Exhibition hall 11 is empty.

Fire engines and police cars are already parked outside the door, and emergency services are also driving up.

It's 9 a.m. on Wednesday, it's pouring rain, the hall is being prepared as emergency shelter for residents who just have to leave their homes.

An aircraft bomb was found during dredging work in the Rebstockpark development area on Monday.

But now the excavators are standing still so that the explosive ordnance clearance squad from Darmstadt has a clear path.

“You don’t even know what lies beneath us in the ground.

Frightening,” says a passer-by.

His employer informed him that he should avoid the area on a large scale, and he is sticking to that.

The empty streets are particularly spooky, something you rarely see in Frankfurt.

"We hope that everything will be fine," says a young woman who lives right next to the bomb site.

Like 2,300 other Frankfurters, she has to leave the evacuation area.

The residents are informed about the bomb find and what to do next on notices in the houses.

It's not the first time for many residents.

Because there was once an airfield near the Rebstock development area, which was also used by the military during World War II, a particularly large number of bombs fell on the site.

One of these duds – a rather small specimen at 50 kilograms – now has to be defused.

Onlookers will be expelled

The scenery at the site of discovery is unimpressive: a white tent of the Frankfurt fire brigade, surrounded by heaps of earth and a simple fence.

But curious onlookers are quickly driven away as the police are already patrolling the streets.

Over loudspeakers, she announces that everyone must leave the area by 11 a.m.

Policemen ring the doorbell.

But most people are already gone.

Only occasionally do you see residents on the deserted streets.

"I'm going into town, despite the weather," says a passer-by.

He has everything he needs with him – just in case.

The hotels and kindergartens in the evacuation zone are also closing for the day.

The ibis hotel closed its doors at 8 a.m.

There were lunch boxes for the guests, then they had to leave the house and can only return around 6 p.m.

Very few residents go to the exhibition hall for the duration of the defusing.

Even two hours after the start of the evacuation, it is still very empty there.

According to the operations management, only 26 people have arrived.

Most are with friends and relatives or at work.

In addition, those affected by the evacuation have free entry to the zoo and many municipal museums.

With the constant rain, the latter is especially fun, and one local resident intends to do just that: “I'll take my children to the museum.

That’s a good way to spend the day.”

At 12:00 p.m., the explosive ordnance clearance squad begins defusing the bomb.

Those present in the exhibition hall must be prepared to wait indefinitely.

The Corona rules are strict here in the hall.

But the mood is relaxed.

“We already know that here in Frankfurt.

We just hope it doesn't take that long," says an elderly lady.

At the entrance everyone has to take a test.

You can only go into the hall if this is negative.

There is a separate entrance for people who should be in quarantine.

Of course, they too have to leave their homes.

But they don't have to wait too long.

At 12.30 p.m. the fire brigade reported that the World War II bomb had been successfully defused.

All barriers would now be lifted.

The firefighters would like to thank the residents for their help and patience: "We wish you a safe journey home."