Imagine walking through the streets and suddenly catching a glimpse of the city as it looked centuries ago.

Have you ever wanted to hear the stories of the people who shaped our city, told by themselves?

In the City of Technology, history has come to life.

Digital guide - a unique gift to the City of Technology

In celebration of Kongsberg city's 400th anniversary, Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KONGSBERG) has had the pleasure of presenting the municipality with a gift that uniquely blends history and technology.

Text:Anita Nyheim / KONGSBERG

Photo:KONGSBERG / Kongsberg 400

The innovative digital guide revives the city's vibrant history through contemporary technology and engaging narratives, targeting both residents and visitors.

Download the app by scanning this QR code:

"Supporting the community mission by promoting Technology City Kongsberg is very important to us," says Jan Helge Strøm of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.

"This effort lets us help develop the city by sharing our resources and expertise, making it more attractive for both residents and visitors," he adds.

The creation of the digital guide has been a joint effort involving the municipality, Kongsberg 400, and KONGSBERG, with key contributions from partners like the Historical Society, the Mining Museum, and the Norwegian Trekking Association (DNT).

The formal "gift presentation" took place at this year's Kongsberg Agenda, marking the signing of a 5-year cooperation agreement between the municipality and KONGSBERG to secure the program's initiation and sustainability. The next step involves raising awareness and encouraging more individuals to benefit from this opportunity.

Here you can see a short film that illustrates how the Digital Guide works

Transforming storytelling with advanced technology

The guide is available at no cost and simple to use. Just download the "Smart Guide" app to access all the essential details about Kongsberg's history. You can select from various routes, find signs with QR codes along the way, and enjoy engaging stories about each location.

At present, the Digital Guide offers four routes: Overberget, Underberget, Nymoen, and Vestsiden. The aim is to add more routes in the future.

The guide employs two groundbreaking technologies that transform our storytelling experience: Augmented Reality (AR) and Livepainting.

Augmented Reality (AR)

By utilising AR technology, certain points along the routes have been enhanced with 3D models that reconstruct buildings and objects that are no longer standing. This technology merges real-world data with virtual elements, offering users a distinctive chance to visualise historical sites as they appeared in the past. A notable example is the wheelhouse of Gottes Hülfe in der Noth, which can now be appreciated in its former splendour through AR.

Livepainting (talking picture)

Livepainting provides a historical journey by featuring renowned personalities from Kongsberg such as Poul Steenstrup, Birger Ruud, and Christian IV. These figures narrate their stories at designated spots along the paths. For instance, Birger Ruud discusses his brother Sigmund's stratospheric jump while at the Hannibal location, offering an interactive and captivating experience.

A holistic experience

Each route in the Digital Guide includes audio guides, textual content, and multimedia elements such as images and videos, enriching the interactive experience. This enables users to explore the city's history and culture in an engaging and educational way.

To make this an enjoyable family activity, the municipality, in cooperation with DNT, has developed special children's trails. Along these trails, youngsters can search for markers or figures placed at various points or participate in outdoor bingo.

"It is both important and right that the City of Technology use new technology to share our proud history in such an engaging manner," states Laura Sletbakk, the project manager for Kongsberg 400.

"This achievement would not have been possible without the generous gift from KONGSBERG.

We now hope that even more people will take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to bring family, friends, and guests on a journey of discovery in our beautiful city," she adds with a smile.

A collaborative effort

Numerous dedicated individuals have played a role in this project, with Martine Langgård Lund, employed as a student at the Innovation Center of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, carrying the main responsibility for completing the design, information, and functionality currently featured in the app. Martine is pursuing a Master’s degree in interaction design, which emphasizes creating the best possible user experience. She believes that the hands-on work experience she has acquired from this project has been extremely beneficial.

"Working on the Digital Guide for Kongsberg has been incredibly fun and, not least, educational! I have learned a lot about our city and how new technology can be used to enrich storytelling," says Martine.

In collaboration with partners from the Historical Society and the Mining Museum, she has created the texts, taken pictures, and detailed the content at various points. As a native and fluent in the local dialect, she has also narrated two of the routes.

To guarantee accessibility, she personally tested all the routes and included her family and friends of different ages, physical conditions, and levels of historical interest and city knowledge in the trials. Her goal was to make the resource user-friendly for everyone. She now eagerly anticipates feedback from other users.

Currently, Martine is on exchange in Australia but will soon return home to finish her master’s thesis and looks forward to continuing her work in bringing her hometown’s history to life.