Bringing to Light a History That Is No Longer Visible

Place-Royale, the cradle of French America, welcomes thousands of visitors each year in the heart of Old Quebec. But 3,400 years of human occupation are not visible to the naked eye: the buildings, landscapes, and developments that shaped the site have largely disappeared, making it more difficult to interpret its evolution.

L’Îlot des Palais, in collaboration with the Société du patrimoine urbain de Québec (SPUQ), wanted to enable visitors to travel back in time right there on the site. Already a MySmartJourney client for several cultural outreach projects, the organization once again chose the platform for this project, alongside the Musée de la civilisation, the firm Freemick Aventure, AVEC Architectes, and the Laval University School of Architecture.

The team led by Professor François Dufaux and lecturer Pierre Olivier Bureau-Alarie devoted more than 3,000 hours to cross-referencing old maps, engravings, and archival records to reconstruct buildings that no longer exist, right back to their earliest forms.

A 1.5-kilometer walking tour powered by MySmartJourney’s brand-new augmented reality technology

The tour connects the Îlot des Palais to Place-Royale over a distance of 1.5 kilometers, passing through 12 stations that trace six major periods in the area’s history, from the Indigenous presence to the reconstruction of the Lower Town in the 20th century. Accessible for free in French and English via a web app on your phone—simply scan a QR code; no app download is required.

At the heart of the tour is the brand-new augmented reality module developed by MySmartJourney. At each stop, visitors point their phone’s camera at the current buildings and see archival photographs and historical reconstructions appear on the screen, precisely aligned with the actual physical surroundings. The past is superimposed on the present in real time: you can literally see the building as it was 100, 200, or 400 years ago, in the exact spot where it once stood.

This feature brings an unprecedented level of immersion to the platform, going far beyond traditional explanatory content. It allows visitors to travel back in time right where they stand, track the architectural evolution of the area at a glance, and enjoy a truly immersive experience rather than one that is merely informative.

The tour also includes 180° and 360° panoramas, 3D models, before-and-after reconstructions, and interactive archive carousels. A selfie booth wraps up the visit.

An Official Launch and Extensive Media Coverage

The project, valued at $500,000 and supported by the Place-Royale Development and Events Fund, was launched in the presence of Culture Minister Mathieu Lacombe and Jean-François Simard, the minister responsible for the Capitale-Nationale region. Valérie Roussel, Executive Director of Îlot des Palais and SPUQ, presented the tool as a new way to understand the area’s history and evolution over the centuries.

In addition, the SPUQ is offering “Mission Empreintes,” an outdoor escape game designed by Freemick Aventure that combines physical objects, replica artifacts, and digital content. Three courses are available, ranging from 6 to 11 puzzles, for teams of 2 to 6 people.