What school did Irmgard Keun attend? What studio did Max Ernst use regularly and where did Christa Päffgen, better known as Nico, party the nights away?
The mindwalk Le Journal Belgique answers these and other questions in a playful way. An app invites inquiring minds to follow this carefully curated, storytelling-based treasure hunt that takes them to historic places across the city. As they pursue this hybrid and multimedia journey of discovery through Cologne, visitors experience the many spots in the Belgian Quarter where artists from the last century lived and worked. The project was designed and implemented by the agency planbar events in cooperation with the Cologne Tourist Board.
Le Journal Belgique received funding under the European Union’s REACT-EU scheme in the form of a grant to promote digitalisation in North Rhine-Westphalia and create a resilient tourism sector. The app invites users to become protagonists of an evolving fictitious story that takes place in ten places across the Belgian Quarter. At each station they encounter a variety of interactive story elements and riddles that they need to solve before proceeding to the next chapter of the story. The entire treasure hunt covers a distance of around 3 kilometres.
“With this interactive and personalisable project, we want to open the window on Cologne’s well-established cultural scene, particularly the lively Belgian Quarter, and reach out to our new target group – travellers who come here specifically for a city break,” explains Dr Jürgen Amann, CEO of the Cologne Tourist Board. “The digital mindwalk is a creative, playful way for visitors to discover the past 100 years’ history of art in Cologne at any time of day or night and at their own pace. The product is easy to use and free of charge.”
“Creating a way for visitors to experience the Belgian Quarter through time-travel has been an amazing experience,” comments Guido Bungart of planbar events. “This neighbourhood rose to cultural prominence when construction began on the Opera House in 1902. Although the building was torn down 80 years ago already, the Quarter has lost none of its cultural significance. The many different artists who lived and worked here made the neighbourhood what it is today. Going on this mindwalk allows users to play a role in the story these artists wrote, and to solve the riddle that surrounds the ‘Journal Belgique’. We are delighted to have been part of this venture.”
The treasure hunt is available free of charge in the app stores and can be played by individuals as well as groups.
Download the mindwalk app now: