D-Day beaches inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List
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The D-Day landing beaches in Normandy join more than 50 French sites already inscribed on the list.
PHOTO: AFP
- The D-Day landing beaches in Normandy have been inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List, recognising their historic importance in World War II.
- The inscription covers five beaches: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword, stretching over 80km of coastline.
- This status brings international recognition and a duty to preserve and promote the sites, as stated by Herve Morin, president of the Normandy Region.
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RENNES, France – The iconic D-Day landing beaches in Normandy were on July 26 inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, marking the culmination of a project launched nearly two decades ago.
Stretching for more than 80km of coastline in north-western France, the beaches where Allied forces landed on June 6, 1944, were the scene of a decisive battle to liberate Europe from Nazism and bring an end to World War II.
The nomination included the five D-Day beaches known by their code names: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword.
“This decision places a responsibility upon us,” said Herve Morin, president of the Normandy region.
“It compels us to preserve this property, to protect it, to cherish it even more, and to promote its value.”
The D-Day landings join more than 50 French sites already inscribed on the list, alongside the spectacular island of Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy and the Palace of Versailles.
Recognition of their “outstanding universal value” brings international renown and commits the authorities to working towards their preservation.
Greece, meanwhile, welcomed the inclusion of Mount Olympus, its highest mountain, a protected nature reserve and, according to Greek mythology, home to the gods of antiquity, on UNESCO’s list.
The mountain is also one of Europe’s most biodiverse areas and home to rare wildlife.
“From today, the mythical Mount Olympus becomes a mountain belonging to all of humanity,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis wrote on Facebook.
UNESCO also accorded World Heritage status to 18 historic 18th- and 19th-century condominium-style theatres in the Italian regions of Emilia-Romagna, Marche and Umbria.
Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli in Rome noted that the decision to mark the theatres’ contribution to their regions’ cultural and social life “with pride and satisfaction”. AFP
