28 July 2026
Normandy’s D-Day beaches awarded UNESCO heritage site listing
9th Canadian Infantry Brigade disembarking onto Nan White beach, Juno area, Bernieres-sur-Mer, 6 June 1944. © IWM (A 23938)
The D-Day landing beaches in Normandy, France have been inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List. The award of UNESCO heritage status acknowledges the significant historical and cultural importance of the sites, which were the location of the largest amphibious and airborne military operation in history.
The D-Day landings on 6 June 1944 marked the beginning of the liberation of France and Western Europe in the Second World War. The inscription covers five D-Day beaches known by their code names: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword. Together they form a unique landscape shaped both by the events of 1944 and by their enduring remembrance.
Xavier Puppinck, Area Director for Central and Southern Europe at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, said: “The Commonwealth War Graves Commission welcomes UNESCO’s decision to inscribe the D-Day landing beaches on the World Heritage List. This recognition reflects the profound historical significance of the Normandy coastline and its enduring importance as a place of remembrance, reflection and education.
“For the Commission, this designation is especially meaningful because Normandy is home to many cemeteries and memorials, where we commemorate those Commonwealth servicemen and women who died during the Second World War. This latest inscription also follows UNESCO’s 2023 recognition of 51 of our cemeteries and memorials across France and Belgium, which commemorate those that fell in the First World War.
“The cemeteries, memorials and landscapes of Normandy continue to tell those stories of courage, sacrifice and international cooperation that defined D-Day. Every year, visitors from around the world come to learn about the events of June 1944, to honour the fallen and to reflect on the human cost of war and the value of peace.
“We hope the UNESCO recognition will help ensure that these landscapes are protected for future generations, preserving not only the physical sites but also the human stories they represent.”
CWGC Ryes War Cemetery, Bazenville.
UNESCO heritage sites in France and Belgium
In 2023, UNESCO inscribed 139 First World War funerary and memorial sites onto the World Heritage List, including 51 Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries and memorials in France and Belgium. The inscription recognised the outstanding universal value and global significance of our sites as places of commemoration and education, reinforcing the responsibility we all share to preserve them for future generations.