Digital Spotlight Heritage Timișoara, winner in Dublin at the European Cultural Tourism Network awards
The Digital cultural project Spotlight Heritage Timișoara, coordinated by the Politehnica University of Timișoara, through the Department of ID/IFR and Digital Education and the Multimedia Center won the award European Cultural Tourism Network to the section Digitization advances and Digital transition in smart and sustainable cultural tourism. The international jury particularly appreciated the way the project embraced and promoted the latest innovations in digital technologies. From web and mobile apps to AR, VR, MR and NFTs, the project has provided multiple exploration platforms for 2.5 million people in over 10 countries.
Part of Cultural Program Timișoara 2023 European Capital of Culture, Heritage under the spotlight Timisoara aimed to increase the interest of the young generation and the general public in the historical neighborhoods of Timisoara, by using the concept of digital storytelling. Combining past and present personal memories with historical and architectural data, through the digital overlay of intangible heritage, Digital Spotlight Heritage Timișoara offered a demonstration of cultural mediation, using all types of emerging digital technologies to provide multiple platforms for exploration.
Digital itineraries for 110 historical landmarks in Timișoara
Under the coordination of the Department of ID/IFR and Digital Education together with the Multimedia Center - Politehnica University Timișoara, over the last 5 years the digital and physical itineraries of 110 historical and cultural landmarks from 5 Timisoara neighborhoods, which divulge their stories through multiple layers: o web page, mobile applications Spotlight Heritage Timișoara, which can be downloaded from the Android and Apple stores, online from 2019, with a new neighborhood being added every year. An application of virtual reality (history and heritage) was created from 2021, every year a new neighborhood is added and a mixed reality app, holographic, with 3D heritage artifacts has been available since 2022, with a new neighborhood added each year. At the same time, SH Culture App – application of augmented reality applications, for heritage and panoramic views of Timisoara were available from 2023, along with 3 NFTs cultural, happenings and dance performances and street theater with digital technologies, International Festival of Culture and Digital Heritage, events and digital installations XR Show in Timișoara and European cities, hybrid openings, cultural mediation and guided and virtual tours, International Spotlight Heritage Student Contest, the international conference Digital Culture & Heritage Talks and a final catalog.
Digital artifacts developed by UPT students in international teams
The VR and MR applications were developed in two innovative contexts: as an interactive virtual mobility between three partner European universities in Italy, Norway and Denmark, whose students worked together with UPT students in international teams, integrated in International Spotlight Heritage Student Contest 2021, 2022 and 2023, as well as VR and MR materials dedicated to sustainable and virtual cultural tourism.
Among the partner universities that have collaborated with the Politehnica University of Timișoara for the development of digital applications are Universita Modena e Reggio Emilia, Roma Tre University (Italy), Agder University (Norway), and Aalborg University (Denmark).
The main developers of the digital applications, participants in the International Spotlight Heritage Student Contest were Marius Tătaru and Emilian Porumb, together with Ilie-Silviu Berzescu and Radu Stamatoiu (Universitatea Politehnica Timișoara), who worked in mixed international teams, among which were Christian Bodskov, Oliver Engermann, Peter Guld Leth, Oskar Bill Zhou (Aalborg University, Denmark), Eliana Maria Torre, Giulia Innocentini, Doresita Marino, Luca Contardi and Giulia Vigo (Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Italy), Ilaria Filonzi – Università di Genova (Italy), Mara Valente – Università Roma Tre (Italy), Inge Johan Johannson and Minh Tuan Hua – University of Agder (Norway). The photo and video images were made by Rafael Leucuța – Universitatea Politehnica Timișoara, the graphics of the applications by Sorina Gavriliuc-Voina, while the innovative creation of the 3 cultural NFTs belongs to the UPT doctoral student, Victor Holotescu.
Competition, extremely intense at ECTN 2024
The 2024 edition of the "Sustainable Cultural Tourism Destination" Awards was organized by ECTN in partnership with Europa Nostra, the European Tourism Commission and NECSTouR, within European Capital of Smart Tourism Dublin 2024, the distinction being handed to the project coordinator from UPT, dr. Diana Andone, in Dublin, within International Conference for Cultural Tourism in Europe "European collaboration for smart and sustainable cultural tourism destinations”, and was awarded for the section Digitization advances and Digital transition in smart and sustainable cultural tourism.
Among the elements that impressed the ECTN jury were the international impact of the project, which reached over 2.5 million people throughout the 6 years, of which over 50 thousand people visited the exhibitions and participated in guided tours, better than 57 thousand took part in the cultural events organized by UPT (conferences, workshops, webinars, performances and public events) and over 400 thousand people participated in the national and international events within the project. At the same time, through digital technologies, Spotlight Heritage Timișoara had an impact up close 2 million users, both on the web page and through mobile applications and through AR and VR equipment, digital experiences that have been used both by Timișoara residents and by tourists, virtual tourists, on the streets, in museums and at international festivals in 10 countries.
Spotlight Heritage Timișoara is a digital cultural initiative of the Polytechnic University of Timișoara through the Department of Digital Education and the Multimedia Center, carried out in partnership with the National Museum of Banat, part of the Cultural Program Timișoara European Capital of Culture 2023. Cultural project co-financed by the Project Center of the Municipality of Timișoara, Timiș County Council, Ministry of Culture, Romania, EEA and Norway Grants. More than 50 partners, such as universities and high schools, museums, galleries, libraries, foundations and cultural centers, embassies of Romania and the Romanian Cultural Institute, theater and DanceSport student organizations, from 11 countries – Romania, Austria, Denmark, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Serbia, Great Britain, USA contributed to the success of the Spotlight Heritage Timisoara project.
European Cultural Tourism Network (ECTN) is the only pan-European network for the development and promotion of cultural tourism.
The joint jury is made up of representatives of ECTN, Europa Nostra, the European Travel Commission and Dublin City Council - European Capital of Smart Tourism 2024, with the participation of ENAT - European Network for Accessible Tourism for the "Accessibility to heritage" category.
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