We are delighted to invite you to the festive launch of Tijddetective Gouda, a new interactive city game that brings the history of Gouda to life in a surprising way.
Saturday, September 12, 2026, 11:00 a.m.
Garden of the Gouda Museum (Achter de Kerk 14)
On Open Monument Day, Museum Gouda and the Gouda Time Machine are launching “Time Detective Gouda”: a free heritage game that lets you solve a historical mystery while walking through the city center. The game begins with Fenna, the time detective from the Gouda Time Machine. Breaking all the rules, she took archival documents home for further research. The next morning, they were gone—and with them, the people they were about. Their stories have been erased from Gouda’s history. Fenna needs help. Players choose which historical figure to track down. Each choice opens up its own storyline with five investigation locations in the city center. At those spots, real archival sources turn up: 19th-century population registers, photos from the Midden-Holland Regional Archives, historical maps, and court rulings. If you look closely at the facade, the street, or the building—and where you’re standing—you can rule out candidates until only one name remains. Along the way, players collect time tokens; with enough tokens, you can go back in time once to verify your answer.
The game is a web app: you play on your own smartphone, without needing to download anything. You can play for free, at any time, alone or with a group. Time Detective Gouda was developed by the serious game studio Living Story and the tour platform Tourio, in collaboration with the Gouda Time Machine, the Die Goude Historical Society, the Midden-Holland Regional Archives, and Museum Gouda, and will soon be available at locations including the Goudse Waag. The content is drawn from the digital collections about Gouda that are available as Linked Open Data—the result of thousands of hours of work by volunteers. The project is funded by the Digital Heritage Network, Cultuurloket DigitALL, and the Mondriaan Fund. Thanks to these funding partners, the game can also be adapted for other cities; all that’s needed is to add the relevant content.
During the launch, you’ll be among the first to experience “Time Detective Gouda.” In this interactive walking game, you’ll solve historical mysteries and, as you explore the city center, discover the stories of real Gouda residents from the past. After the official opening, you’re cordially invited to play the game yourself and discover Gouda through a new lens. If you play the game during Open Monument Day, you’ll also receive a fun giveaway (while supplies last). We hope to welcome you onSeptember12!
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