to register here. However, pets are not allowed. A citizen hotline has also been set up for further information and can be reached at 0221/221-0 or 115.
Uncertainty remains about the course of the bomb defusal. The authorities expect that it will be possible to return to the evacuated areas after successful defusing if everything goes according to plan. The current schedule suggests that the defusing could be completed this afternoon, especially if the situation stays under control and those affected leave the area in time, as the city of Cologne says on its website informed.