The province of Flemish Brabant hopes to interest the public at large more in archaeology thanks to a unique new escape room. ‘The Unfinished Investigation’ is a fictional game in which a centuries-old mystery awaits a solution. “In this interactive game, visitors step into the role of archaeologists and learn how archaeological research in a medieval setting works,” explains Bart Nevens, member of the Flemish Brabant provincial executive.
Solve mystery based on life Duke Henry I in first archaeological escape room in Flemish Brabant
Colin Clapson
Published:
To mark the Archaeology Days at the end of May, the province of Flemish Brabant commissioned archaeology students at Leuven University to develop an escape room. The aim of this escape room, ‘The Unfinished Investigation’, is to teach people more about archaeology and get them excited in it.
In the escape room, players are transported back to 13th-century Brabant. They are given a task that no one has dared to attempt before: completing an unfinished investigation.
“People can lock themselves in here and set out to uncover the mystery surrounding Henry I, the first Duke of Brabant,” explains Nevens. "The players search for fragments, analyse clues and try to reconstruct history.”
Provincial councillors Ann Schevenels and Bart Nevens joined Flemish Minister of heritage and the Vlaamse Rand Ben Weyts (Flemish nationalist N-VA) in testing the escape room for the first time last weekend. “It’s not that easy to unravel all the mysteries within 50 minutes,” says Weyts. “But it is a fun and playful way of looking back at our history, and specifically at the life of Henry I.”
The escape room is mobile and will travel around our central province of Flemish Brabant. It will remain at the provincial estate in Huizingen until the end of May. After that, the escape room moves to Het Vinne in Zoutleeuw (27 June to 26 July), to Kessel-Lo (31 July to 13 September) and to the De Halve Maan in Diest (19 September to 8 November). Up to four players can take part in each game. The price is 75 euros per go.