Some landscapes seem quiet only because we have forgotten how to listen.

Across the Mayen-Koblenz district, traces of earlier worlds remain hidden in familiar places. Visitors may stand exactly where remarkable events unfolded without seeing the people, ideas and forces that shaped the landscape around them.

What if these stories could return to the places where they happened and invite visitors to become part of them?

Seven Historical Places, Brought Back to Life

The Mayen-Koblenz district is shaped by many layers of history: Roman engineering, medieval life, industrial heritage, traditional crafts and a volcanic landscape formed over thousands of years. The challenge was to connect these very different places without reducing them to a conventional digital guide.

“MYK – Spuren der Zeit” responds with a shared narrative that leads visitors through seven locations:

  • Burg Eltz
  • Sayner Hütte
  • the Rhein-Eifel millstone district
  • Monreal
  • the Goloring
  • Caesar’s Bridge near Weißenthurm
  • Laacher See

Each stop opens a different window into the past. Historical scenes, animated 3D models and short films appear in relation to the real surroundings. Interactive games invite visitors to take part rather than simply observe. The result is an experience designed for families, younger audiences and adults interested in culture, accessible from a familiar device and paced around each visitor’s own journey.

A Story That Connects the Region

The seven locations are linked by an original framing story featuring real actors. Visitors are accompanied by the young protagonist Maya and her grandparents, Anna and Alfred. Exactly how the three connect the individual chapters remains part of the experience’s mystery.

This narrative structure turns a collection of sites into a journey. Instead of opening seven separate digital exhibits, visitors follow characters, discover recurring story elements and encounter the district as a connected historical landscape.

At Burg Eltz, they can step closer to everyday medieval life. In Monreal, they enter the world of cloth makers and follow traces through the town. At Laacher See, the landscape becomes the setting for the dramatic volcanic events that shaped the region. Elsewhere, Roman bridge building, Celtic heritage, ironworking and millstone production become tangible through spatial scenes and playful interactions.

Technology That Serves the Place

For ZAUBAR, the aim is not to place a digital layer over a location for its own sake. The technology has to help visitors understand what makes that place distinctive.

ZAUBAR is developing the progressive web experience that brings the chapters together on visitors’ smartphones. Location-based augmented reality connects digital content to the physical environment, while interactive logic transforms historical research into moments of discovery and play.

The experience combines:

  • site-specific augmented reality
  • animated 3D reconstructions
  • cinematic scenes with real actors
  • short-form video and audio storytelling
  • interactive games and collectible rewards
  • a connected journey across seven locations

These elements give each site its own rhythm. Some moments are cinematic; others ask visitors to explore, solve a task or interact with the environment. The technology moves into the background, leaving the story and the real place at the centre.

Built Through Regional Knowledge and Shared Expertise

“MYK – Spuren der Zeit” was initiated by Rhein-Mosel-Eifel-Touristik (REMET) and Smarte Region MYK10. Its multi-year development involved tourism professionals, participating towns and municipalities, and historical experts. Following a Europe-wide tender with 19 international applications, implementation was awarded to T-Systems, Telekom MMS, GALLIONfilm and ZAUBAR.

The project is part of Smarte Region MYK10 and is funded through Germany’s Model Projects Smart Cities programme by the Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building together with KfW.

Recognised as an Innovation of the Year

As one of three nominees for the Rhineland-Palatinate Tourism Award 2026 in the category “Innovation of the Year,”the project is recognised for connecting cultural education, tourism and digital innovation in an experience designed for different generations.

It also shows how location-based storytelling can strengthen regional identity and turn cultural sites into memorable experiences, using technology to reveal the stories embedded in the landscape.

The Journey Begins in October

From October 10, 2026, visitors and residents will be able to discover all seven chapters of “MYK – Spuren der Zeit” across the Mayen-Koblenz district.

Bring your smartphone, follow Maya and her grandparents, and look again at the landscape around you. The past is still there, waiting to become visible.