The Palace of Versailles, which draws more than 10 million tourists a year and ranks among the most visited and renowned sites in the world, is adding innovative elements to its visitor experience.
Harnessing cutting-edge technology, the palace is now launching its flagship digital venture, “Light of Liberty.” The project is the product of a unique collaboration between the French company Firstep Production (producers of the hit series “Emily in Paris”) and the Jerusalem-based Yaturu and its parent company, Yalla Digital.
Launched to mark the 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence and the French-American alliance, the project represents a global breakthrough in XR (extended reality). While museums and cultural sites have until now made do with VR (virtual reality) experiences which cut users off from their surroundings, this new venture takes the experience a giant leap forward.
Through a combination of advanced pass-through technology and deeply integrated gaming and interactive elements, visitors become active participants in the story. They don’t just look at exhibits or read signs; they physically walk alongside virtual figures like Benjamin Franklin and General Lafayette, witness George Washington up close, and experience the naval battles and secret diplomacy that shaped the birth of the United States.
Sign promoting the XR experience at the Palace of Versailles
(Photo: Yaturu)
“We’ve created a unique experience that allows engagement with the site and its people, deepening the connection to the historical past in a truly immersive way,” says Yaturu CEO Udi Regonis.
“Visitors do much more than just learn about the alliance between France and America; they feel it in their whole body, in every movement. The XR experience we developed allows people to remain connected to the physical space of this magnificent palace while embedding within it an interactive layer that brings history to life.
“In one of our trial runs, a participant took off the headset after ten minutes, turned to the empty wall, and said in surprise, ‘Oh, it’s not there anymore.’ That’s when we knew that we had created a real, visceral memory.”
Udi RegonisPhoto: YaturuThis achievement is all the more impressive given the logistical complexities involved, and the development teams completed the entire content creation, gaming design, and production in just six months. Beyond the content development and technology, running the project requires a major operational and logistical apparatus to manage the enormous flow of visitors, operate and maintain the fleet of headsets, manage the on-site staff, and more, all made possible by the close working partnership with Firstep Production.
Shlomo Blass, Yaturu’s VP of Production and Content and director of the experience: “Producing an XR experience at the Palace of Versailles is a challenge of a different order. This is a living, renowned, sensitive site, where every aspect of the experience is held to an exceptionally high international standard. The project brought together technological development, gaming, directing, animation, sound design, AI tools, physical space planning and the on-site operation of an XR headset system. That’s the strength of a team capable of delivering a complete, end-to-end solution, from high concept all the way to the visitor on the ground. Creatively, spatial storytelling is a whole new narrative world that requires us to ‘step outside the frame’: to build a story that unfolds in physical space, where visitors move, choose, and discover the experience for themselves.”
Shlomo BlassPhoto: YaturuFor the Palace of Versailles, this innovative venture enables a unique operating model in which underutilized spaces become revenue-generating attractions while enhancing the site’s physical and historical infrastructure. For Israel’s high-tech industry, it is further proof that Israeli entrepreneurship and creativity can break beyond the boundaries of classic software and use storytelling techniques in a way that delivers real value even at the world’s most popular tourist attractions.