The new TZG Otočac app reveals through customized reality what Fortica used to look like

The Fortica fortress, a Renaissance building built in 1619, is the only remnant of the Renaissance around the town of Otočac. This rare building, which is also one of only a few regular triangular towers in Europe, is a remarkably interesting tourist destination, although today there are only remains in its place. Fortica was a defensive tower that served for the permanent residence of soldiers, as a storehouse for ammunition and gunpowder, and as a storehouse for food, with kitchens and dormitories.

To bring its appearance closer to citizens and tourists, the Tourist Board of the City of Otočac decided to create an AR representation of the appearance of the fort based on historical data. The Discover Otočac app, which was presented last Saturday at Fortica itself, is based on an AR experience, which means that all visitors to the Fortica fort can view it through augmented reality technology and can now see the fort in a realistic representation of how it used to look. All you must do is download the mobile application, place your mobile phone in front of you and tour the remains of the fort to see what Fortica looked like in its full glory.

“Otočac and Gacka have so many interesting and valuable cultural and historical sites that they can be proud of. Unfortunately, the localities as such are not interesting to many visitors, which is why we wanted to modernize the existing localities according to the latest world trends, make them more accessible and interesting to both the local population and visitors. I think we succeeded in making this app. Also, the Fortica fortress is the first locality that we have presented in this way in the app, but in the coming period we will enrich it with other localities and also with characters”, said the director of the Tourism Board of the City of Otočac – Viktorija Rogić during the presentation of the app.

The app was created by the company Prilika Grupa, which deals with XR technology, and project manager Bruno Ćutić addressed the audience on behalf of the company at the presentation, who briefly presented the method of creating the app itself.

“The basis of this app is a 3D model of the reconstruction of the original appearance of Fortica. In addition to being faithful in its construction and shape, we tried to show the original materials with which it was built by applying different textures. The app uses GPS navigation to display the model as precisely as possible in the real location, and Google and Apple AR platforms for augmented reality functionality and a more faithful experience. This allows users to experience the original Fortica inside and out, learn more information and take photos within the app. ” – concludes Bruno Ćutić, project lead from Prilika Grupa.

At the very end, before the ceremonial unveiling of the board, the mayor of Otočac, Goran Bukovac, greeted the crowd, who, among other things, congratulated the Tourist Board on the successfully implemented project, as well as the Prilika Group on the created app. He noted that the tourist association is celebrating its 30th year of work and activity this year, and that he is happy that all these years they have been working on the preservation and promotion of the cultural and historical heritage of Otočac and Gacka, which are a particularly important segment of the city and its tourist offer.

The app is available for both Android and Apple devices and is translated into four languages. The app was created through the project “Otočac through Augmented Reality – Phase I”. The funds for the development of the app were provided by the Tourist Board of the City of Otočac from the Fund for Underdeveloped Areas and the Continent of the Croatian Tourist Board for the allocation of funds for projects of local tourist boards in underdeveloped areas and the continent in 2024. For this project, funds in the amount of 11. 758,73 €.

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The Tourist Board of the City of Otočac worked with partners on the development of the app for the past six months and presented it in anticipation of the tourist season as one of the new contents. The goal of the project is to contribute to the development of tourism in the area of Otočac and Gacka by improving the tourist offer and content through augmented reality with an emphasis on cultural and historical heritage.

Photo: Hrvoje Kostelac – Pivac