Four WWII artillery shells found during roadworks in central Warsaw, 4,000 people evacuated

Discovery during roadworks

On Thursday, 13 August, after 3 PM, an excavator operator conducting earthworks at Grzybowska 50 in Warsaw's Wola district struck four artillery shells probably dating from the Second World War. Police were notified and the site was cordoned off and secured overnight. Sappers arrived the following morning after 10 AM and established a safety zone with a radius of 300 to 400 metres around the find. One fire brigade unit from the Warsaw Municipal Fire Service was deployed to secure the sappers' work.

Evacuation and disruption

The safety zone encompassed eight nearby buildings, from which roughly 4,000 people were evacuated, including residents of a block on Zelazna street and guests of a nearby hotel. A shop assistant in one of the local stores told TOK FM reporter Szymon Kępka how the evacuation unfolded.

“A policeman came and said there was an urgent evacuation of the entire building and told us to move 500 metres away.”

An office worker in a nearby building described receiving an email from his manager and an internal alarm signal. Reporter Kępka described the evacuation as proceeding "smoothly," with some people waiting nearby and others switching to remote work.

Traffic and transit impact

The intersection of Grzybowska and Zelazna was closed to traffic for the duration of the sappers' operation. Part of Zelazna was also shut, causing disruption for drivers in the vicinity of Rondo ONZ, where police directed traffic. Municipal bus lines 106 and 157 were placed on diversion routes. As of Friday afternoon, it remained unknown how long the operation would take.

Pattern of wartime finds

The discovery is the second in Warsaw within two weeks. On Tuesday, 4 August, a WWII artillery shell was found during tram track renovation at Aleja Solidarności, paralysing city centre traffic for several hours. Super Express cited historians' estimates that on 25 September 1939 alone, 630 tons of German incendiary and demolition bombs fell on the city, illustrating the scale of destruction that continues to yield buried ordnance more than eighty years later.

Official statements

Bartłomiej Śniadała, a junior aspirant from the Warsaw Metropolitan Police, provided details to multiple outlets including Warszawa Nasze Miasto and Interia.

“During earthworks at Grzybowska street, an excavator operator came across four artillery shells, probably from the Second World War period. The area was cordoned off and secured by police officers. For the duration of the operation, a safety zone of 300 to 400 metres was established. This involves the evacuation of approximately 4,000 people from 8 buildings.”

A representative of the Warsaw Metropolitan Police told Radio ZET that a decision was made to create a safety zone extending several hundred metres. The Warsaw Municipal Fire Service press team confirmed that one fire brigade unit was on site to secure the sappers' work.