The "Spotlight Heritage Timișoara/Patrimoniul sub reflectore Timișoara" program returns with a new foray into a historic district. This time, the story moved to Elisabetin, where there were so many things to (re)see and (re)discover. Technology once again played a very important role. 

The atmosphere of the old city was discovered by a large audience, through a theater show, with the use of digital technology and elements of augmented reality, which brought lesser-known details about the stories and buildings of Timisoara's heritage to the stage. 

The second show among the three events that explores, neighborhood by neighborhood, the memory and stories of the inhabitants of Timisoara yesterday and today, wanting to highlight the cultural heritage of the city, took place on Thursday, September 15, in The Roman-Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Nicolae Bălcescu Square, one of the symbols of Elisabetin neighbourhood, which is a testimony to the multiculturalism of the city.

The event was organized by the Politehnica University of Timișoara and The National Museum of Banat, together with the Thespis Student Theater and the Diogenes Association and is part of the series of events dedicated to the cultural program Timișoara European Cultural Capital 2023, held within the framework of the project Patrimoniul sub reflectoare / Spotlight Heritage Timișoara, project co-financed by the Timișoara City Hall through the Project Center, Timiș County Council.

The next show will take place on October 4, 2022, in the Cetate Neighbourhood.

A show about family, emotions, sensations and memories – a reprint of the genealogical tree of the Brînzeu family and the stories of a legendary 

The Elisabetin was revealed through the prism of pluricultural voices, emotions and the old family, in an atypical journey through the memories of the Brînzeu family. 

 The direction of the show was inspired by the exhibition “Spotlight Heritage. Elisabetin neighbourhood and Netti Dr. Diel - A world in a chest ", organized as part of the project, in 2020, by the The National Museum of Banat and Politehnica University of Timișoara, which is based on the manuscript "Family Journal" by Prof. Dr. Pia Brînzeu. This show brought the stories and the atmosphere of the Elisabetin neighbourhood, rendered through the prism of the world of Netti Dr. Diel, whose memories extracted from the fragments of the manuscript contributed to the illustration of the atmosphere of the old neighborhoods daily life. 

Ancient history explored using today's technology 

 The original aspect was provided by the use of digital technology and elements of augmented reality, elements made by students from the "Spotlight Heritage Timișoara" project team from the Politehnica University of Timișoara.

In the cast of the Elisabetin district, in the spotlight!, show, the dramatic adaptation and direction were made by Mădălina Ghițescu-Petre, actress at the Merlin Theater and associate director at Thespis Student Theater, theatrical production: Ionel Mărginean, head of works Faculty of Construction, Polytechnic University Timișoara, directing and scenography assistance: Maria Dombrov, artistic director in the Diogenes Cultural Association projects, actors: Eliza Cheșa, Maria Dombrov, Alexandru Cătălin Timiș, Alexandru Crașovan, Salahhe, Ionel Mărginean.

 The concept and technical-artistic development were capitalized by Dr. Diana Andone, director of the e-Learning Center, Politehnica University of Timișoara and Marius Cornea, museographer, The National Museum of Banat. 

The creation of augmented/virtual reality experiences and projection were carried out by eng. Marius Tătaru, eng. Silviu Berzescu, Masters in Multimedia Technologies, Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Information Technologies and Rafael Leucuța, Politehnica University of Timișoara.

The city – a chapter in our life

For an extra interaction with the spectators who were eagerly waiting for the show, the Spotlitght Heritage team invited them to play a game, where they "traveled" into the atmosphere of old Timisoara to recognize visual elements from the city's past.

On this occasion, the participants found out what the places used to look like before, places where they live their personal story today, thus contributing with their own stories to the creation of multiple layers of personal memories and data from the history of neighborhoods and communities. Several hundred people expressed their interest in checking their knowledge of their city's cultural heritage, receiving prizes at the end of the game to remind them of the project and the experience.

Community engagement and technology-enhanced experiences in Timisoara neighborhoods

This event represented the implementation team's desire to innovate the way a city's history and built heritage are presented to the general public, in an artistic, dynamic manner, so as to facilitate cultural awareness and education, especially of younger generations.

Through this show, Politehnica University of Timișoara , in partnership withThe National Museum of Banat and Thespis Student Theaterpromoted and capitalized on the cultural and material heritage of Timișoara through the artistic and digital augmentation of the stories and historical buildings in the Elisabetin neighbourhood, highlighting multiculturalism, the diversity of ethnicities, architectural styles and historical paths, offering stories that deserve to be perpetuated and artistically valued.

The theater performance recorded in an AR multimedia experience can be viewed here: