Joy-riding Vikings arrived in northwestern Nomandy 1,000 years ago with plans to lay siege to the area, but remained to begin new lives abroad. One, William the Conquerer, expertly staved off attacks from the ever-present English, and his body was consecrated at the Abbaye aux Hommes in coastal Caen, the seat of his government. Later, and along the Seine, a square in Rouen is where Joan of Arc, declared a heretic, was burned at the stake, and the Musee Jeanne-d'Arc commemorates her short but influential life. Le Mont-Saint-Michel, a UNESCO Heritage Site, has drawn pilgrims to its marvels since medieval times.

Normandy is known best for more recent events, however, as its German-occupied beaches, code-named Omaha, Utah, Juno, Gold and Sword, were the site of a massive Allied offensive on June 6, 1944. D-Day saw British, Canadian and American and soldiers, while suffering considerable numbers of casualties, begin the end of the Second World War, starting the push that would eventually liberate Europe. Memorials and monuments commemorate the sacrifices made here.