The discovery

A 250-kilogram unexploded US aerial bomb from the Second World War was discovered on a construction site on Leipziger Straße in Potsdam, near the 'blu' sports and leisure pool. The city administration confirmed the find and announced that the bomb disposal squad from the state of Brandenburg will defuse the device on the coming Tuesday. According to the city, this is the 220th WWII explosive device found in the state capital since 1990.

Evacuation zone and affected institutions

The evacuation will begin at 8:30 a.m. and cover a radius of approximately 700 metres around the site. Around 6,500 residents must leave their homes. The exclusion zone encompasses the Brandenburg State Chancellery, the state parliament (Landtag), several ministries, the Investitions- und Landesbank, the Barberini and Minsk museums, multiple hotels, care homes, the Comenius-Schule, the Havelblick daycare centre, the Freundschaftsinsel, and the Lustgarten. An internal memo from the Landtag administration stated that the parliament building must be completely evacuated.

“Please also think of neighbours, friends or relatives who need support.”

Transport disruption

The Potsdam main station will be completely closed from 8:30 a.m. S-Bahn trains heading towards Berlin will start and terminate at Babelsberg station. Regional trains will pass through the main station without stopping. Several tram and bus lines will also be unable to enter the exclusion zone. Road traffic from the south will be diverted via Saarmund and Bergholz-Rehbrücke.

Operational details

More than 300 personnel from the city, fire brigade, federal police, and state police will clear and secure the exclusion zone under the direction of the public order office. A sports hall at Humboldtring 17 will open at 8:00 a.m. as a shelter for those affected. The full closures will remain in place until the official all-clear is given. The city had previously disposed of several WWII bombs on the outskirts of Potsdam, including a 250-kilogram Soviet-made bomb and two 25-kilogram bombs that were successfully detonated.