Collectie Overijssel breathes new life into historical collections with the app Tijdreis Overijssel. From national monuments to painters and industrial heritage. As a history enthusiast, you can now create your own route along fascinating locations! Starting March 2022, collection managers across Overijssel can share their stories in this accessible and interactive way.
“Local associations and museums hold countless stories stored in their collections. In practice, this information is often not easily accessible to the general public. We hope that this new app will make that knowledge available to a wider audience,” says Marina van der Ploeg, Relationship Manager at Collectie Overijssel.
Whether you are exploring your own neighborhood or an old city center, history is everywhere. From industrial heritage to bridges and mills. “We want to bundle those often invisible stories across Overijssel into the Tijdreis Overijssel app. So that as many residents, tourists, children, and other interested people as possible can discover interesting information in one place. You might learn about old crafts, landscapes, World War II, religion, or culture.”
A museum, association, or foundation uploads the route points and related information from their collection into the collection management system.
The information is linked to locations on the map in the Tijdreis Overijssel app, enriched with audio clips, photos, or videos.
The data is bundled into a so-called “theme app” that anyone can access online.
Collectie Overijssel supports participants when uploading route points and provides advice on the content.
Users choose in the app which themes or regions they find interesting (for example, “World War II in Zwolle”).
For each theme, they can select locations nearby that they would like to visit. The app automatically creates a route that can be adjusted for walkers, cyclists, or drivers.
When you reach a route point, the app displays a short text and may show a photo or video of the site as it once was. You truly travel through time in Overijssel!
After the launch of the app in March 2022, associations in Overijssel can join Collectie Overijssel.
Marina: “They can easily upload their own stories as route points and participate in this format free of charge.”
Two historical associations, Wierden and Hardenberg, are taking the lead in the pilot project. “Later this year, others can join too. We already have quite a list of interested organizations. It is wonderful to see so much enthusiasm,” says Marina.
The app management system, developed by MapGear, is designed to be as accessible as possible. This allows collection managers, often volunteers familiar with local history, to upload content directly in Tijdreis Overijssel without technical expertise or GIS experience.
In recent years, the demand for online platforms has grown. When museums had to close their doors because of COVID-19 measures, Collectie Overijssel saw the need for such an app even more clearly.
“The idea for an app had been around for some time, but the pandemic brought it all together,” says Maartje Koelma, Communications Officer at Collectie Overijssel.
The app WO2 Overijssel was launched last year, featuring stories from World War II. Users can create their own routes along rocket launch sites or labor camps and read about resistance heroes.
The app has already been downloaded over 1,200 times and has been well-received in the education sector. Its success inspired the broader project Tijdreis Overijssel.
“We hope that both children and adults will be inspired to explore Overijssel through history. History has a great impact when you stand right where it happened,” conclude Marina and Maartje.
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