UNESCO lists D-Day beaches, Berlin housing estate, Mount Olympus

The D-Day beaches in Normandy, the Zehlendorf Forest Estate in Berlin and Greece's Mount Olympus have been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The organization's heritage committee approved the decisions on Sunday during a meeting in Busan, South Korea, where a total of 30 new nominations were under consideration.

The housing development in the south-west of the German capital is not a new entry, but an addition to the Berlin Modernism Housing Estates site, joining six other complexes that were first recognized by UNESCO in 2008.

The new World Heritage Site in Normandy covers the beaches where Allied forces landed in on D-Day on June 6, 1944, to begin the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany.

The site includes the five historic landing beaches - Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword - as well as other memorials associated with the Allied invasion.

The Allied forces consisted primarily of US, British, Canadian, Polish, and French troops. 

Around 3,100 landing craft carrying more than 150,000 soldiers crossed the Channel to northern France. Thousands of them were killed in the fighting that followed.

UNESCO is the UN's cultural and scientific organization. With the addition of the D-Day landing beaches, France now has 55 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the same number as Germany. 

Only China (60) and Italy (60) have more UNESCO World Heritage Sites worldwide.

Zehlendorf joins Berlin estates site

The Berlin Modernism Housing Estates site recognizes social housing complexes built mainly during the Weimar Republic. 

It includes the famous Horseshoe Estate in the Britz neighbourhood and the White City in northern Reinickendorf. 

The Zehlendorf Forest Estate was built between 1926 and 1932 under the lead planning of architect Bruno Taut, in collaboration with Hugo Häring and Otto Rudolf Salvisberg. 

During their construction, the Bauhaus-style buildings provoked fierce opposition within conservative circles.

Today, however, the concept is undisputedly regarded as pioneering: under the guiding principle of 'light, air and sun', the estate was ahead of its time in prioritizing residents' health and wellbeing.

Taut's vision combines modern, open architecture with a setting characterized by green spaces and trees. The aim was also to create affordable housing for a broad cross-section of society.

A distinctive feature of the estate is that, in terms of area, it is the largest of all the Berlin Modernist housing estates. 

Added to this are the colourful walls - yellow, blue, green or burgundy-red façades, three-coloured window frames, and brightly coloured front doors - which have also earned the complex the nickname "Parrot Estate." 

A number of prominent figures once lived in the estate, including the actor Theo Lingen and the anti-Nazi activist Julius Leber.

However, of the 4,000 people who now call the Zehlendorf Forest Estate home, only some are pleased with the UNESCO decision. 

Some residents are concerned that recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site could lead to rent increases and that the already stringent heritage protection regulations might be tightened even further.

Mount Olympus, home of the gods, also added

The World Heritage Committee also unanimously approved the addition of the "Greater Olympus Region," the Greek Culture Ministry announced on Sunday.

Every year, thousands of visitors climb the mountain to enjoy its spectacular views and to experience the legendary site where, according to Greek mythology, Zeus, the king of the gods, ruled.

Rising to just under 3,000 metres, Mount Olympus has been revered for thousands of years as the mythical dwelling place of the gods and remains one of Greece's most iconic landmarks.

Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni described the decision as "a historic day" for Greece.

She said the World Heritage designation represents international recognition of the country's efforts to protect and preserve a place that, more than almost any other, symbolizes Greek history and mythology.