Wedding in crisis: 13 couples united in Porz despite bomb alarm!

Wedding in crisis: 13 couples united in Porz despite bomb alarm!

Daria Hübsch and her fiancé Maximilian were in a very special situation. Two days before their big day, they received an unexpected call from the registry office that, for security reasons, the civil wedding had to be moved from the historic town hall in downtown Cologne to the district town hall in the Porz district. The reason? On the wedding day, three World War II bombs were to be defused in Cologne, which made the historic town hall a restricted zone. As the FAZ reported, a total of 15 weddings were affected, of which two couples canceled and 13 couples, including Daria and Maximilian, ultimately got married in Porz.

The challenge of still celebrating their affection properly quickly became the couple's priority. “It is important to us that the wedding takes place,” explained Daria, adding that the change of location also had a positive turn for her. After all, the new celebrations were at the location of their first date. Even the simple wedding hall in the district town hall did not prevent the newlyweds from experiencing an unforgettable moment. To maintain this emotional significance, location was also secondary for Daria.

Evacuation in Cologne

Bomb defusing was a serious matter for Cologne. The first ringing of the bell began at 8 a.m. and the evacuation area was expanded to a radius of 1,000 meters. In this zone, around 20,500 residents and many working people had to vacate their usual places. As the daily news reported that facilities such as the Eduardus Hospital, numerous schools and large parts of the city administration had to be evacuated. The Cologne transport company was also challenged, as many lines were affected by the closures. The Hohenzollern Bridge in particular was closed during the defusing, which led to significant disruption to the public transport network.

Two contact points were opened for people who did not have private accommodation: the exhibition hall 10.1 for people from the right bank of the Rhine and the Humboldtstrasse vocational college for the residents on the left bank of the Rhine. Despite this major measure, it was one of the largest evacuations in Cologne after the Second World War. The security precautions were deemed necessary to also protect those who were close to the defusing work.

Wedding under special auspices

Not only Daria and Maximilian celebrated their love despite the adverse circumstances, other couples also did not let the impending danger stop them. The personal significance of their wedding seemed to overshadow the challenges, the moments of uncertainty and the chaos outside the doors. Daria reported that they were happy about the change of location as well as the circumstances, which brought with them a certain nervousness. The day was and remained unique for both of them, regardless of the setting.

The explosive ordnance disposal service of the Düsseldorf district government had scheduled the bombs to be defused on June 4, 2025, which promised great attention throughout the day. It remains to be seen how quickly the closures can be lifted once they have been defused. The people of Cologne are waiting eagerly while young couples like Daria and Maximilian celebrate their very special moment in these times of uncertainty. As people from Cologne say: “There’s something going on!”