Evacuation in Göttingen completed: Defect causes delay in drilling

Evacuation in Göttingen completed: Defect causes delay in drilling

The evacuation around the Godehardkreisel in Göttingen has ended for today, July 10, 2025. Residents can finally return to their familiar four walls. The reason for the temporary forced expulsion was a discovery of explosive ordnance, as the city of Göttingen reports. However, during the exploration of a second suspected unexploded ordnance point, a small drilling rig broke down. This technical glitch resulted in seven planned wells not being completed as expected. There is currently no result for this suspected point, but the city has promised to continue the interrupted drilling as quickly as possible and to provide short-term information about developments and possible effects on future evacuations.

The search for unexploded bombs in Göttingen is not an atypical phenomenon. In fact, several dozen such explosions from World War II may still lie underground. It is estimated that around 80 of these dangers are hidden in the city. The investigations, which began this week, focus on the area around the Godehard roundabout. It is a laborious and complicated task that involves digging up to five meters deep to identify possible unexploded bombs.

The threat of unexploded bombs

Safety precautions must be taken extremely seriously. People living within 50 meters of the suspected spots had to temporarily leave their homes due to safety concerns. What is particularly explosive is that the duds found are often equipped with long-term detonators, which poses an enormous risk for local residents. If defusing is not possible, the only means available is controlled demolition.

This case is not the first for the city. Around 15 years ago, in June 2010, there was a tragic incident in Göttingen in which three people lost their lives while searching for unexploded bombs. On the tenth anniversary, the victims were commemorated with a wreath-laying ceremony. Such memories are bitter and show how important safe and professional explosive ordnance disposal is.

Technical challenges during probing

The defects in technical equipment such as the drilling rigs are only part of the challenges that the explosive ordnance detectors are faced with. Kai Kulschewski, who heads the aerial photo analysis at the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service, explains that despite the many years after the war, tens of thousands of unexploded bombs are still hidden in the ground in Germany. The geophysicists and experts, including specialists who use geophysical methods to search for explosive ordnance, recognize a great responsibility in defusing them. After all, in new buildings or larger projects, aerial photo evaluations often have to be carried out to check whether war influences are present - a laborious but necessary task, as Deutschlandfunk reports.

New explorations have already been scheduled for the next few days at the third suspected unexploded ordnance point, which will be carried out with a large drilling rig. This device promises not to repeat the problems that arose during the work disrupted by the defect.

The city of Göttingen will provide further information as the situation develops. It is clear to all involved actors and residents that we must continue to act vigilantly in the fight against the remaining unexploded bombs in order to ensure the safety of all citizens.