Captivating journey through time will enrich tourism in Mayen-Koblenz
REMET and the Smart Region MYK 10 go “back to the future”
What if you could jump through time? Forwards into the future or backwards into the past at will, as easily as pressing buttons on the dashboard of a souped-up DeLorean, like in the movie “Back to the Future”?
People have been dreaming of time travel for hundreds of years. Rhein-Mosel-Eifel-Touristik (REMET) – the special-purpose association of the district of Mayen-Koblenz (MYK) – will take up the theme and now implement “the” ZEITREISE. “Digital innovations offer us the opportunity to position Mayen-Koblenz as a modern tourist destination,” says Michael Schwippert, Deputy Managing Director of REMET. “We want to use an innovative, season-independent and digital offering of our tourism infrastructure to not only strengthen the attractiveness and quality of experience, but also the competitiveness of our region.”
Through the use of augmented reality (AR) – a computer or technology-based extension of real perception – seven sights in the district are brought to a second digital level. “We use ZEITREISE to bring the history of our vacation region to life interactively,” reports Schwippert and gives an example that is being implemented: Eltz Castle is “the” German knight’s castle whose “hidden” location is not obvious to visitors today. But why is the castle here? From the vantage point above the castle, the important trade route between the fertile Maifeld and the Moselle is recreated via AR on the smartphone, where knights and squires gave traders traveling with ox carts protection and escort from robbers and animals. “We will also make life in the old cloth-making town of Monreal, the volcanic eruption of Lake Laach, the Rhine-Eifel millstone district, the Goloring, Caesar’s bridge over the Rhine and the Sayn Ironworks tangible.”
A narrative framework will link the various locations together: the story will be continued with each additional station visited. Maya and Alfred will be the two protagonists of our journey. They have different interests and abilities. And therefore different perceptions, which are reflected in the app experience. “For users, this means that they can choose through whose eyes they want to see the world they are visiting,” says Schwippert. Grandpa Alfred is interested in history and historical facts, daughter Maya is interested in games. Schwippert: “The two characters therefore also appeal to different target groups and their preferences for accessing tourist content.” How can you imagine this in concrete terms? The two time travellers are catapulted into the era of industrialization in Bendorf-Sayn. They meet a group of barefoot children, Sääner Barweslääwer, on the grounds of the Sayn Ironworks. One of them is Toni, a hut boy, with whom they strike up a conversation. A second example: Maya and Alfred end up in the heyday of the cloth-making town of Monreal – in the year 1690, they wander through the picturesque alleyways of the prosperous little town. But there are also problems – some sheep have been stolen. Can Maya find them?
In future, you will only need a cell phone to enjoy time travel. On site, a historically reconstructed 3D environment will be superimposed on the cell phone’s camera image. 3D figures, buildings and objects are placed on top of it, which users can interact with. Clicking on them leads to various games, dialogs, animated films, archive material, interactive 3D models and so on.
“The project is ambitious and complex,” says Schwippert. For this reason, a Europe-wide call for tenders was issued. 19 international and well-known companies took part and a few days ago, after an extensive, two-stage selection process, the winner was chosen. Four strong partners have joined forces: T-Systems, Telekom MMS, GALLIONfilm and ZAUBAR. Now it’s time for implementation. “Locals and tourists alike can look forward to the new project,” says Michael Schwippert. The seven sights should be digitally accessible in 2026.
The implementation of the project is part of the “Smart Cities Model Projects” program funded by the Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Building and KfW. Under the title of “Smart Region MYK10”, the district is also pursuing the goal of using innovative ideas and approaches to make the everyday lives of everyone in Mayen-Koblenz smarter – in other words, more pleasant, simpler, more sustainable and more efficient.
