World War II remembrance sites, explore the D-Day Landing beaches and sites of the Battle of Normandy in the Bessin.
The Second World War and more especially the 6th June 1944 have left lasting marks. That way some of the most important military cemeteries are located in the Bessin. The American Cemetery, facing Omaha beach, with about 3,300 graves is an emblematic site of the D-Day commemorations in the region.
On the way to Cherbourg via the national road 13, the German war cemetery is worth a stop. Located in La Cambe a few kilometres away from Isigny, it the most important German remembrance site in the region with a total of 21,300 graves. A garden, called the Peace Garden, is planted along the road that leads to the cemetery with 1,220 maple trees offered by contributors from different countries.
On 6th June 1944, known as D-Day, the Bessin has been the theatre of the most terrible battles on beaches, whether it was on Omaha beach, called 'Bloody Omaha' or at the Pointe du Hoc to name a few. Numerous vestiges of this period still remain today including for instance the artificial harbour of Arromanches that is still visible 75 years later, especially at low tide. Genuine open-air museums, the beaches of the Bessin are witnesses to history. A visit of the Pointe du Hoc artillery battery cannot leave anyone indifferent; the place saw its ecosystem deeply modified by the number of bombs it received on D-Day.