Consequences of war - Bomb found in forest near Tesla: exclusion zone under review
After the discovery of a bomb from World War II near Tesla's US electric car factory in Grünheide, Berlin, the establishment of a safety perimeter is being tested. In the wooded area where the extension of the Tesla site is planned, according to a new building plan, environmental activists have been protesting since late February with a campsite.
The bomb was found in the wooded area where the extension is planned, said Nico Bauermeister, head of the order office of the Grünheide community, to the German Press Agency.
It is still unclear whether the camp with several tree houses will have to be evacuated. The decision is being weighed and considered, considering the planned bomb disposal, said the official, looking at the bomb disposal site. The Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB) had previously reported on the location in the wooded area.
Brandenburg's Interior Minister Michael Stübgen (CDU) had already warned in April of a possible contamination of the wooded area with old weapons. This led to a dispute with the Environment Ministry. "We consider the danger to be very high," Stübgen said at the time in the Interior Committee of the Landtag. He had demanded that Environment Minister Axel Vogel (Greens) clarify the risk of weapons. The Landesforst is the owner of the land. The only European Tesla factory, which was opened approximately two years ago, is located nearby.
- Environmental activists, camping in the wooded area since late February, are facing potential evacuation due to the discovery of a World War II bomb near Tesla's factory in Grünheide, Berlin.
- Tesla's planned factory extension in the same wooded area has added complexity to the situation, as it overlaps with the location of the bomb find.
- Brandenburg's Interior Minister Michael Stübgen had previously raised concerns about potential weapon contamination in the wooded area, sparking a dispute with the Environment Ministry during the Second World War's consequences assessment.
- The bomb disposal site under consideration for the bomb's removal is close by, prompting officials to consider the safety implications for the activists' makeshift camp, complete with several tree houses.
- The only functioning European Tesla factory, which has been operational for roughly two years, is located near the affected wooded area, potentially impacted by the consequences of the war and the bomb disposal operations.
- In light of the historical, environmental, and industrial significance of the site, local authorities are carefully weighing the consequences of their actions, aiming to ensure safety without disrupting ongoing demonstrations or Tesla's operations.
