European Day of Megalithic Culture: "Natur und Mensch" Announces New App

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This is what using the new "mega!lith 3D" app at the Landesmuseum Natur und Mensch could look like (symbol image). | Quelle: Landesmuseum Natur und Mensch | Copyright: Landesmuseum Natur und Mensch | Download

The Landesmuseum Natur und Mensch Oldenburg (State Museum of Nature and Men) is using the European Day of Megalithic Culture on Sunday, April 24, as an opportunity to announce plans for a new app to be launched at the end of the year: With "mega!lith 3D", visitors will be able to experience the replica of a megalithic burial chamber even more intensively by using augmented reality to bring the original from Kleinenkneten into the museum.

In Kleinenkneten near Wildeshausen there are two megalithic tombs from the Neolithic period, which date back to around 3500 to 2800 BC. In the museum, a replica of a burial chamber is on display as part of the "Geest" exhibition. Also presented are archaeological objects found at the megalithic tombs. The museum was responsible for researching the burial sites in the 1930s.

"With 'mega!lith 3D' we are greatly enhancing the visitor experience. Those who use the app will be able to access background information on the screen that provides more context on the megalithic culture," promises Steffen Pilney, project coordinator at Natur und Mensch. A 3D model of the original is superimposed on the replica in the app, allowing visitors to virtually move around the burial chamber as it is found in Kleinenkneten. "The fascination that comes from megalithic culture becomes even more apparent here at the museum with augmented reality viewing," Pilney said.

The app is currently being developed by polyform and DroidSolutions. The necessary data is already available through the project "Model Digitization 3D of Natural and Cultural Objects Oldenburg (MoDi)" in collaboration with the Jade University of Applied Sciences Oldenburg. A complete 3D scan of the corresponding burial chamber was created as part of the project and is now available for use in the app.

The app "mega!lith 3D" is developed as part of "dive in. Programme for Digital Interactions" of the Kulturstiftung des Bundes (German Federal Cultural Foundation) with funding by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM) through the NEUSTART KULTUR programme. Special educational programmes for schools are planned, but also a programme for visitors of all ages, whether with or without previous experience in using apps. In addition, several events are planned that focus on megalithic culture. Presumably the app will be available by fall of 2022.

The Landesmuseum Natur und Mensch is a member of the Megalithic Routes, which has celebrated the European Day of Megalithic Culture every year since 2013 to highlight its general value. In 2022 the motto is "Megalithic monuments as archives of everyday life". The Kleinenkneten stones are part of the "Road of Megalithic Culture", which is the Lower Saxony section of the "European Route of Megalithic Culture" and connects 33 archaeological stations with more than 70 megalithic sites. The 310-kilometer route runs from Osnabrück via Cloppenburg to Wildeshausen and Oldenburg.

Weitere Informationen:
http://www.naturundmensch.de