PARIS
NESCO has added France’s Normandy D-Day landing beaches and the Royal Capetian Fortresses of Languedoc to its World Heritage List.
The decision was taken during the 48th session of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee, held in Busan, South Korea, from July 19-29, according to the UN cultural agency.
The Normandy site spans nearly 80 kilometers (50 miles) across the French departments of Manche and Calvados.
The beaches were the scene of the Allied landings on June 6, 1944, a pivotal operation that helped pave the way for the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi occupation during World War II.
Also inscribed were the Royal Capetian Fortresses of Languedoc, a collection of medieval defensive structures in the departments of Aude and Ariege.
Dating mainly to the 13th century, the fortresses are commonly known as the “Cathar Castles”and were constructed or reinforced to defend strategically important territory in southern France.
