Digital technology is reviving Sweden’s ancient stories

A stormy arrival on Lurö

Lake Vänern is Sweden’s largest lake. It is also a fierce place in autumn, so reaching Lurö Island - just a sliver of land in the lake’s southern archipelago - means navigating stormy waters. Around 1050 AD, one of Sweden’s earliest stone churches was built here, likely as a private chapel. Later legends speak of French monks, perhaps even nuns, invited by Swedish royalty to establish a monastery, though no remains have been found. The ruins still whisper mystery.

Now, the CUPIDO project, funded by Interreg North Sea, is giving these stones a new voice -through immersive gaming.

Thanks to Skildra Storytelling Studios and archaeologists from Värmland’s Museum, Lurö’s layered history has become a VR experience. Players arrive on stormy seas and, to earn food and shelter, help construct the stone church under the watchful eyes of craftsmen, labourers, and disapproving French monks. As part of the narrative, they break a ceramic vessel - an artifact discovered on the island - leaving behind a small mark in the virtual reconstruction of history. Through this, CUPIDO blends archaeology and imagination to retell Sweden’s past in interactive ways.

Digital dialogue on heritage and climate

Another project using digital tools to preserve and reinterpret heritage is DACCHE, funded by Interreg Northern Periphery and Arctic. DACCHE explores the impact of climate change on cultural heritage and seeks to foster dialogue about the green transition.

A standout example is an exhibition jointly developed by Swedish, Norwegian and Irish partners. It centres on Gaskelaante - ’the land in between’ in the South Sámi language - a mountainous region stretching from Trøndelag in Norway to Jämtland in Sweden. This cultural landscape has been shaped over millennia by Sámi reindeer herders, Viking warriors, pilgrims to the Nidaros cathedral, and even characters present in Swedish opera.

Today, this region, and its traditions, face new challenges from wind farms, forestry, and changing climate conditions. DACCHE prepares an immersive exhibition which highlights the cultural, historical, and environmental richness of Gaskelaante, raising questions such as: What heritage do we risk losing? What should be preserved? How can we navigate transitions without conflict?

Fieldwork in the mountains

Led by Sámi reindeer herder and archaeologist Jan Persson and Jamtli Museum’s Anders Hansson, the DACCHE team used a variety of methods to document Hansmyra, a site with 9th-century traces of reindeer herding. These included 360-degree cameras, drones, and photogrammetry - the science of taking measurements from photographs - to develop digital assets. These digital assets can be experienced in a mixed reality exhibition that transports visitors into a reconstructed Sámi settlement over 1000 years old, with traditional artifacts and an encounter with a Sámi wolf hunter.

As visitors engage with the scene and in a dialogue with the hunter, donning extended reality headsets, they learn more about the people and the nature. The stories and values that come up in these conversations might inspire new insights relevant for today.

‘Gaskelaante is like a white spot on the archaeological map,’ says Persson. ‘It was long assumed Sámi people only moved into this area around the 17th century. But our findings show a rich Sámi life here in the 9th century. These insights are crucial for raising awareness of Sámi history and identity, especially in the context of the green transition and cultural preservation.’

Heritage as a catalyst

Thanks to CUPIDO, Skildra Storytelling Studios, initially just a local storytelling association, transformed into a VR and game development company. Their collaboration with Värmland Museum to recreate Lurö’s medieval church was the project that launched their business.

’That partnership was our breakthrough,’ says Samuel Nilsson of Skildra. ‘It led to more assignments and established us in the digital storytelling space.’

CUPIDO also helped introduce Virtual Production - an emerging film technique - at Molkoms Folkhögskola, a creative adult education college located just north of Lake Vänern. Now integrated into the school’s film curriculum, the technology demonstrates how heritage-driven innovation can ripple across sectors, from archaeology to arts education.

At their core, both CUPIDO and DACCHE are about connection, between past and present, technology and tradition, people and place. They bring together cultural institutions, creative businesses, and public partners across Europe to explore how heritage can stay relevant in a rapidly changing world.

From ruins to real-time

From forgotten ruins on lake islands to virtual Sámi settlements in the mountains, Sweden’s cultural heritage is being revived not with firelight, but with fiber optics. Projects like CUPIDO and DACCHE show that heritage is not just about preserving the past, it’s also a resource for today. These stories offer context for the climate crisis, insight into local identity, and models of coexistence with nature. By making them accessible through digital tools, they become part of the public conversation, and part of the visitor experience. Supported by Interreg, this work fosters dialogue, inspires sustainable tourism, and helps regions see their history as a living asset, not just a legacy.