The Allied landing beaches in Normandy have been officially inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The decision was taken on 26 July 2026 at the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee in Busan, Republic of Korea. This marks the culmination of a project that had been in preparation for nearly 20 years.
The listing includes the five beaches known by their code names Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword, as well as Pointe du Hoc. The protected zone stretches for approximately 80 kilometres of coastline in the departments of Manche and Calvados. The property also encompasses remains of the German Atlantic Wall, the Longues-sur-Mer artillery battery, remnants of the Mulberry artificial harbour at Arromanches, and associated commemorative landscapes, including the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer.
It was here on 6 June 1944 that Operation Overlord began — the largest amphibious and airborne military operation in history. The landing of Allied forces (Americans, British, Canadians and others) marked a decisive stage in the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi occupation and brought the end of the Second World War closer.
UNESCO recognised the site under the criterion as a place directly associated with events of outstanding universal value. A representative of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) noted that these beaches “symbolically commemorate the immense human sacrifice that was made to overthrow an entrenched authoritarian occupation in Europe.”
The President of the Normandy Region, Hervé Morin, stated: “This decision places a responsibility upon us — to preserve this property, to protect it, to cherish it even more, and to promote its value.”
The Normandy beaches have become the region’s fourth World Heritage site after Mont-Saint-Michel, Le Havre and the Vauban towers. France now has more than 50 such sites.