Relics of war

Lurking danger

Many bombs are still lurking in the waters of the North and Baltic Seas, and are frequently only discovered by accident. Controlled explosions are often the safest way of dealing with them. This picture shows the detonation of a 500 kg bomb off the German island of Rügen.

Relics of war

Unexploded ordinance

Builders in German cities often come across unexploded ordinance - bombs that were dropped over Germany during World War II but failed to go off. Decades later these weapons still have the power to destroy. Great care must be taken when salvaging and defusing them, such as when this bomb was found in Frankfurt am Main.

Relics of war

Uncontrolled explosion

In 2012 an unexploded bomb was found in Viersen, in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It was detonated in a controlled explosion. However, the experts obviously underestimated the power of the bomb, which damaged the entire street and rendered two houses uninhabitable. No one was injured, though, as around 8,000 residents of the surrounding area had previously been evacuated.

Relics of war

Abandoned post

The abandoned German bunkers along France's Atlantic coast look as if they could still be used today. This is where the German armed forces prepared for the arrival of Allied troops. On June 6, 1944, later known as "D-Day," the landings of 156,000 American, Canadian and British forces began on the coast of Normandy.

Relics of war

Memorializing ruins

In many German cities, the ruins of buildings destroyed in World War II have been left standing as a reminder of the horrors of war. One such monument is the tower of the Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche (Memorial Church) in Berlin.

Relics of war

In memory of the victims

In Hamburg, the ruined Church of St Nicholas is dedicated "to the victims of war and tyranny 1933-1945." Shrapnel damage can still be seen on the walls. The city senate made a conscious decision not to rebuild the church after the war, opening a documentation center in the basement instead.

Relics of war

Bunker museum

Even huge explosions barely have any impact on aboveground bunkers. Many of these massive shelters still survive in big German cities. The aboveground bunker in Berlin Mitte is now home to a museum, where art collector Christian Boros exhibits contemporary works in rooms with thick walls made of reinforced concrete.

Relics of war

Final resting place

War graves are also monuments to the suffering and destruction of World War II. The remains of fallen soldiers are still occasionally found in former battlefields and reburied in war cemeteries. More than 2,000 Germans killed in action are buried here, in the 'cemetery of honor' in Vossenack, near the Belgian border.

Author: Marcus Lütticke / cc