Major Evacuation Ordered
Large parts of central Dresden are set to be evacuated after workers discovered an unexploded 250kg World War Two bomb.
The device, believed to be a British aerial bomb, was found near the site of the former Carola Bridge, which collapsed into the Elbe River in 2024.
Authorities say around 18,000 people — including residents, tourists and commuters — will need to leave the area while bomb disposal teams work to neutralise the device.
The Dresden Fire Brigade said the evacuation will be the largest carried out in the city for an unexploded wartime bomb.
Historic Landmarks Inside Evacuation Zone
Officials plan to cordon off much of the city’s historic centre from 09:00 local time.
Several well-known landmarks fall within the evacuation zone, including the rebuilt Frauenkirche, the Dresden Residenzschloss palace complex and the Semperoper opera house.
Government offices and public institutions are also located within the restricted area, including police headquarters and the regional parliament for Saxony.
Retirement homes, childcare facilities and other social institutions are expected to be affected.
Emergency accommodation has been arranged at the Dresden Exhibition Centre, which will open early in the morning for displaced residents.
Additional bus and tram services will run to the centre to help transport people from the evacuation zone.
Authorities have not yet said how long the bomb disposal operation could take.
Legacy of Wartime Bombing
Unexploded bombs are still regularly discovered across Germany decades after the end of World War II.
Dresden was heavily bombed by Allied forces in February 1945, when British and American aircraft dropped thousands of tons of explosives over several days.
The attacks devastated the city centre and killed an estimated 25,000 people.
The bombing remains one of the most controversial episodes of the war, with historians continuing to debate whether it was strategically justified or excessive.
Many of Dresden’s historic buildings, including the Frauenkirche and Semperoper, were reconstructed years later after being destroyed in the air raids.
British tenor Stephen Chaundy, who is currently working at the Semperoper, said rehearsals at the opera house had been cancelled due to the evacuation.
Reflecting on the wartime bombing of the city, he said: “The past casts a long shadow.”
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Adapted by ASEAN Now · Source · 10.03 2026