All about Zakynthos
Designed & Created by SOFAR
In 1953, a powerful earthquake struck the islands of Zakynthos and Kefallinia in western Greece, devastating much of the region. The capital of Zakynthos, once a charming town known for its Venetian architecture, was almost entirely destroyed. When the town was rebuilt, efforts were made to preserve some of its historic character. However, much of the old town’s unique architecture—including the elegant mansions, beautiful churches, and narrow streets—was lost forever, leaving behind only fragments of its former splendor.
FlashBackZante is an innovative mixed reality application that brings the lost and forgotten Venetian town of Zakynthos back to life. Users can explore and immerse themselves in the town as it appeared before the devastating earthquake, while walking through today’s Zakynthos. The app creates a 3D virtual reconstruction of the Venetian-era town, blending it seamlessly with the present day. Using the mobile device’s sensors (GPS, gyroscope, and compass), the application tracks the user’s location and orientation in real-time, allowing the historic world to be overlaid onto the current landscape. As users walk around Zakynthos, they can hold up their device and view specific locations through the screen, revealing how these spots looked in the past—before the earthquake transformed the town.
(min Ram 4G)
The app provides a tour experience of pre-earthquake Zakynthos.
Download and install the app on your device.
On the home screen, you have two options:
Settings
and
Start.
In Settings, you can:
- The app navigates the user through pre-earthquake Zakynthos as they explore the city of Zakynthos. If you are not in Zakynthos, you can enable the Joystick. In this case, you can navigate using the buttons that appear on the screen (see image).
- You can select the level of detail for the virtual world of pre-earthquake Zakynthos. Medium is recommended for standard devices.
- You can enable two other apps: the game app or the accessibility app. If neither is selected, the tour app is activated by default.
Pressing the Start button activates the virtual world (along with the selected app).
When using the app, based on your location and the direction of your device, it presents pre-earthquake Zakynthos as it was at the point where you are and the direction your camera is facing.
The index button allows you to select a touring scenario from a list of scenarios.
Once a scenario is selected, you can view a list of scenario points and select a point of interest.
When a point is selected, information about that point is displayed. Pressing the
navigation button
displays a
flag of the selected point
on the screen over the location of the point, making it easy to approach.
You can always select another point of interest by pressing the index button.
List of Touring Scenarios
Touring Scenario
Scenario Points
Touring Point
Virtual World of Pre-Earthquake Zakynthos