The “Gevangenismuseum Veenhuizen” (Prison Museum in Veenhuizen) is situated in the North of The Netherlands, at the village Veenhuizen where once a colony of long term punished inmates was situated. The museum documents the rich history of this community.

From July through October 2011 an exhibition based on a wealth of old photos, stories, videos, maps and objects is organized under the title (Re)tour Veenhuizen. The exhibition is accompanied with a free tour through the Layar Augmented Reality browser.

Using their smartphone, visitors can experience the rich history of ten locations surrounding the museum. This way they can not only view original photographs of the location but also listen to audio fragments and watch short videos. Oral history comes alive in a very impressive way.

Augmented Reality tour around the penitentiary museum in Veenhuizen, The Netherlands

While the original exhibition has been closed now, the AR tour is still available on Layar at the location. For more info see (Re)tour Veenhuizen, navigeren door heden en verleden (Dutch).

Old photograph of the gevangenismuseum overlaid on existing situation – mockup

Project: (Re)tour Veenhuizen Augmented Reality Tour
Client: Gevangenismuseum Veenhuizen

This project was supported by the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam as part of the ARTours project.

The exhibition and tour is reviewed by Historisch Nieuwsblad 7/2011 (in Dutch).