ARCHIVED - Saturdays and Sundays in November; Virtual reality tours of the Roman Theatre Museum in Cartagena

Special goggles transport visitors to the 1^st century BC in the Roman city of Carthago Nova

A new project to design and provide virtual reality tours at the Roman Theatre Museum in Cartagena, transporting visitors back to the heyday of the arena in the 1^st century BC, is now complete, enabling visitors to see a reconstruction of the building in its entirety.

The 360-degree images are completed by audio commentaries in Spanish and English explaining the history and architecture of the theatre which stood near the centre of the city of Carthago Nova.

During tours of the theatre, there are “virtual viewing points” clearly marked, at which the goggles allow visitors to see the 21^st century reality combined with the virtual one, presenting a hyper-real means of appreciating the semi-circular stands, the stage and its façade and the portico gallery, which surrounded a garden area and was one of the most distinctive elements of Roman theatre design.

Another element of the system is that an explanation is given not only of the theatre during Roman times but also of how it has survived the intervening two thousand years or so. In addition, explanations are given of everyday life in the theatre of Carthago Nova, and a 2-minute informative video includes a virtual “fly-through”.

In terms of practicalities, there are two ways in which members of the public see use this innovation, one being to hire the virtual reality goggles from the museum at a cost of 10 euros as an inclusive element of the guided tours which are held every Sunday at 11.00 between October and December.

Alternatively, the “Imageen-Cartagena” app can be downloaded onto mobile phones and tablets at a cost of just 2.50 euros.

Tickets for this activity can be purchased in the Roman Theatre Museum (Tel: 968 504802 or 968 500 093) or centres within the Puerto de Culturas network. Prior reservation for the tour is necessary as places are limited.

See Tourist Offices in Cartagena for further queries.

Click for more information about the Roman Theatre Museum, the most visited museum in the Murcia Region, which is open between 10:00 and 20:00 from Monday to Saturday and 10:00 to 14:00 on Sunday, with an English language audioguide included in the entry price: Museo Teatro Romano

Click for more information about the Cartagena municipality