Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England is one of the most awe-inspiring prehistoric monuments in the world and has baffled and mystified researchers over the years. The stone circle, which is a popular tourist haunt and a World Heritage site, is set to get a virtual 360-degree cinema.
Soon visitors to Stonehenge will be able to time travel and virtually experience standing inside the mystical stone circle, courtesy of a 360-degree panoramic cinema developed by English Heritage, which will enable a virtual visit.
"It's meant to give people a sense of what it is like to stand in the middle of Stonehenge, because most people just won't be able to do that. It won't feel like you are standing in a computer programme. The idea is to take our visitors back in time," says Robert Campbell, head of interpretation at the center.
The cinema will be the highlight of a new £27-million center and will also have a 32-foot landscape wall on which computer-generated images of the countryside around the circle and other ancient earthworks will be projected to bring the stone circle to life.
The new auditorium has a 100-foot circumference, making it much smaller than the actual stone circle, which is nearly 300 feet wide. The structure is expected to be built a mile from the stones.
"The plans for the centre are revealed in a series of tender documents from English Heritage, seeking firms to provide the technological content for the audio visual displays. The documents describe the 'immersive 360 degree projected film' as the 'most important and high profile piece of audio visual ever undertaken by EH'," notes The Telegraph.
Moreover, films that provide a background on Stonehenge and explore the various theories of the site's origins, as well as provide information on the prehistoric items on display will be shown. English Heritage will also be building replica Neolithic dwellings near the complex so that tourists can visualize how early inhabitants of the site lived.
