Essen 1887 – A Mixed Reality journey through time

Essen 1887 is not suitable for people who have little or no experience with digital devices. It is NOT an audio guide, but an interactive experience. It requires that you quickly know how to move around in the virtual world and load the stations to the right positions. This requires experience and a feel for digital applications.

Essen 1887 is also not suitable for groups. Only 8 people can start at the same time every 30 minutes, everyone runs on their own, it is not a shared experience and they do not come back at the same time. You should also be able to walk 2 kilometres.

With the latest generation of mixed reality glasses, you never lose sight of your surroundings. The mixed reality glasses are slightly larger than normal glasses and permanently scan the surroundings by means of sensors. Digital markers are set at certain locations in Essen's city centre, to which the glasses react. Virtual reality appears before your eyes, which only you can see. Old houses appear, people appear and involve you in the story. Nevertheless, you continue to register what is happening around you. That is the biggest difference to virtual reality.

Essen 1887 is a pioneer project, as mixed reality glasses for leisure use are new to the market. For the first time, they are used in public spaces at Essen 1887 and GPS is used to control the tour. The interaction of the characters in the tour with the visitors is also currently unique. The main characters appear as volumetric holograms that speak to you and that you can view from all sides. In addition, walk-through virtual rooms appear in which you can move around. There is no other experience like this in the world, with top-class actors and artists.

You can book your ticket for the journey through time online or buy it directly at the Tourist Info, Kettwiger Str. 2-10, 45127 Essen. There you will also receive the Nreal glasses, a mobile phone as a player and Bluetooth headphones. The devices will be checked for damage when they are returned. You will be responsible for any costs incurred in the event of damage or even loss. Then it's time to go. The mobile phone dials into the GPS and the glasses show you the way, just like a car journey with the sat nav. When you arrive at the location, the glasses tell you whether a person, building or scene needs to be positioned and where this should best happen. Follow the instructions. Then look calmly at the illuminated circle and wait for the application to load. Before the 60 minutes are up, simply return the glasses and the mobile phone to the Tourist Info.

Tours run Wednesdays to Sundays, between 1pm and 4pm during the week and between 10am and 4:15pm at weekends. However, we recommend booking online early as we cannot guarantee that an on-site booking will be possible due to high occupancy.

NOTE: If the outside temperature exceeds 30 degrees Celsius, the tours will be cancelled by the organiser, as the overheating of the equipment may cause technical problems and the smooth running of the tour can no longer be guaranteed. You will be informed in advance by the organiser and a new date will be arranged with you.

You can book your journey through time to the year 1887 online or at the Tourist Info, Kettwiger Str. 2-10, 45127 Essen, where you can choose a fixed time slot.

No, the performers of the mixed reality journey through time will not be live on site. They were digitized in the studio and will appear in the tour as three-dimensional life-size holograms.

The tour is recommended for children from the age of 8. As the tour confronts visitors with a great many and real-looking impressions, parents must decide for themselves how media-savvy and experienced their child is. Children under 16 must always be accompanied by an adult.

Yes! There are two options for people who wear glasses. Firstly, you can keep your normal glasses on and wear the MR glasses in front of them. However, it is somewhat more comfortable for you if we insert additional lenses into the MR glasses. These are available from -1 to -8 dioptres, if available. Please bring your glasses passport and a glasses case with you to your time travel, so that we can fit you with the best possible glasses.

No, you do not need to bring your own headphones. Each guest will be provided with a pair of Bluetooth headphones.

Yes, the journey through time can also be done by wheelchair users.

You can start with up to 8 people every 30 minutes. However, Essen 1887 is not a classic group experience. The person is in their "own world", which is not synchronised with others. You decide for yourself where and when you experience the virtual worlds in defined urban spaces. Your communication is limited by the headphones. In addition, the tour should be completed in a good 60 minutes, as unnecessary battery consumption occurs afterwards, e.g. due to waiting times within a group, and the devices may then switch off. We recommend coming together and meeting up again afterwards at the Tourist Info Centre to share your experiences.

The total distance of the time travel is 1.84 km. This has to be covered by the participants on foot.

The mixed reality time travel is weather-independent. We recommend that you wear appropriate clothing and shoes for the weather and use an umbrella to protect your glasses in case of rain. In summer, a cap or peaked hat is helpful.

In case of outside temperatures of more than 30 degrees Celsius, the organiser reserves the right to cancel the tours, as overheating of the equipment could lead to technical impairments. The smooth running of the tour could no longer be guaranteed at such high temperatures. In this case, you would be informed in advance by the organiser and your tickets would be cancelled. The ticket price will be refunded.

"Essen 1887 - A mixed reality journey through time" can be experienced in German, English and Dutch. When booking a ticket or purchasing a voucher, you do not have to specify which language you would like. This will be requested on site at the Tourist Info when the technical equipment is handed over.

Like any new high-tech product, "Essen 1887" is primarily suitable for technically experienced people. In isolated cases, there are temporary sound and picture failures on some days. Then immediately pull the glasses plug out of the mobile phone, wait about ten seconds and plug it in again. The software of the glasses then reloads and the scene starts again so that you don't miss anything. In rare cases there are also GPS problems at the start of the tour. In this case we are happy to change the device. It is always important to have a little patience when the software has to load. Depending on the weather, the sensors react sensitively. So you should not look into the sun and the glasses must not get wet.