About
Traditional methods of heritage valorisation often struggle to engage younger generations or effectively leverage digital tools, limiting opportunities for more participatory and innovative ways of experiencing cultural heritage. MEMORY ESCAPE addresses this challenge by exploring the “dissonant heritage” connected to the complex history of 20th-century totalitarian regimes in Italy and Croatia.
Cross-border cooperation is central to the project, allowing partners and young people from both countries to exchange knowledge, perspectives and approaches to the interpretation of this shared European history.
The project develops a “phygital” (physical + digital) escape room model, combining heritage sites, historical sources, storytelling, gamification and digital tools. Young people are actively involved in the co-design process, contributing to the development of narratives, puzzles and interactive experiences connected to the local heritage of Bertinoro and Labin.
The resulting escape room experiences transform heritage sites into interactive learning environments, where participants engage with history through physical clues and digital elements rather than through passive observation alone. This approach aims to encourage a more critical and participatory understanding of dissonant heritage.
Key outputs include a complete phygital escape room solution, a bi-national technical manual and a training package for youth game masters. Through cross-border pilot actions, MEMORY ESCAPE will test the developed approach with young people and provide cultural institutions, tourism organisations and other local actors with a replicable model for heritage interpretation and engagement.
