This is the basic idea behind the project which Wittwer and programmer Holger Mügge from the company Quest Mill have been working on for a good four years. It is supposed to be a low-threshold offer which the associations can use to present their voluntary work. Wittwer asked the 20 or so local history societies and a handful of individual local historians for contributions, which met with a good response. The associations may also link to their own websites. In addition, Wienand Kerkhoff and the Lempertz publishing house provided content from the book "Bonn neu entdecken" (Rediscover Bonn), and the Beethoven Foundation, Citizens for Beethoven, the Civic Trust, Friends of the Botanical Gardens and others have also contributed.

Low-threshold also means that the texts are short and easy to read. The app already contains around 150 entries, ranging from the Roman South Gate to the von Breunig House and the Radio Museum. Voluntary entries are free of charge, but Wittwer also offers businesses with roots in Bonn, such as restaurants - i.e. no chains - antiquarian bookshops, booksellers and galleries, the chance to introduce themselves, albeit for a fee.

One vision for the app would be to integrate the events calendar of the city of Bonn, says Wittwer. The over 100 natural monuments could also be presented. "Culture is very broad for me," he says. Wittwer, who sat on the planning committee and on Bonn district council in the 1990s, also wants to work with political foundations to incorporate the theme of the Bonn Republic. And then, sooner or later, the app should also lead beyond the city borders, into the region and along the Rhine. In any case, the name of the app does not specifically refer to Bonn.

The app is financed by the commercial entries, but the creators are not likely to get rich with it. "This was done by two people on the side," says Wittwer, who is a bonded insurance agent. That's why it took so long. "Bonn is full of stories," he says. The app presents them as easily digestible tidbits using a virtual map of Bonn showing the locations of the featured sights. Mügge and Wittwere have also very helpfully included the locations of public toilets.

The ‘WikiCultureCity’ app is available for smartphones in the Google and Apple app stores. It will continue to grow. Anyone wanting to help shape it should have a connection to local history and an understanding of the new medium. Registration is via the website: wikiculturecity.com.

(Original text: Stefan Knopp, Translation: Caroline Kusch)