Utah Beach Museum, Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, France

Utah Beach was the successful landing place of a number of American Divisions on 6th June 1944, and from here they pushed inland to the Carantan peninsula to meet up with US Airborne forces around St Mere Eglise. Between D Day and 1st November 1944 some 836,000 men and 220,000 vehicles came ashore here. The beach also marks the point of 'Liberty Way' which runs from Normandy to Bastogne in Belgium, and is marked by a memorial stone every kilometer - the 00 Kilometer stone being here (with another in St Mere Eglise).

The Utah Beach Museum was originally opened in the 1960s and then renovated for the 50th Anniversary of D Day in 1994. It tells the story of the American landings at Utah and also the Airborne operations around St Mere Eglise. The museum has many rare vehicles, weapons, photographs and veterans artifacts. There is a good 1/35th scale model of the landings, and a film show. There is also a book shop.

References:

Paul Reed's Battlefields of WW2

User Reviews

Tom Doel (27 days ago)
My visit was during a battlefield tour, which meant we didn't have time to go to the museum itself, but outside, it has a Sherman tank a Higgins boat you can walk on a cafe statues and memorials plus easy access to the beach. I found the door to the bunker, which wasn't open, but their is a plaque worth reading.Also, look for the location circles telling you how far places are from the location. We'll worth a visit even if you don't go to the museum.

Joanne Jarman (33 days ago)
Great museum, lots of info and an informative movie. The exhibits are interesting to read.

Miss Sara (3 months ago)
If you like history the trip to Normandy is a full day but it is totally worth it. I used city Wonders They are great !!!!

Celeita Kramer (4 months ago)
Special place with so much history. Nice collection, be sure to walk the beach and around the grounds of the museum. Never forget the price paid for liberty

Kevin W (7 months ago)
Excellent museum! Very nice displays, well explained, informative, interesting, etc. All placards in French & English. Lighting is good on most of the displays. One of the favorites so far this trip. Highly recommended!

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Roman Moško

Historic Site of the week

Trencín Castle

Trenčín Castle is relatively large renovated castle, towering on a steep limestone cliff directly above the city of Trenčín. It is a dominant feature not only of Trenčín, but also of the entire Považie region. The castle is a national monument.

History of the castle cliff dates back to the Roman Empire, what is proved by the inscription on the castle cliff proclaiming the victory of Roman legion against Germans in the year 179.

Today’s castle was probably built on the hill-fort. The first proven building on the hill was the Great Moravian rotunda from the 9th century and later there was a stone residential tower, which served to protect the Kingdom of Hungary and the western border. In the late 13th century the castle became a property of Palatine Matúš Csák, who became Mr. of Váh and Tatras.

Matúš Csák of Trenčín built a tower, still known as Matthew’s, which is a dominant determinant of the whole building.

Utah Beach Museum

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historical Gems of Costa Verde

Historic Site of the week

Trencín Castle