New ‘timeblend’ app shows Rotterdam at different points in time

With the new timeblend app, visitors and Rotterdam residents can view the city at different points in time on their phones whilst taking a city walk. Although timeblend utilises 3D technology and AI, amongst other things, it is precisely the combination of technology and location that makes the experience unique. The digital layer is linked to the physical location: users must actually walk through Rotterdam to discover the past as they go.

Timeblend combines a city walk, culture and digital entertainment. Historical reconstructions and technology bring the past back to the very spot where you are standing. As you follow the route through Rotterdam, point your phone at various locations and a picture of what that same spot looked like between 1900 and 1940 will appear on the screen. At various points along the route, you can move between different periods and see how the streets, buildings and the city changed.

“Every day, we walk through towns and cities without knowing what the exact same spot used to look like. With Timeblend, we want to reconnect that past to the place itself. Not just by telling people about it, but by showing it to them whilst they’re standing there,” says Annika Visser, Brand & Marketing Manager.

Timeblend does not want to tell history in isolation from the place itself. It is precisely the combination of the past and the present that makes the difference: 

You’re standing on the Blaak, the Coolsingel or somewhere else in the city and can see, right there and then, what used to be there.

Rotterdam was deliberately chosen as the first city. Few Dutch cities have undergone such radical change in such a relatively short space of time 

changed. Among other things, the route showcases Rotterdam as it was before 1940 and illustrates how the city has 

which it subsequently redeveloped. The bombing forms an important part of that story, but 

timeblend takes a broader view of the city and its development over time.

The experience doesn’t stop at simply watching and listening to the stories that accompany the videos. Users can access a 7 

Share a short video showing the place changing over time right before their eyes directly on social media. With a time 

With a selfie, they can transport themselves back to a moment in the past and share the result straight away. 

Rotterdam as the starting point

Rotterdam is the first city to introduce timeblend. Over the coming period, the concept will be rolled out to other European cities, starting with Berlin and London, with Paris to follow in the autumn. timeblend was developed in collaboration with Dutch partners. Annika Visser of Buro Marktzicht is responsible for positioning and brand strategy, 51North for the creative design and Wonderment by Design for the development of the app. The Rotterdam city walk is available via the App Store (Android to follow later) and 

costs €4.99.