The Urban Sandbox is testing the E-Place Heritage project, a tool that transforms historic sculptures into interactive street-level experiences
The E-Place Heritage project integrates geolocation, augmented reality, and “digital twins” so that anyone can access a comprehensive virtual reconstruction of the city’s cultural heritage
E-Place Heritage is a pilot project that uses augmented reality, geolocation, and “digital twins” to offer new ways to explore, preserve, and promote the city’s cultural heritage. The project, spearheaded by the Valencian startup Baukunst—which specializes in architecture and virtual heritage—allows users to discover the city’s heritage sites through advanced digital tools that offer an accessible and innovative experience.
The City Council, through València Innovation Capital and the city’s Urban Sandbox, has allowed this technological initiative to be tested at various urban landmarks, including, for example, the monument dedicated to Teodoro Llorente, located on Gran Vía Marqués del Túria, or the statue of Pallas Athena on Blasco Ibáñez Avenue.
Making Heritage Accessible to Everyone
To this end, the project digitizes all the monuments and has created a platform that incorporates high-resolution “digital twins” of these monuments, buildings, and heritage sites of historical significance, facilitating both their digital preservation and their dissemination. Using mobile devices, users can access enriched content, view virtual reconstructions, and discover contextual information linked to various points of interest throughout the city.
Paula Llobet, Councilwoman for Tourism, Innovation, and Investment Attraction, emphasized that this initiative “perfectly embodies the vision of València Innovation Capital to put technology at the service of people and major urban challenges. “With E-Place Heritage, we are taking another step forward in our commitment to a city that uses innovation to protect and showcase its cultural heritage,” she said.
The councilwoman added that “this project demonstrates how collaboration between the entrepreneurial ecosystem and the public sector can generate innovative solutions with a real impact in such important areas as culture, sustainable tourism, and heritage conservation.”
Citizen Participation, Research, and Tourist Attractions
Among the pilot project’s main objectives are the digital preservation of cultural assets, the enhancement of the visitor experience through immersive content, and the creation of new channels for public engagement with historical heritage. The platform also provides access to three-dimensional digital repositories that can be used by researchers, cultural institutions, and educational organizations.
The project also includes interactive urban tours that allow visitors to explore different heritage sites in the city through augmented reality experiences, promoting a model of cultural tourism that is more sustainable, inclusive, and environmentally friendly.
E-Place Heritage was recognized at the most recent València Innovation Capital Awards in the sustainable tourism category, an award that highlighted its ability to combine technological innovation, cultural preservation, and economic development.
With this initiative, the Valencia City Council continues to strengthen its position as a European leader in urban innovation and digital transformation applied to culture, promoting solutions that help preserve the city’s historical legacy and bring it closer to new generations.
For more information, see Discover – ePlace