Launch of Audio Tours in Hallertau: Officially Unveiled Leadership Initiative
The Hallertau region, renowned for its hop farming and rich cultural heritage, is set to unveil an innovative project aimed at making its history and hop expertise accessible to all. The Digital Hallertau Experience, a collaborative initiative involving four districts, is set to launch in summer 2026.
Funded by the European LEADER programme, this project represents a significant step towards rural development and the preservation of cultural heritage. The initiative brings together local farmers and technology teams, leveraging satellite image analysis, advanced remote sensing technologies, and artificial intelligence to create immersive digital audio tours.
One such tour will lead from Rudelzhausen via Au i. d. Hallertau and Nandlstadt to Freising, while another will traverse the ILE Holledauer Tor area from Furth to Rottenburg a.d. Laaber. These tours will be narrated by professional speakers, supplemented with O-tons and music, and will provide information about hop cultivation, brewing culture, local personalities, and cultural peculiarities.
The project is a prime example of successful inter-municipal cooperation, with contributions from the participating communities and the project carrier, Hopfenland Hallertau Tourism e.V. The content for the project is currently being developed, with key milestones including the analysis of six years of Sentinel-2 satellite imagery and hyperspectral UAV data.
The Digital Hallertau Experience was officially launched on July 24 at the German Hops Museum, with a photo capturing the project participants from the four districts and representatives of the participating local action groups. Carolin Meinhold, the project leader, stated that the project aims to provide a new way to access the history and culture of the region, making it understandable, emotional, and directly experienceable on-site.
As the project progresses, the digital audio tours are expected to be available in several communities starting next year, allowing users to hear stories about the region while walking or cycling through it via an app. This initiative is not just a step towards digital tourism but also a significant contribution to the sustainable management of the Hallertau hop farming heritage.
- The Digital Hallertau Experience, an innovative project aimed at showcasing the region's rich cultural heritage and hop expertise, will offer immersive digital audio tours that blend history, hop cultivation, brewing culture, local personalities, and cultural peculiarities into a lifestyle travel experience.
- This lifestyle travel project, supported by the European LEADER program and local communities, will provide users with the ability to learn about the Hallertau region's history and traditions while exploring the area on foot or by bike, promoting digital tourism and the sustainable management of the region's hop farming heritage.
