The Church of Sweden

Mission

The Church of Sweden (Svenska Kyrkan in Swedish) in Norrköping has 26 churches and 23 cemeteries. They are a cultural heritage and an important part of Norrköping’s identity.

Not only are the church buildings themselves interesting but valuable objects, historical people who have been of great importance for the development of the church, and the cemetery environments with associated buildings as well.

The Church of Sweden wanted to find new opportunities to share its rich history and make it more accessible to the public by developing a digital walk with an app. The purpose is to increase visits to churches and cemeteries as well as getting people to spread their knowledge.

Solution

When we got the assignment we realized the great opportunities. We could create a modern, educational and exciting solution with storytelling and interactivity.

The app is the first of its kind in The Church of Sweden and contains primarily guided tours at two locations in Norrköping, S:t Olai Church with an associated park and the Crematorium Grove. The visitors can take a guided tour with the app or explore the sites on their own with the help of interactive maps, picture gallery, video clips etc.

It is also possible to find out more about artifacts and other historical treasures that church visitors do not usually have access to. In addition, there is a function where visitors can submit tips about attractions in the church environment.

To make the app as accessible as possible, all descriptive texts are also uploaded on audio tracks.

Result

The app, which was recently launched, has been very well received and have also attracted various media attention. The solution can be further developed. By extension, the hope is that others want to use the same solution.