Historical Reconstructions

Fortification of Antwerp 1812

Based on historical iconography and excavations, the last stage of the Napoleonic expansion of the fortification in Antwerp in 1812 was reconstructed. The visitor is able to walk around these constructions, look over the ramparts, and inspect the guns. The whirling leaves and chill breeze add to the atmosphere, giving the visitor an impression of how the life of a Napoleonic soldier on guard must have been. The scientific results from this project are based on a 4 years archaeological campaign in Antwerp, done by the ‘Stadsarcheologische dienst Antwerpen’.

The Lost Quarters of St Joris 1565

Visit iconography of Virgilius Bononiensis: this project serves as a research project for the Hogeschool Antwerpen and combines the results of archaeological excavations (2002-2006) with iconography of Virgilius Bononiensis. Using game technology, this information and images are reconstructed and visualize these old quarters. The visitor rediscovers this old neighborhood and walks around in a piece of Antwerp in 1565.

Old Town Center Antwerp 1742

Bas Bogaerts is working on an inquiry for the department design science of Artesis College. Besides source comparison, a evocation is constructed of Antwerp’s old town center in 1742. The visitor will be able to walk along the quays of antwerp through a completely disappeared quarter. This project will be presented on an exhibition in Antwerp in 2010.

Huis de Groote Schalien

There has been a lot of research in the old building ‘Huis De Groote Schalien’. All this information has been published in an extensive book, convering all assets of archeological research. However, this was very technical and not suitable for a large public. Using this publication, Playing the Past recontructed this house how it could have been in the 17th century. This interactive virtual model was used in the exhibition ‘ooggetuigen aan de Schelde’ in the ‘Rockox huis’. This gave teachers the posibility to pick up the game controller, walk around the building and talk about life of a fisherman in the 17th century.

Fortress Napoleon 1813

Fort Napoleon is one of the biggest restoration projects of ‘Erfgoed Vlaanderen’. This building has undergone a thoroughly restoration since 1994, but it never looked like it was when it was built. The original glacis, gun platform and inner walls where never rebuilt. This Fort was now reconstructed according to it’s last construction stage.