Boerenkerkhof AR is an app that transforms the Boerenkerkhof in Enschede (NL) into an interactive museum. This graveyard, which was used between 1850 - 1950, houses a ton of fascinating stories and characters.
Our team of historians from the SHSEL (Stichting Historische Sociëteit Enschede-Lonneker) selected around 15 - 20 of these characters, whose stories combined give an insightful view on the history of Enschede itself.
These stories can be fully experienced, on site, using AR. This app allows you to just walk up to a grave, scan it, and it will tell you a story about the person buried there, supported by lively 3D animations.
These stories are voiced by either relatives of the buried person, or people who fill a comparable role in our current society (e.g. we have a banker who had no kin, so we managed to have him voiced by another banker).
Although the audio fragments are only available in Dutch, the app itself provides English subtitles as well as an English interface. The app also provides sources for further reading, ways of contacting the SHSEL as well as the developers of the app, credit to the sponsors and creators, support for non-AR compatible devices, and background information on the graveyard itself.
The app is build in Unity 2019.1.7f1 and uses ARFoundation for its AR functionality and grave recognition, but it can also function on older devices which may not be compatible with ARFoundation
