The beaches of Manche and Calvados are dotted with the remains of the Allied landings which took place on that memorable day of 6 June 1944 to liberate France and Europe from the occupying forces. The blockhouses, bomb craters and concrete blocks are now part of the landscape and bear witness to this extraordinary military operation.
Countless sites, museums and commemorative monuments make up a mosaic of places of remembrance where the emotion is always palpable. In Manche, the Utah Beach Landing Museum was built on the exact spot where the American troops landed. In Calvados, many buildings tell the story of D-Day and pay tribute to all the soldiers who died for the liberation of France: the Omaha Beach Memorial Museum in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, the America Gold Beach Museum in Ver-sur-Mer, the Juno Beach Centre in Courseulles-sur-Mer, and the No. 4 Commando Museum in Ouistreham about the events of Sword Beach. The Airborne Museum in Sainte-Mère-Église, located opposite the bell tower where the famous soldier John Steele hung for several hours, is dedicated to the American paratroopers.
In Arromanches-les-Bains, you can see the remains of the incredible floating artificial harbour, considered to be the most significant technical feat of the Second World War. There is a D-Day Museum in Arromanches, while the Arromanches 360 circular cinema, in the heights of the town, screens a film about the 100 days of the Battle of Normandy.
Nearly 130,000 soldiers of different nationalities gave their lives in Normandy, and were laid to rest in the 27 military cemeteries. One of the most visited is the American cemetery of Colleville-sur-Mer, where 9,387 white tombstones stand overlooking Omaha Beach. The Pointe du Hoc, a strategic point in the Atlantic Wall, was the scene of one of D-Day's toughest battles. The site has been transformed into a place of remembrance, with many signs describing the offensive and its protagonists.
Many other museums have been established throughout Normandy, such as the Liberation Museum in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin or the Cobra Memorial in Marigny-le-Lozon. Those in Calvados include the Memorial Museum of the Battle of Normandy in Bayeux, the Pegasus Memorial Museum in Ranville, the D-Day Omaha Museum in Vierville-sur-Mer and the unmissable Caen Memorial Museum, which presents this period within the context of the turbulent history of the 20th century.