Germany: Cologne evacuation lifted after WWII bombs defused
Large areas of the city center of Cologne were closed off on Wednesday as experts defused three bombs left over from World War II, which ended 80 years ago.
The evacuation operation in Cologne, which has seen plenty of them over the years, was one of the largest to ever be carried out in the city since World War II, with some 20,000 people ordered to leave the affected area.
What do we know about the evacuation?
The process of defusing the bombs had to be delayed at one point because of a resident refusing to evacuate, according to a city spokesperson.
An individual living in the old town resisted orders to leave their apartment, with public order officials, police, and the fire department enforcing removal measures.
Kai Kulschewski, head of explosive ordnance disposal in the nearby city of Düsseldorf, who is coordinating the disposal, had earlier said everything was going to plan. He had added that the defusing operation had yet to begin as of the afternoon because not everyone had been evacuated yet.
"We can only start when the last person is out," he said.
Hotels, care homes evacuated
The evacuated area included the entire old part of the city, 58 hotels, three Rhine bridges, the town hall, the railway station in the district of Deutz, which lies across the Rhine from the city center, museums, a hospital and two care homes.
The city's major landmark, Cologne Cathedral, was, however, situated just outside the danger area.
Germany's national rail operator, Deutsche Bahn, had warned that many trains will be diverted or even canceled, and road traffic has was severely disrupted.
The weapons — two 2000-pound (900-kilogram) bombs and one 1000-pound bomb, all manufactured in the US — were discovered in Deutz on Monday.
In a statement on its website, the City of Cologne said, "The evacuation is the largest such measure since the end of World War II. Everyone involved hopes that the defusal can be completed in the course of Wednesday."
Bomb defusals are nothing new in Cologne, as it was one of the major bombing targets for Allied forces during the Second World War.
Among other attacks, the British Royal Air Force targeted Cologne with its first "thousand-bomber raid" on a German city overnight to May 31, 1942, dropping 1,455 tons of bombs and destroying or damaging thousands of buildings.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Local Germany
2 days ago
- Local Germany
German word of the day: Freimütig
Why do I need to know freimütig ? Arguably, there isn't another word in German with the same ability to go straight to the heart of why German speakers and English speakers occasionally rub each other up the wrong way. So this is a good term to understand when you're discussing cultural differences, or even while navigating them yourself. What does it mean? The literal translation for freimütig – pronounced like this – is frank, candid, or unreserved. The word fr eimütig (from der Freimut ) is comprised of the German words for 'free' and 'courageous'. The Duden German language dictionary defines it as follows: Adjective: expressing one's opinion without fear or false consideration; open . Superficially, the meaning of freimütig and 'frank' may be identical, but the respective images they conjure could hardly be more different – and these differences are crucial to understanding why conversations between German speakers and English speakers can end with both participants lost in a maze of baffled frustration. In Germany, freimütig conjures an image of selfless, disinterested heroism. 'Frank', on the other hand, carries connotations of overstepping in English. The word is really only used when a person wants to invite someone to 'be frank' – with the implication that this is something which should never be attempted without prior encouragement. Anyone who has spent time in both Germany and Britain will know that most Germans are f reimütig as a matter of course, whereas most Brits are only ever reluctantly and cautiously frank. Which is why a conversation with a German can feel like being kicked in the balls to someone from Britain. And why a conversation with a Brit can feel like being stroked to death with an overpriced and soft toy to someone from Germany. It's also why I've been told – frankly und mit Freimut – that I'm a terrible person for failing to attend a party I said I would attend. Whereas, for my part, I was left confused and mortified, because I was certain I had declined the invitation. After all, any self-respecting Englishman would have understood the phrase: 'I hope to be there, but I'm not 100% sure I'll make it,' as a clear and unequivocal 'No!' Advertisement Interestingly, the English word 'frank' actually derives from the name of the Germanic tribe, the Franks, who lived around the lower Rhine from the 3rd century CE and later conquered much of what is now France and western Germany. While the origin of the tribal name is debated, one theory suggests it came from frankon , the Germanic name for their weapon of choice, a javelin or lance – which seems perfectly on point. Use it like this: Sie hat sich sehr freimütig geäußert. She expressed herself very frankly. Er antwortete freimütig auf meine Fragen, ohne etwas zu verheimlichen. He answered my questions frankly, without hiding anything. Advertisement Die freimütige Diskussion über die politischen Probleme führte zu einem besseren Verständnis. The frank discussion about the political problems led to a better understanding. Warum reden die Engländer immer um den heißen Brei herum? Warum können sie nicht freimütiger sein? Why do the English always beat around the bush? Why can't they be franker?
DW
3 days ago
- DW
Germany: Cologne evacuation lifted after WWII bombs defused
Large areas of the city center of Cologne were closed off on Wednesday as experts defused three bombs left over from World War II, which ended 80 years ago. The evacuation operation in Cologne, which has seen plenty of them over the years, was one of the largest to ever be carried out in the city since World War II, with some 20,000 people ordered to leave the affected area. What do we know about the evacuation? The process of defusing the bombs had to be delayed at one point because of a resident refusing to evacuate, according to a city spokesperson. An individual living in the old town resisted orders to leave their apartment, with public order officials, police, and the fire department enforcing removal measures. Kai Kulschewski, head of explosive ordnance disposal in the nearby city of Düsseldorf, who is coordinating the disposal, had earlier said everything was going to plan. He had added that the defusing operation had yet to begin as of the afternoon because not everyone had been evacuated yet. "We can only start when the last person is out," he said. Hotels, care homes evacuated The evacuated area included the entire old part of the city, 58 hotels, three Rhine bridges, the town hall, the railway station in the district of Deutz, which lies across the Rhine from the city center, museums, a hospital and two care homes. The city's major landmark, Cologne Cathedral, was, however, situated just outside the danger area. Germany's national rail operator, Deutsche Bahn, had warned that many trains will be diverted or even canceled, and road traffic has was severely disrupted. The weapons — two 2000-pound (900-kilogram) bombs and one 1000-pound bomb, all manufactured in the US — were discovered in Deutz on Monday. In a statement on its website, the City of Cologne said, "The evacuation is the largest such measure since the end of World War II. Everyone involved hopes that the defusal can be completed in the course of Wednesday." Bomb defusals are nothing new in Cologne, as it was one of the major bombing targets for Allied forces during the Second World War. Among other attacks, the British Royal Air Force targeted Cologne with its first "thousand-bomber raid" on a German city overnight to May 31, 1942, dropping 1,455 tons of bombs and destroying or damaging thousands of buildings.
DW
3 days ago
- DW
Cologne: unexploded World War II bombs successfully defused – DW – 06/04/2025
06/04/2025 June 4, 2025 More than 20,000 residents were evacuated from Germany's fourth largest city, Cologne, as experts attempted to defuse three unexploded bombs from the Second World War. It was the largest bomb-related evacuation since the end of the war.
