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MAQNIFY Guide

Talking Benches in Waldkirch

  • Client

    Waldkirch town council

  • Task

    Provision of the technology and content for the ‘Talking Benches’ civic project

  • Project period

    May to July 2024

Visit the project

The "talking benches" of Waldkirch

The combination of "themes of the city" - "personalities from city life" - "the city as a place of experience" and an interplay of analogue place and digital space - these are the talking benches of Waldkirch.

The aim of the project is to improve the quality of life in the city. Together with the citizens, special topics and personalities are to be focussed on and given a voice via the "Talking Benches".

"Why don't you sit down?"

There is a plaque with a QR code on a Talking Bench. If you scan this with your smartphone, you can have your virtual bench neighbour tell you a story, for example about their long-standing association activities, a special project, an institution in Waldkirch or even about interesting events throughout the city.

QR code badge for the Talking Benches.

For the start of the project, three personalities from Waldkirch were interviewed and their stories recorded as original sound bites. In addition to Hildegard Neulen-Hüttemann, honorary chairwoman of the Franco-German Circle CFA, these were the current mayor Michael Schmieder and the 99-year-old former mayor Hugo Eisele - honorary citizen of the town of Waldkirch.

In order to provide Waldkirch's international guests with easy access to the project, the stories were translated into English and French and recorded by professional voice-over artists in the studio. All the content was then summarised into a tour using the MAQNIFY© Guide.

The project was launched as part of the reopening of the European Fountain in Waldkirch. The project is to be continuously expanded over the coming months and years in order to make even more personalities from Waldkirch and their stories audible to residents and guests.