Evacuation Lifted After Successful Bomb Disposal in Central Potsdam

Central Potsdam returned to normal activity on Tuesday after emergency services successfully defused a large World War II-era bomb discovered near the city's main train station. The incident triggered a large-scale evacuation and widespread transport disruptions across the city's core, with over 6,500 residents temporarily relocated for safety.

Early in the morning, authorities established a restricted area with a radius of approximately 700 meters around the bomb site, which was located near the main railway station. Local police and municipal officials systematically checked the zone to ensure all residents and workers had vacated the area. Public transportation--including buses, trams, and S-Bahn trains--was halted at Potsdam's principal transport hub, and commercial businesses, hotels, and care facilities were closed or cleared as a precaution.

By 8:30 a.m., the entire main station was secured and cordoned off. The evacuation affected residential buildings, businesses, and several key city institutions. Authorities reported that the operation proceeded according to plan, and by 11:00 a.m., the exclusion perimeter was fully established, allowing the bomb disposal team to begin their work.

The unexploded ordnance, identified as a 250-kilogram American aerial bomb from World War II containing about 100 kilograms of high explosives, was detected during a routine survey of the area. The bomb was found positioned approximately 1.5 meters above the cellar vault of a former brewery, increasing the complexity and potential risk of the operation. The bomb disposal expert manually removed the detonator, a process that required careful precision to avoid triggering an explosion. In this situation, a controlled detonation was not considered viable due to the proximity to sensitive infrastructure and residential buildings.

Shortly after 12:30 p.m., the city administration confirmed the successful completion of the defusal process. All restrictions around the site were lifted. Local rail operator Deutsche Bahn announced the resumption of S-Bahn service on line S7 between Ahrensfelde and Potsdam Hauptbahnhof, with trains and regional services returning to their regular schedules soon after. Public buses and trams also resumed operations within minutes of the all-clear signal, and shops in the station complex reopened later in the afternoon. Road traffic at adjacent intersections normalized gradually as police cleared remaining barriers.

City officials stated that the bomb disposal operation was the third such intervention in Potsdam this year resulting from the discovery of legacy munitions. However, this was the largest evacuation of its kind since 2019, when a similar World War II bomb was uncovered in the same area, leading to the relocation of nearly 6,000 people. The main station, the regional parliament building, several government ministries, and notable city landmarks such as the Friendship Island and Speicherstadt were within the affected perimeter on both occasions.

The incident highlights ongoing challenges faced by German cities in managing unexploded wartime ordnance, which is still regularly discovered during construction and infrastructure projects. The bomb disposal specialist described the operation as routine, noting that despite the suboptimal condition of the device, emergency services maintained control throughout. The process involved removing the initiator, neutralizing the ignition system, and safely transporting the defused bomb out of the exclusion zone.

Authorities emphasized the importance of systematic surveys to detect historic munitions and confirmed that the safety measures implemented ensured there was no risk to the public during the operation. The swift restoration of transport, business, and daily life in Potsdam underscored the efficiency of the coordinated response between emergency services, law enforcement, and city administration.