The discovery of a suspected unexploded World War II bomb led authorities in western Germany to evacuate more than 2,000 people from their homes early on Sunday.
The evacuation of the village of Ingeln-Oesselse, south-east of Hanover, was completed on Sunday morning, a local government spokeswoman told dpa.
A helicopter was flying over the restricted area to check if anyone is still in the area before a bomb disposal team begins its work, she said.
"Then we will see whether there is actually a bomb there," the spokeswoman added.
Evacuated residents are being accommodated in an elementary school in a neighbouring village, she said, and it remains unclear when they will be able to return to their homes.
Much of Germany was heavily bombed by Allied air forces during World War II, and unexploded ordinance is frequently discovered in many parts of the country, particularly during construction work.
The country has a special service of trained bomb disposal experts to handle the explosives.