Visitors’ smartphones and tablets become portals into the Roman past, precisely aligned with the excavation through 3D tracking.

Digital reconstructions show how people once lived, worked, and celebrated in Augusta Raurica. Architecture, interiors, and atmospheric details are rendered in 3D, supported by lighting and soundscapes that evoke everyday life and extraordinary events. Two buildings destroyed in a historic fire are digitally rebuilt, allowing audiences to move through their spaces virtually and understand their construction and role in the city.

A sculptural installation of original finds anchors the experience in material reality. Objects from the excavation are linked to short, focused stories that invite reflection on traces that civilizations leave behind.

Equipped with the AR app, visitors wander through the ruins and see Roman spaces reappear exactly where their foundations lie. As they move, their devices overlay animated scenes onto the excavation: façades rise, rooms fill with light, and figures animate the streets and interiors.

The experience connects ancient craftsmanship with contemporary technology, bridging seventeen centuries of human imagination and allowing visitors to feel they are moving through a city suspended between past and present.

Augusta Raurica holds one of the best-preserved Roman sites in Switzerland, yet much of the former city exists only as foundations, fragments, and specialist knowledge. The challenge was to reveal the full scale and atmosphere of this urban landscape without overwhelming the authenticity of the ruins.

The exhibition needed to connect rigorous archaeological research with a broad public, from families to history enthusiasts, using contemporary technology that feels intuitive on site. The goal was to create an experience that respects scientific accuracy while turning the excavation into a living, accessible environment rather than a static field of stones.