What happens when a story meets a place? And how can the team of Sagobygden help visitors not only hear a legend, but also feel closer to the story and gain a deeper understanding of the place in which it belongs?

These are questions that Sagobygden has been exploring since the beginning of the Living Heritage Journeys-project. The goal has been to explore a new form of place-based heritage experiences at three selected legendary places, places where the story, the place and the visitor come together.

During spring 2026, three of Sagobygden’s legendary places were given new life through new features in the Sagobygden app. With audio tracks, quizzes and AR films, Sagobygden's partners want to create a more vivid and engaging experience out in nature.

In close collaboration with the experience company OnSpotStory, the project partners have spent the spring testing, adjusting and developing these features. It has been an exciting process - and sometimes a real challenge!

Three places - three very different conditions

The three legendary places are very different from one another. Geography, terrain and mobile network coverage all affect how the digital experience works at each location.

For this reason, the Swedish partners have put a great deal of effort into making the experience simple and intuitive. Texts, images, instructions, navigation and content all need to work together and be easy to understand - allowing visitors to focus on what matters most: discovering the place and its story.

Visitors also arrive with very different levels of prior knowledge. Some are already familiar with Sagobygden and its legends, while others may simply have been recommended an interesting place to visit, without knowing what story awaits them there.

Sagobygden’s partners also welcome many international visitors, particularly from Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands. This makes clear and easy-to-understand language an important part of the experience.

With these new features, the team hopes to engage the whole family – from younger visitors to older generations. A visit to a legendary place should be an outing where everyone can discover, listen, explore and have fun, based on their own interests and abilities.

Many kilometres - and even more testing!

During the spring, the partners have walked countless kilometres at the different legendary places! They have gone back and forth between the audio stops and the AR films, testing GPS accuracy, map functions and how instructions in both text and audio work in the real environment.

One important lesson has been that the technology needs to be carefully adapted to each individual place. For example, there needs to be enough distance between the different digital stops for the GPS functions to distinguish between them.

When reality and the script do not quite match

Working on site has also shown the Swedish partners how important it is to test the entire experience in the real environment.

Some texts and instructions have needed to be adjusted to better match the surroundings.

This was despite the fact that the storyteller had previously walked the route on site with the script in hand before the recordings were made.

In one of the AR films, for example, narrator Blända points out towards Lake Åsnen, which lies below the hill. But when the film is experienced on site, it turns out that, from the visitor’s perspective, she is actually pointing towards the forest!

A small and rather amusing detail - but also a good example of why it is so important to test the technology in its real-life setting.

The map function is another area that still needs further development. Sometimes there is a slight delay between the visitor’s actual position and how it is displayed on the map. This can create confusion, especially in open areas where there is no clear path to follow.

Is the app working as the partners hoped?

On 30 May 2026, the partners of Sagobygden organised a spring launch of the app’s new features at the legendary place Agundaborg.

Using a playful and inviting approach, they wanted to attract members, families and tourists to come and try the new experience. For the team, it was also an important opportunity to gather a broader range of feedback and hear how real visitors experienced the app.

The partners received many valuable comments and reflections that have helped them continue developing the content. Among other things, texts and instructions have been adjusted to make it easier for visitors to find the audio stops and AR experiences.

Another important insight has been the value of carrying out a thorough target-group analysis from the very beginning. Who are the actual users? How should they communicate with them, and what technical solutions are needed to create the best possible experience?

From the start, it was clear that the app should be available in three languages: Swedish, English and German. Unfortunately, initially their budget didn’t allow them to produce three fully developed language versions. They therefore chose to simplify the English and German versions. Instead of recorded audio tracks, these versions used written text, while the AR films were subtitled rather than featuring spoken voices.

The lesson learned?

Today, the partners of Sagobygden has requested a quotation to find out what it would cost to create full versions in both English and German. The international audience is already significant, and they can see that it continues to grow year by year.

So, the next time visitors come to Sagobygden, the team hopes they will be able to enjoy a complete experience of beautiful nature, powerful stories and a newly awakened curiosity about historic places.

Overall, the response was very positive.

Some of the comments received included:

 

“This is what we have been waiting for!”

“Now I’m going to bring my friend!”

“What an incredible story!”

 

The feedback gave the project partners both new energy and confirmation that they are heading in the right direction.

Summer - time to explore!

Throughout the summer of 2026, the partners have continued inviting people to discover the three upgraded legendary places.

Among other things, they have created a competition designed both to spark curiosity about the sites and to encourage visitors to share their experiences through the project survey.

The concept is simple: visit a legendary place, download the app, answer a few questions about your experience and take a selfie at the legendary place. The winners will be drawn after 30 September.

To make more people aware of the app’s new features and the survey, information has been shared through social media, the website and posters in the surrounding area. QR codes provide easy and direct access to both the app and the survey.

During the summer, the team has also organised storytelling programmes at Blodberget, one of the three legendary places. These events have provided an opportunity to introduce both the app and the project survey.

Several of Sagobygden’s storytellers who have tested the app appreciate this new type of experience. Since the particular legend is presented through audio and AR, the storytellers now have an opportunity to connect other stories and perspectives to the place when meeting visitors.

The experience belongs to the place

One question they have discussed during the development process is whether the audio tracks and AR films should also be available to people who are not physically present at the legendary places.

For now, they have decided that they should only be experienced on location. The partners want visitors to be there - standing in the middle of the landscape, seeing their surroundings and sensing the atmosphere of the place as the story unfolds.

For the team, the meeting between the story, the place and the visitor is at the very heart of this experiment. And it is there, out at the legendary places, that the story can truly come to life in a new way.