This is how it looked 800 years ago: Habsburg is digitally "rebuilt

Put on your glasses and off you go to a place that no longer exists. A hawk flies towards the ancestral castle of the Habsburgs, the scene takes place in the year 1200. The four imposing towers are surrounded by massive castle walls. The castle still stands in its full splendour.

Visitors to Habsburg Castle can now enjoy this virtual 360-degree panorama. Only the rear part of the former castle is still standing, which makes up about a third of the entire building. The rest has fallen into disrepair over the centuries. In one of the preserved parts of the castle - the big tower - visitors can take a seat on one of the placed swivel chairs, put on the virtual reality glasses and embark on a six-minute journey.

Glasses and headphones can be borrowed free of charge from the castle restaurant during opening hours for a deposit. Instructions on the box tell visitors how to proceed. Thanks to the bird's eye view, you have the feeling of flying. This is despite the fact that you are sitting the whole time.

On the trail of the goshawk

After a sightseeing flight over the castle, the hawk lands on the castle walls and allows visitors to let their eyes wander over the virtual landscape. You do this by actually turning around on your own axis in the chair. Through headphones, one hears the history of the castle.

Then the hawk flies into the castle courtyard, where you can make out the fountain, which is still preserved today. Digital donkeys and horses look at you curiously. For the realisation of the 360-degree film, which you can see in the virtual reality glasses, the Museum Aargau has engaged the Zurich company Echowerk. They worked closely with archaeologist Peter Frey, explains Manuel Schaub from Echowerk: "We wanted to recreate the castle as real as possible, as it actually stood at the time.

To do this, the company made a 3D scan of the effective ruin and a wooden model of the castle. "We added the geodata of the surrounding area and were thus also able to represent the landscape realistically."

The development of this project took half a year. With its new digital attraction, Museum Aargau wants to make it possible to experience former cultural assets that are no longer, or only partially, preserved. Digital technologies are a huge opportunity for the Museum Aargau, says Pascal Meier, head of communications: "We are adding to Habsburg Castle virtually. So that you can see it in all its glory from back then."

Museum Aargau pursues a digital strategy

The virtual reality glasses on the Habsburg are not the first digital project of Museum Aargau. Last year, the "Aabach Industrial Culture Tour"the first virtual museum space in the canton was launched.

"In this way, we will continue to digitally supplement our offerings," Marco Catsellaneta, Director of Museum Aargau, explains the digital strategy. "So only where the original is no longer available."

Source: Aargauer Zeitung