Normandy's D-Day World War II beaches become UNESCO heritage site

ADVERTISEMENT Filtered By: Topstories News By Reuters Published July 26, 2026 7:19pm + Add GMA on Google Make this your preferred source to get more updates from this publisher on Google. US reinforcements land on Omaha beach during the Normandy D-Day landings near Vierville sur Mer, France, on June 6, 1944 in this handout photo provided by the US National Archives. Cpt Herman Wall/ US National Archives/ Handout via Reuters PARIS — The Normandy D-Day beaches where Allied forces landed on June 6, 1944, to fight Adolf Hitler's Nazi troops and go on to liberate France have become a UNESCO protected world heritage site, the United Nations body said on Sunday.

In a statement on its website, UNESCO said that the beaches formed an "exceptional cultural landscape shaped both by the events of 1944 and by their enduring remembrance," which therefore justified becoming a protected heritage site.The Normandy D-Day beaches are regularly the focus of commemorations featuring world leaders from the United States, Britain, Canada and France. Other Stories Romania shoots down third Russian drone; president calls breaches 'intolerable' Rubio: US Coast Guard vessel 'stood between' CCG, PH vessels as injured Navy man rescued Indian youth protesters call for nationwide rallies as Delhi imposes tough curbs View this post on Instagram A post shared by UNESCO (@unesco) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Prince William, the Prince of Wales, and French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal attend the Canada ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, at Juno Beach in Courseulles-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, June 6, 2024.

Jordan Pettitt/ Pool via REUTERS A World War II tank sits near the church of Sainte-Mere-Eglise, Normandy region, France, May 30, 2024. REUTERS/ Benoit Tessier Soldiers participating in the Normandy landings came from the United States, Britain, Canada, Belgium, Norway, Poland, Luxembourg, Greece, Czechoslovakia, New Zealand and Australia. Some 177 French commandos also took part.

The assault marked a decisive stage in the liberation of Europe from Nazi Germany in World War Two.In total, 156,115 Allied troops either landed by sea—on to beaches codenamed Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword—or were airdropped behind German coastal defenses. — Reuters Tags: Normandy, World War II, dday, UNESCO, UNESCO World Heritage List More Videos Most Popular LOADING CONTENT LOAD MORE ARTICLES RETRY LOADING