The exhibition 'The Wonderful Waterhalle' has opened in Historium Brugge. The exhibition brings together history and technology, and offers visitors a unique opportunity to re-experience the vanished Waterhalle - once the city's bustling commercial centre. Augmented Reality technology has been used to make the past visible again.
The highlight of the exhibition is a living model, based on the painting 'The Market in Bruges' (1696) by Jan-Baptist van Meunincxhove, a rare artistic representation of the Waterhalle in its full glory.
Thanks to the innovative application of Augmented Reality technology, visitors are given the opportunity to experience a lost architectural gem again. Step by step, the Waterhalle is digitally resurrected, reconstructed down to the smallest detail. The exhibition thus offers a fascinating mix of art, history and modern technology, allowing visitors to experience Bruges of the Golden Age as if they were there themselves.
The AR technology was provided by Alfavision, the Historium's regular technology partner. Among other things, they worked on the Museum 2.0 concept, an experience that does more than just offer a glimpse into history. As the website promises: “Experience the Golden Age of Bruges”.
As the initiator of the project 'Flemish Masters in their Place', Toerisme Vlaanderen is committed to putting forgotten or lesser-known works of art back in the spotlight. Not in a sterile museum setting, but in a meaningful location that reinforces their original power and context. The painting, one of the few visual testimonies of the Waterhalle, will be given a central place in Historium, just a few metres from where it was once painted.
“With this wonderful expansion, we are putting Bruges and Flanders even more firmly on the map as the destination for cultural and innovative tourism. Historium proves once again that Bruges is not only a city that honours its past, but also looks ahead to the future. Thanks to the integration of Flemish Masters in their historical context and the use of Augmented Reality, the Bruges of yesteryear is once again tangible and experienceable, not only for tourists, but also for the local community and future generations.”
Peter De Wilde, CEO Tourism Flanders
More information: www.historium.be/nl