New tourist experiences at Mechelen bring Burgundian Renaissance back to life

Visit Mechelen, the city's tourism department, is putting the spotlight on Mechelen's Burgundian history. With a listening walk, visitors can experience the atmosphere of the 14th and 15th centuries as they walk through the Flemish city. On top of the St Rumbold’s tower, they can see with virtual reality technology what the city looked like in the period.

The new experiences developed by Visit Mechelen, in collaboration with government agency Visit Flanders, catapult visitors back to the Burgundian Netherlands in the 14th and 15th centuries. By immersing people in the daily life back then, they should get a good idea of what the Mechelen of that time must have looked like and what it was like to live there.

“We will not only let notables, but also ordinary people have their say during a listening walk of an hour and a half through the city,” said alderman for tourism Björn Siffer. “At the St Rumbold’s tower, people can revisit history via tablets, on top of the tower they can see what Mechelen looked like in the 15th century via augmented reality glasses.”

Much attention was also devoted to accessibility. The project’s team amongst others indicated all thresholds, cobblestones and slopes on the walk, so that people with physical disabilities can see in advance which parts are feasible for them and which are not. For people with hearing impairments, the stories were converted into Flemish sign language, for the blind or visually impaired there are tactile brochures allowing them to feel the Burgundian buildings.

Visit Flanders invested 3.5 million euros in the development of the new experiences. “Mechelen always looks for the niche, not for the tourists who just want a quick selfie,” said the agency’s CEO Peter De Wilde. “One should not only focus on material heritage but also on intellectual heritage.”

^{#FlandersNewsService | Sculpture Opsinjoorke and tower of the St. Rumbold's Cathedral in the city of Mechelen, Flanders, Belgium © BELGA PHOTO ARTERRA}