Atlantikwall

The German army built a defense line along Europe's beaches from 1942 onwards to discourage an Allied attack: the Atlantikwall. Defending Europe's coasts was a daunting task. From Norway through Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France, the coastline measured almost five thousand kilometers. The German army, therefore, concentrated on the most likely places for an Allied invasion: Normandy and Calais.

Normandy

D-Day in Normandy

On June 6, 1944, Allied troops landed on the coasts of Normandy. D-Day marked the downfall of the Nazi Empire and the end of World War II.

Hauts-de-France

Disappeared support point in Wissant

Wissant, a seaside resort between the rocky capes of Cap Gris-Nez and Cap Blanc-Nez, has been inundated with tourists since the late nineteenth century. The dunes teem with holiday homes and villas in Art Deco style, such as Villa Le Typhonium. However, during the Second World War, sun worshippers were not welcome at the beach of Wissant.

France

D-Day on the beaches of Normandy

Pointe du Hoc, a promontory littered with craters and concrete blocks, stands out between Utah Beach and Omaha Beach, two of the five beaches where the Normandy landings took place on June 6, 1944.

The Netherlands

Remains of Mulberry harbors in Zeeland

At the beginning of October 1944, the British Air Force bombed the sea dike at Ritthem in the Netherlands. The aim was to flood Walcheren and force away the German army.

The Netherlands

An artillery unit disguised as a village

The German army spared no expense to give the eleven bunkers of Stützpunkt Groede the appearance of a cozy Dutch village.

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6 remnants of the Battle of Berlin

The fierce Battle of Berlin was the final fight at the end of World War II. The bloody confrontation, from mid-April to early May 1945, brought the Nazi regime to its knees and ended World War II.

Atlantikwall

Industrial Heritage

Dark tourism