Thessaloniki Jewish Heritage - A 3D Interactive Experience

Showcase
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Project: Immersive 3D Map of Historical Thessaloniki
:link: https://map.jct.gr/

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This project is an interactive 3D reconstruction of old Thessaloniki, allowing users to fly through neighborhoods that no longer exist and explore their history in an immersive way.

Built with Three.js, the experience combines archival research with real-time graphics to bring the interwar city back to life.

:sparkles: Key Features

  • :dove: Free-flight exploration through a fully reconstructed 3D city

  • :scroll: Scroll-driven storytelling with historical documents and contextual information

  • :speaker_high_volume: Custom sound design to enhance immersion

  • :artist_palette: Stylized post-processing pipeline that gives the scene a hand-drawn aesthetic

:brain: Interactive Installation (Highlight)

The project was also developed as part of a large-scale interactive installation:

  • Visitors scan physical archival documents

  • The system triggers a fully immersive 3-wall projection experience

  • Powered by 3 synchronized cameras/render pipelines, surrounding the viewer in the reconstructed city

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:cityscape: The Core Concept

At the heart of the project is a 3D digital city, where entire neighborhoods of Thessaloniki’s past re-emerge through archival material.

Through scanned documents and historical records, users dive into the past and rediscover neighborhoods of Thessaloniki that were literally erased from the map.

:greece: Context

The project “Ιώσηπος” was implemented by the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki, co-funded by the European Union (ESPA 2021–2027) under the Digital Transformation program.

Would love your feedback from the Three.js community :raising_hands:

2 Likes
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Nicely done.
I found the texturing on the screen to be distracting.
Is it supposed to tell a story? Or are we just supposed to wander the neighborhoods?
Perhaps a little history would be helpful. And what time frame - in Greece, interwar could mean the Peloponnesian War?

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Such a huge project! How long did it take to create? :thinking:

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That’s a really impressive project. Reconstructing lost parts of a city and letting people explore them interactively is a powerful way to preserve cultural memory. The installation setup with scanned archival documents triggering a 3-wall projection experience is especially interesting.

I work on similar ideas but focused on social interactive cities. I can build entire heritage cities or modern cities, basically any city and at any scale, where people can explore together in real time. Instead of only viewing the environment, users can interact, move through spaces, and experience the city socially.

Here’s a small demo of a 3D world environment I’ve been working on:
https://theneoverse.web.app/#threeviewer&&crateria

I’d be really interested in combining approaches like yours with social exploration, where historical cities can be experienced collaboratively by visitors online or in installations.