Learn more about the Gammelstad Church Town World Heritage Site – new app launched

The Visit Gammelstad app offers a journey through the history of Gammelstad. The app, which is completely free, has been developed by Luleå municipality. Visitors can take part in themed walks, audio guides, children’s quizzes and, of course, a map of Gammelstad and the open-air museum Hägnan.

The church town in Gammelstad is Sweden’s largest and best preserved, with 404 cottages and 552 chambers. Since 1996, the church town has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List. There is now an app where visitors can go on themed walks and learn more about the site. There are stories about everything from history and conservation to tips on the best photo spots and quizzes for children. The idea for the new app came from a desire to meet the needs of both current and future visitors.

“We want to make it easier to take part in the history of the place – in a way that is flexible, engaging and accessible to more people”, says Jennifer Johansson, coordinator of cultural heritage, archipelago, and tourism at Luleå municipality, and continues:

“Many people are used to having all their information on their mobile phones and expect digital solutions when they visit a place”.

Many visitors have asked for digital guidance directly on their mobile phones and the audio guides already available are becoming obsolete. With the new app, visitors can get guided tours directly on their own phone without booking in advance and can discover the site on their own, at their own pace.

“The response has been very positive. We had test pilots before the launch – both Swedish and international visitors – who got to try the app, and they especially appreciated that it was easy to use and that it made the history of the place more alive”, says Jennifer.

The app was launched the other day and Jennifer and her colleagues are eagerly monitoring the number of downloads and uses. All materials are available in Swedish and English, with some materials available in additional languages. They are already planning how they can develop both content and technology in the future:

“We see great potential in the platform and will continue to work on developing the content. For example, we are currently looking at how we can use augmented reality (AR) to create even more vibrant and interactive experiences in the future”.

You can read more about the app at Visit Gammelstad here.

To download the app, search for Visit Gammelstad in the App Store or Google Play.