Berlin City Centre has been evacuated following the discovery of an unexploded WWII bomb during construction works.
The central railway station, economy ministry and the natural history museum were all closed to the public while bomb disposal experts deal with the explosive.
Authorities carried out a controlled explosion on the bomb at around 12:20pm this afternoon.
Earlier, police posted a series of pictures describing the 'normally vibrant city' as a "ghostown."
Sonst #Weltmetropole, heute #Geisterstadt .
Berlin steht still wegen einer #Weltkriegsbombe. pic.twitter.com/XtSgNIIgCM— Polizei Berlin Einsatz (@PolizeiBerlin_E) April 20, 2018
On Wednesday, police assured the public the bomb was in a safe condition and posed no immediate danger.
German rail operator Deutsche Bahn said it expected long-distance rail transport at the central station to be disrupted from 10am to 2pm local time (8am to 12pm Irish time).
The operator said trains would stop at other stations in Berlin instead.
Buses, trams and local train services in Berlin were also disrupted and the road where the 500kg bomb was discovered during building work has been closed.
The city's central station reopened at 12:30pm.
Die Sperrungen im #Hauptbahnhof sind jetzt aufgehoben. Auch der Zugverkehr der @SBahnBerlin und @DB_Bahn rollt gleich wieder. Gute Fahrt! pic.twitter.com/rS85HhJOYl
— Bundespolizei Berlin (@bpol_b) April 20, 2018
Police began evacuating all buildings within an 800-metre radius of the bomb at 9am local time.
They posted a video on Twitter showing officers walking up the stairs in an apartment building with the caption: "We're not bringing room service or breakfast in bed but a personal wake-up call."
"Residents are being asked to leave their homes due to the bomb from the World War being defused."
Kein Zimmerservice, kein Frühstück ans Bett. Dafür persönlicher Weckservice unserer 22. EHu. Anwohner werden gebeten wegen der Entschärfung der #Weltkriegsbombe ihre Wohnungen zu verlassen. pic.twitter.com/9eBTbcO3FH
— Polizei Berlin Einsatz (@PolizeiBerlin_E) April 20, 2018
Flights from Berlin's Tegel airport are not affected but passengers have been warned that public transport to the city's two airports - Tegel and Schoenefeld - would be disrupted.
Thousands of unexploded war time bombs still lie beneath cities in Germany.
Authorities still discover more more than 2,000 tonnes of live munitions every year - more than 70 years after the war ended.
They have also been discovered in other European cities.
In February, all flights out of London city Airport were cancelled after an unexploded bomb was found in the River Thames close to the runway.
