How’s your imagination these days? We don’t really have to use them too much now, do we? We can go anywhere and see anything on our various screens. We can do unimaginable things thanks to virtual reality. But I’ll bet that many of us still get a big dose of imagination when we visit old or ancient buildings.

That medieval banqueting hall, for instance. Imagine it full of people – all in their finery – with the minstrels playing in the gallery, the lord’s hunting dogs at this feet, the tables groaning with foods that we never hear about these days that the servants in the kitchens have spent hours preparing…

Well, imagination is all very well. But when you’re visiting a historical building (especially in France where the Histopad is widely used) then you’ve no need to rely on your imagination – after all, you might be completely wrong. “They didn’t have xxx in those days”. “No, people didn’t do that then”. “That wasn’t invented yet”. Face it, we are pretty certain to get some aspects wrong if we rely on our own brains.

But with the Histopad, we can see exactly how rooms really would have been like in the past.

These virtual reconstructions are scientifically and historically accurate

Actual reconstructions are damaging to old and ancient buildings. It wouldn’t be ethical or indeed practical to furnish a banqueting hall, say, as it would have been in its heyday – even if the materials could be so carefully sourced that they would be exactly as they were at the time. But this virtual reconstruction takes these factors into account and shows us exactly what these places would be like in da\ys gone by.

I’m sure that you’ve heard or read many many times ‘step into the past or ‘go back into history’ but until the development of the Histopad, that was using your imagination or relying on poor physical reconstructions.

You can see the Histopad in action on the video below being used at the Palais de Papes in Avignon. See too how its interactive on-site games bring history to life for children.

Where is the Palais des Papes?

Palais des Papes

Place du Palais,
84000 Avignon,
France

ARTICLE BY:

Jackie

Jackie

JJ is originally from the UK and has lived in South Florida since 1994. She is the founder and editor of JAQUO Magazine. You can connect with her using the social media icons below.

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