Wroclaw evacuates 3,000 people to defuse second world war bomb
Police sealed off a building site in the city after a 250kg wartime bomb was found, with bomb disposal experts due to begin work on Tuesday.
About 3,000 residents of Wroclaw were ordered to leave their homes on Tuesday so that bomb disposal experts could remove a 250-kilogram Second World War aerial bomb found at a building site in the city, Polish broadcasters RMF24 and Polsat News reported.
The bomb was discovered last week during groundworks for a hotel and office complex on Kolejowa street, and police have secured the site since Thursday, 15 October, RMF24 reported. The evacuation covered buildings within 300 metres of the site, including addresses on Kolejowa, Prosta, Lelewela, Grabiszynska, Jeczmienna, Pszenna, Owsiana, Stysia, Zielinskiego, Pilsudskiego, Skwierzynska and Swobodna streets and Rozjezdny and Legionow squares, Rzeczpospolita reported.
Officials said any damage to the bomb during removal could pose a serious risk to people nearby, which is why the exclusion zone was set at 300 metres from the device, Rzeczpospolita reported.
Residents were required to leave by 9.30am, with bomb disposal teams expected to begin work between 10am and 10.30am, Polsat News reported. Those with nowhere else to go were offered shelter at the National Forum of Music on Wolnosci Square, with municipal buses laid on at several points around the city.
The operation disrupted public transport across the city: nine tram lines and three bus lines were rerouted, and national rail operator PKP Intercity said it would halt five trains at stations around the Wroclaw rail hub between 10.30am and 11.15am, with delays of up to 60 minutes possible. Rail infrastructure manager PKP PLK said it would suspend trains from Wroclaw Glowny station towards Jelenia Gora, Rawicz, Olesnica, Legnica and Glogow from around 10.30am.
Wroclaw's head of security and crisis management, Bartlomiej Bajak, appealed to residents to cooperate with the evacuation to limit disruption. Unexploded ordnance from the Second World War is found regularly during construction work in Wroclaw; the last comparable evacuation took place in July near Trzemeska street, RMF24 reported.
Follow this story
An email when there is a real update (a new toll, a cause, an arrest). Nothing else; stop with one click.
Free: one story at a time. Members follow as many stories as they like.
What we know
- About 3,000 Wroclaw residents were evacuated on Tuesday so bomb disposal experts could remove a 250kg wartime aerial bomb found on Kolejowa street.
- The exclusion zone covered buildings within 300 metres of the site; residents had to leave by 9.30am, with disposal work due to start between 10am and 10.30am.
- Those without alternative shelter were offered space at the National Forum of Music, with municipal buses laid on for transport.
- Nine tram lines and three bus lines were rerouted, and national and regional rail services around Wroclaw Glowny station were halted for up to 45 minutes from around 10.30am.
- Unexploded Second World War ordnance is found regularly in Wroclaw; the last comparable evacuation was in July near Trzemeska street.
Why it matters for Europe
Wroclaw, like many Polish cities heavily bombed and fought over during the Second World War, continues to turn up unexploded ordnance during construction eight decades later, forcing periodic mass evacuations and transport disruption in a major regional transport hub close to the German and Czech borders.
Sources
Reported by 3 reports from 3 independent outlets in 2 countries.
Source balance
PremiumSee how the 3 outlets behind this story spread from left to right, and which are official or OSINT sources.
Free during the launch: create an account →Log inHow we rate sources
Intelligence file
PremiumSee how we verified this story
Confidence and impact scores, the full situation report and the event timeline.
Launch offer: free for members until 31 October 2026
Questions and answers
- Why were people evacuated in Wroclaw?
- A 250kg Second World War aerial bomb was found during construction work on Kolejowa street, and authorities evacuated everyone within 300 metres so it could be safely removed.
- How many people were affected?
- About 3,000 residents had to leave their homes by 9.30am on Tuesday, RMF24 and Polsat News reported.
- What disruption did the operation cause?
- Nine tram lines and three bus lines were rerouted, and rail services around Wroclaw Glowny station were halted for about 45 minutes.
This article was written with AI assistance from 3 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.