Twinity, the 3D mirror world made of real people and real places, is commemorating the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War by rebuilding a 2 km stretch of the wall in virtual Berlin.
Berlin, 2 November 2009 – At a press conference at Berlin’s City Hall today, Metaversum GmbH, the makers of 3D mirror world Twinity, announced the opening of the world’s first open-air wall museum in Twinity’s virtual Berlin in collaboration with the Berlin Senate and Berlin.de to commemorate the world-changing events of 1989.
For almost three decades, the reality of everyday life in Berlin was shaped by a wall that divided the city in two. From today, visitors to virtual Berlin in Twinity can go on a virtual journey through history, and explore a 2 km-long, true-to-scale section of the Berlin Wall from the Reichstag, past the Brandenburg Gate and Potsdamer Platz, culminating in a realistic replica of Checkpoint Charlie.
Entering the virtual wall museum in Twinity is like stepping back in time to Berlin in November 1989. Visitors not only see the Berlin Wall and its immediate environs reappearing before their eyes, they also experience the remarkable transformation of today’s Berlin back to Berlin as it was in 1989. Whole buildings vanish and visitors suddenly find themselves standing in the infamous death strip between the two border walls. This astonishing effect is particularly striking at the Potsdamer Platz, the Brandenburg Gate, and Checkpoint Charlie.
Twinity users can tour the area between the Reichstag and Checkpoint Charlie, and engage with interactive media content including video and audio guides at seven key points along the way. Documentaries and witness accounts, plus links to relevant Berlin Wall content on Berlin.de, describe the building of the wall, key dates in its history, and the incredible events of 1989. This allows Twinity users to experience the wall at first hand while grounding their experience with contextual information.
“Twinity’s open-air wall museum brings the unique history of our remarkable city and the events of this special year to a worldwide audience,” explained Dr. Richard Meng, Speaker of the Berlin Senate. “We welcome such innovative use of technology to illustrate historical events with real significance and support this act of remembrance and celebration.”
Jochen Hummel, CEO of Metaversum GmbH, added, “We are happy to see Twinity setting an important precedent in a virtual world: The museum makes history real for young people and gives a global audience important insights into the divided Berlin, while serving as a virtual monument to help us learn from our past.”
“Those visiting Berlin today are often surprised to see how few traces remain of the Berlin Wall. The virtual wall museum in Twinity is designed to show tourists and Berlin residents how the city was once completely split in two,” elaborated Sven Heller, Managing Director of BerlinOnline Stadtportal GmbH & Co. KG. “Exploring the wall in Twinity is an incredible experience and we are happy to be able to support this important project.”
The opening of the virtual wall museum will be accompanied by many different Berlin Wall-related events and special promotions. Visit www.twinity.com/en/wall to find out more.
The Berlin Wall project has been developed in cooperation with the Berliner Forum für Geschichte und Gegenwart e.V., the Berlin Senate, and Twinity’s exclusive media partner Berlin.de.
The mirror world Twinity is currently in public Beta. You can register for free at www.twinity.com and begin exploring the world today.
© by Jordi R. Cardona. Link to this post without copying the text.
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