The Normandy landing beaches have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. 27.07.2026 01:59 Ukrinform
The beaches in Normandy, where the Allied landings took place on June 6, 1944, have been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
As Ukrinform reports, BFMTV informs about this.
“These beaches are directly and materially linked to the landings, which played a crucial role in the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi occupation,” stated the representative of the International Council on Monuments and Sites during the UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting in Busan, South Korea.
According to her, this memorial complex also symbolizes the immense human sacrifices made for the liberation of Europe from Nazism.
The list includes five beaches, known by the codenames Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword, as well as the Pointe du Hoc promontory, the German artillery battery at Longues-sur-Mer, and the Mulberry artificial harbor in Arromanches-les-Bains. The area stretches for nearly 80 kilometers along the Normandy coast.
It was here, on June 6, 1944, that the large-scale Allied operation began, which became a turning point in the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi occupation and brought about the end of World War II closer.
The President of the Normandy region, Hervé Morin, who was present at the UNESCO Committee meeting in Busan, admitted that the decision evoked strong emotions in him.
“This decision obliges us to preserve this site, protect it, appreciate it even more, and represent it worthily,” Morin emphasized.
Preparation of the nomination dossier began in 2008. In 2014, the beaches were added to France’s tentative list, in 2018 the application was submitted to UNESCO, and in 2025 it was updated.
As reported, UNESCO has left three sites in Ukraine – “Saint Sophia Cathedral, adjacent monastic buildings, and Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra,” “Historic Centre of Lviv,” and “Historic Centre of Odesa” – on the List of World Heritage in Danger, recognizing that Russian aggression poses a direct threat to them.
Photo: Robert F. Sargent, U.S. Coast Guard, wiki
World War II France UNESCO Beach