“Rzeszow Cellars is learning through play. Edutainment and gamification – solving tasks and quizzes that engage the audience and motivate further exploration of the exhibition.”

Overcoming subsequent challenges throughout the tour is positively rewarded, and participants moving from station to station are not only satisfied and richer in points, but also in new knowledge.

The Underground Tourist Route is located in the Old Town Square in Rzeszow, measures 396 metres, and is one of the longest in Poland. It runs through a series of cellars connected by corridors, and the creation of the oldest of them – located under the town hall building – is dated to 1427. The underground infrastructure is associated with the period of the greatest development and splendour of this important Polish city, from the Middle Ages to the 18^th century, when trade and craftsmanship were flourishing. Properly secured and restored, it has been used to create a unique exhibition.

“When creating an exhibition based on advanced gamification, attention must be paid to its backstage – for its needs we have developed a unique exhibition management system that allows independent groups to play simultaneously, in multiple languages.”

The exhibition begins with a film introducing the history of the city. After this rather static exhibit, a series of multimedia games and activities begins. Creating your own group’s coat of arms begins the journey. Then, groups encounter live models of three religions. They visit a virtual armoury and shooting range (Virtual Reality). They get to know old militaria. A colonial store with a collection of spices and ‘tavern’ games in interactive tavern applications remain in memory for a long time. They learn about the history of the oil revolution by setting up oil wells and distilling oil with Ignacy Łukasiewicz. These and hundreds of other interactive stations make Rzeszow Cellars such a popular city attraction.

“The concept of Rzeszow Cellars, based on gamification, makes the visitor become part of the story, and the knowledge passed on stays with them for a long time.”

An important element of the design is also the aspects of the institution’s interdisciplinarity – after all, every viewer has their needs. That’s why an equally accessible and attractive parallel historical path without gamification is available for groups. In this way we fully extract the potential of the underground route, creating an extraordinary narrative about the history of the city and the region and a universal space where everyone will find their own unique experience.