Hand in hand: inclusion & nostalgia on the West Coast
The question "Do you remember?" or, as they say in West Flanders, "Wit jet nog?" is often the start of a trip down memory lane that brings a smile and perhaps even a tear to your eyes. In De Panne, Koksijde, Nieuwpoort, and Veurne ErfgoedApp you can now take a ErfgoedApp nostalgic walk with the ErfgoedApp entitled "Wit jet nog." The four cities are linked by the cultural partnership Viertoren, which has created these four routes in collaboration with Alzheimer Liga Vlaanderen.
The memory walk starts at the local residential care center in each municipality, which is of course no coincidence: everything is tailor-made for people with dementia and their caregivers. By combining historical photos with real locations, hidden memories can be reactivated or... make way for new ones.
The photos are accompanied by a brief explanation of the history of the location, which automatically appears on the mapped route via GPS points. Each point ends with a few questions that can spark a conversation. For example, at the Sint-Pietersschool in De Panne, there is a photo of the teaching staff from 1979, followed by the question 'Did you go to school here? / Which school did you go to?'. The focus is on reliving everyday life, with topics such as school life, childhood, the evolution of the coastal tram, or the billenkarren (a type of cart used to transport goods).
In Koksijde, at the 'Nieuw Gemeentehuis' (New Town Hall) point, a photo of the old tennis courts appears. These once stood on the site of the current town hall. Even today, a tennis tournament is held there every summer. The app also tells you about the stately casino building and its ambiance. Questions such as 'Have you played tennis here yourself?' or 'Have you ever come to party in the old casino in the past?' make walkers think.
The tours are not exclusively reserved for people with dementia and their caregivers. Anyone can explore, including you! The tours immerse you in the vibrant history of the seaside resorts and the hinterland and help you visualize the last 100 years of dramatic change. Whether you are a history buff, tourist, or student, young or old, the tour has something for everyone and offers equal enjoyment for all. What's more, you'll cover a large part of the city in a targeted way; depending on the tour, you'll walk about 3 to 5 kilometers. For those who find this distance too long, there is the option of only visiting a few points; the app does not prevent you from taking an alternative route.
For those who are devoted to their city, in my case De Panne, the app naturally contains a lot of nostalgic elements in addition to its educational aspect. Every vacation, my family returned to my mother's childhood home, a true Pannenaar. While walking the tour, I sent her several photos. After I sent her an old photo of Jeanne d'Arc Square, she called me. She said— no pun intended —"Do you remember? How you stole the show there, with your gymnastics and your sun hat on?"
Practical
Would you like to explore with 'Wit jet nog?' (Do you remember?)? Download the ErfgoedApp the App Store or Google Play and download one or more of the four tours. If you would like a paper version of this tour, you can borrow one. Please contact Viertoren for more information.
