Utah Beach D-DAY MUSEUM

A HUMAN STORY, A LIVING MEMORY

The D-Day Museum at Utah Beach seeks above ail else to transmit the memory of the events of June 1944 in a spiritof respect and recognition for the menwho came by sea and by air to liberale Europe.The time has corne to provide the museum with the means to support this ambition. Our historical location - literally at the center of Utah Beach itself, built around the concrete bunker which was at the heart of the Gerrnan coastal defense System - will become the focal point to preserve the rnemory of those history-changing events of the summer of 1944.

The fragile nature of this memory and the implications of its préservation have led us today to undertake an ambitious extension of the museum.

For a long time, the town and its museum have maintained close relations with the United States. This project is born of that same spirit, as important new contributors who wish to make of this extension a new chapter in Franco-American relations have corne to the fore.

Utah Beach is a place of

 great naturel beauty and

 of unparalleled historical

 importance. The site and the

 museum extension will be

 developed together to ensure

 a project in perfect harmony

 with the naturel landscape.

A MONUMENT TO A PIVOTAL MOMENT IN HISTORY

Since its inception, the Utah Beach Museum's mission has been to bear witness to the great historical events that unfolded on these beaches. Today it is an integral part of the site and its history; the various phases of the rnuseum's extension are proof of the deeply-rooted long-term commitment towards preserving the memory of this site.The current project for the extension of the museum is born of this commitment and gives us a unique opportunity to revitalise the museum and its collection. Perched among the dunes, the existing museum benefits from an extra-ordinary setting.The extension of the museum designed by the architect Nicolas Kelemen will be the opportunity to integrale the museum with its historic context and natural setting so as to reinforce thé deep ties between the place and its history.

A WELCOMING DESIGN

Emerging from the dunes, the new entry pavilion will invite visitors to discover the museum. The visitor will approach the museum with the sense of entering the dunes and the very heart of the site. Just as the historic artifacts are intertwined with the landscape, the extension will weave a link between thé dunes and thé museum. The architecture will remain restrained and in dialogue with the historicsiteand the landscape. Throughout the building the visitor will discover spaces bathed in natural light with views to the landscape of Utah Beach.

A JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY

The history of Utah Beach is a living memory, and traces of the events from 1944 are still clearly visible throughout the site. The richness of the museum's collection- over 1,300 artifacts- will be the organizing principle for the new exhibit.The exhibit will be a journey of discovery that gives new purpose to this historic collection of great value. The extension of the museum will allow the visitor to discover and understand these pieces in their context, creating for each visitor a strong personal link to Utah Beach and its history.

- Complete renovation of the exisitng museum  (1,130m*)

- Construction of a new wing {1,040m2)

- Total exhibit area of 1.340m2

- New hangar housing a full-scale replica of the

B-26 « Dinah Might »