Digital journey through time starts with workshops

Tourism project takes history in Mayen-Koblenz to a new level

KREIS MYK. Travel through time – from antiquity to the Middle Ages and the era of industrialization to the near future: what was previously only possible in films will become reality in the Mayen-Koblenz vacation region in 2026 – virtually. With the ZEITREISE project, the smart region MYK10 and Rhein-Mosel-Eifel-Touristik (REMET) are taking the history of seven important sights in the district to a new, digital level – with the help of augmented reality (AR).

The project has now officially started with a large kick-off workshop in Münstermaifeld. More than 30 representatives from all seven participating locations came together to develop the initial concept ideas and stories together with the implementation partners T-Systems International GmbH, GALLIONfilm and ZAUBAR and to concretize the roadmap for the coming months.

“Digital innovations offer us the opportunity to position Mayen-Koblenz as a modern, future-oriented tourist destination,” explains Michael Schwippert, Deputy Managing Director of REMET. “With ZEITREISE, we want to create an innovative, season-independent offer that not only increases the quality of the experience, but also strengthens the competitiveness of our region.”

Seven culturally and historically significant sites will be digitally explored by August 2026: Eltz Castle, Sayner Hütte, Caesar’s Bridge in Weißenthurm, Monreal, the Rhine-Eifel millstone district with locations in the Ettringer Lay and on the banks of the Rhine in Andernach, Goloring near Wolken and the volcanic eruption at Laacher See. After the large kick-off workshop, the content-related foundations for the subsequent AR production were laid in seven requirements workshops at several locations. Together with local partners and teams of experts, initial concepts for the digital staging were developed on site. At Eltz Castle, for example, the former trade route between Maifeld and Moselle is brought back to life virtually, with castle residents and traveling merchants recounting their adventures. In Bendorf-Sayn, children from the huts share their uncomfortable lives during the period of industrialization with visitors. And in Monreal, you can explore the narrow streets of the 19th century and uncover many a mystery of the cloth-making town. How did Caesar actually build the bridge over the Rhine? Or what happens when the volcano at Lake Laach erupts?

“With ZEITREISE, we’re not just rewriting tourist content – we’re telling it in a completely new way,” says project manager Nina Beyer from the smart region MYK10. The historical facts are combined with exciting stories, animated 3D objects, games and films – visible and tangible directly on site via your own smartphone.

“Each workshop brings us one step closer to our goal of communicating history in our region in an exciting, interactive and intergenerational way,” says Michael Schwippert. The seven AR experiences should be completed and open to the public by August 2026. Until then, they will continue to be designed, programmed, tested – and of course: time traveled