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Lower Saxony 2025: Unexploded bombs and alligators – A year full of surprises!
Find out in the 2025 annual review from Antenne Niedersachsen how Osnabrück and Vechta were shaped by evacuations and unusual events.
Lower Saxony 2025: Unexploded bombs and alligators – A year full of surprises!
A look back at the year 2025 shows that Lower Saxony experienced an exciting but also challenging year. Antenne Niedersachsen, represented by reporter Daniel Flüß, summarizes the most impressive events in its annual review. A central topic is the activities surrounding the unexploded bombs, which have made Osnabrück the “Unexploded Ordnance Capital of 2025”. The city's residents had to be evacuated a total of seven times in order to safely defuse explosive remnants from the Second World War. The major evacuation on November 9th particularly stands out, as over 14,000 people were unable to stay in their homes that Sunday to enable the defusing of four unexploded bombs. The evacuation radius extended over one kilometer and also included two hospitals and a nursing home. Many people had to resort to improvisation while waiting for the danger to be averted.
The evacuation measures were not without difficulties. During the second evacuation, the mayor of Osnabrück, Katharina Pötter, had little understanding for the residents who disregarded the evacuation. A young man refused to leave the restricted area and was ultimately removed by the police. Another citizen was fined because he apparently overslept and reported late to the evacuation center.
A year full of excitement
However, the year 2025 was not only characterized by the challenges of searching for bombs. In Vechta, the baby alligator, which was suspected to be in a pond, remained a constant mystery and caused some uproar in the region. However, the search was unsuccessful, which did not necessarily strengthen the residents' belief that a solution would be found soon. An amusing ray of hope in the region came in the form of a robotic lawnmower: Thanks to their WhatsApp friendship, the animals Robby and Willis became a little social media hit that caused a few laughs.
The evacuations in Osnabrück repeatedly became a topic of conversation throughout the country. While similar events took place in Berlin, where a 100-kilo World War II bomb was recently defused in Spandau, Osnabrück remains the city with the largest number of unexploded bomb evacuations. The city has now announced that it will introduce a program to ease waiting times for evacuees. Among other things, discounted admission to zoos and museums as well as tours of the theater should be offered to sweeten people's time during the uncertainty.
Looking ahead
Another evacuation date in Osnabrück could be scheduled for February 8, 2026 if new suspicions arise. The security measures have led to cuts in regional and long-distance transport, as many trains were unable to stop at the main station during the evacuations. Overall, the annual review shows that Lower Saxony also had many stories, both big and small, in a year full of experiences. From the excitement surrounding unexploded bombs to the charming alligators and the digital friendship of the robotic lawnmowers, 2025 was a year that will have a lasting impact on the region.