Jems
The innovative project “Wrecks4All”, developed under the Interreg IPA Cross-border Cooperation Programme Croatia – Bosnia and Herzegovina – Montenegro 2014–2020, has earned a distinguished place in the book “Extended Reality in Culture and Creative Industries”.
Darko Kovačević, maritime archaeologist and historian at the Centre for Archaeology, University of Montenegro, and one of the project’s leading experts, announced the inclusion of a chapter titled “Using XR Technologies to Present Underwater Cultural Heritage: The Case Study of the Wrecks4All Project” in the book. Coauthored by Kovačević and Mijana Matošević Radić, the chapter explores how immersive technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are transforming the public’s engagement with underwater cultural heritage.
The Wrecks4All project, which had a total budget of €1 million and was implemented from 2020 to 2022, aimed to create a cutting-edge tourism offering centered on the rich underwater cultural heritage of the Eastern Adriatic. The project encompassed numerous authentic shipwrecks and submerged heritage sites, treasured both by history enthusiasts and the scuba diving community.
By integrating AR and VR, the project successfully brought otherwise inaccessible underwater sites to a wider audience. As a result, an innovative digital tourism offer—including nine VR/AR tours and an interactive virtual map of underwater heritage trails—is now available in modernized exhibition spaces located in Split (Croatia), Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina), and Kotor (Montenegro).
Through immersive storytelling and digital interpretation, Wrecks4All has not only enhanced accessibility to maritime heritage but also contributed to the sustainable development of cultural tourism in the region.
The project video summary: