A blend of tradition and technology: Augmented reality is part of the new interactive display of the Knin Fortress

Have you ever wondered what stories we would discover if ancient buildings could speak? Among such buildings, born storytellers, is certainly the Knin Fortress. It represents an important topoi of our national history, it was the home of Croatian kings, and today it serves as a living backdrop for the daily life of the citizens of Knin.

This is exactly why the City of Knin, in cooperation with the Knin Museum, is dedicatedly working on its preservation and revitalization. The recently completed renovation not only physically preserved the two historical structures, but with their new functions (a wine cellar in the former powder room and an interpretation center in the barracks) further revived the spirit of this historic site. Through the Interpretation Center, the fortress finally got the chance to share some of its most interesting stories with visitors, and both renovated spaces have become places that invite citizens and visitors to create their own memorable stories.

“The special feature of the Knin Fortress Interpretation Center, an integral part of the Knin Museum, is that it is located exactly at the authentic heritage location that it interprets. With every step until entering the new center, visitors absorb all the splendor of the fortress experience with all their senses, and when they walk into the center, their first-hand experience of the fortress is connected with stories about its rich historical and cultural heritage. By carefully shaping the narrative space, we enabled the fortress and its inhabitants, known and unknown, ancient and contemporary, permanent and those who only come occasionally, to truly interest and emotionally engage visitors with their stories.” – pointed out Dragana Lucija Ratković Aydemir, director of Muzo. 

The main frame of the story at the beginning of the exhibition is provided by an animated film accompanied by light projections. In the following, while interacting with a series of artistic models of the fortress, visitors explore different historical periods and the roles of different tenants in the development of the fortress. Films, interviews, games and digitized archival maps from renowned institutions in Vienna, Venice and Bologna help them in this. The highlight of the experience is the meeting with the figure of King Zvonimir, whose multimedia stand invites interaction, while in the animated book we follow Friar Luja Marun in saving the fortress from destruction. In the following, visitors meet the figures of soldiers from different armies whose anonymous fates are evidenced by the archaeological finds. The exhibition ends in the present. The audio-visual installation is a stage for listening to the voices of Knin citizens who share with visitors their passion, love and dedication to the cultural and social progress of their city and its symbol.

The exhibition will certainly be interesting and fun for young visitors. The youngsters can enjoy searching for archaeological finds, and the VR flight over the fortress will delight everyone. In order to make the experience of visiting the fortress in the open air more exciting, innovative glasses for “mixed reality” are available to visitors, which is the first such offer in Croatia. 

The spirit of the place is also strengthened through contemporary artistic practices. Right next to the center, the space of the casemate, whose mysticism is already expressive in itself, is further enriched by a multi-sensory installation by the academic sculptor Janko Petrović. The co-author team wants to say that contemporary art is important for the regeneration of heritage sites, offering them new life and new meanings for some new audiences.

A permanent exhibition that gives voices and opens different perspectives on the past and present of the fortress could not be realized without intensive cooperation with the local community and without an interdisciplinary team process. In addition to Muze, the members of the co-author team are experienced designers from the studios Šesnić&Turković and Clinica. The realization was led by the company AVC, and the multimedia experiences were produced by the companies Hommage, Divit and MMC. Among the artistic collaborations, great sculptors, illustrators, animators and musicians Janko Petrović, Dragan Kordić, Fabio Leone, Laura Martinović and Ana Horvat stand out. The architecture is signed by the architectural studio Tubus d.o.o.