Press release
27.02.2007 - Wedemark/Campeche
Conquistadors, pirates and the ruins of a Mayan city: Sennheiser´s guidePORT shows visitors around a World Heritage site
UNESCO lists the historic center of Campeche as a World Cultural Heritage site – and now visitors to the Mexican port city can explore the well-preserved fortifications and impressive colonial buildings in an even more exciting way with an audio guide. The guidePORT system from Germany’s leading audio specialist Sennheiser provides the perfect guided tour through the walled city – and even lets you meet some pirates along the way…
 World Cultural Heritage: Campeche’s colonial city center with the cathedral |
Campeche was founded in 1541 by the Spanish conquistadors – although only after they had suffered a number of painful defeats by the native inhabitants. The colonial city soon grew to become the most important port in Yucatán. From here, goods were shipped from the New World back to Europe, making the city an attractive target for plundering pirates, including such infamous characters as Henry Morgan and Diego el Mulato. In the mid-17th century, the city was almost completely destroyed by marauding pirates. As a result, the Spanish settlers decided to protect themselves by building fortified walls to encircle the city. And it is these fortifications that, together with the colonial city center, are among the major attractions of Campeche today. |
In Campeche itself and in the ruined Mayan city of Edzná around 40 miles to the south east of Campeche, the Mexican Sennheiser partner Gilsama SA de CV has ensured that these valuable historic sites on the Yucatán peninsula can be enjoyed in five different languages.
In Campeche, guidePORT shows tourists around the picturesque city and takes them along the “Pirates’ Trail”. The city has a total of 85 guidePORT receivers, starting at Casa 6, a grand Moorish-style residence. 112 presentations stored in the receivers provide visitors with detailed information on churches, sections of the gigantic fortifications, museums and historic buildings – in Spanish, English, French, German or Italian. Equipped with a fully illustrated city map, tourists can set off on their own individual tour of the colonial city, simply activating the explanations as they go with the help of the numbers on the map.
Once the town has been explored and the sun sets over Campeche, it’s time to set off on the Pirates’ Trail. At the main gate to the city, the excellently preserved Puerta de Tierra, or ‘Land Gate’, located in the San José El Alto bastion, visitors exchange their receivers and hear all about cannons, powder kegs and armories as well as the bravery of Campeche’s citizens in their battle against raiders. An elaborate sound and light show brings the pirates back to life as they storm the city once again…
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On the Pirates’ Trail the visitors’ receivers access five stored recordings and play two real-time audio (RTA) events that are sent fully synchronized from cell transmitters directly to the receivers in five languages. The first RTA event is played to the visitors in an auditorium inside the fortification walls: the film depicting the pirate attacks is triggered by a small identifier concealed at the entrance to the auditorium. The second RTA event ‘overtakes’ the visitors as they leave the narrow parapets of the fortress walls. “Just as the guests reach the stairs, actors and the “Phantom of the Pirates” are waiting for them – with the audio track once again being provided by guidePORT”, explains Ing. Julio Reséndiz Ortiz, Technical Manager of Gilsama. “The dramatic finale then takes place on the fortress walls, with real sword fights and cannon shots. Here too, guidePORT transmits the sound and translations in real time, triggered by an induction loop located all around the audience. Altogether, 150 receivers, seven identifiers, four cell transmitters and four antennas are used in the fortifications.”
 guidePORT is also the perfect guide to the ruined Mayan city of Edzná |
Campeche is also the starting point for a visit to the ruined Mayan city of Edzná, which enjoyed its heyday between 600 and 900 AD. The ceremonial center of the city with its more than 40-meter-high temple has been extensively restored. The remains of the irrigation system of the city, which was founded around 600 to 300 BC, are also impressive. Once again, guidePORT proves to be a well-informed companion as its 40 receivers take you around the |
As one of the world’s leading manufacturers of microphones, headphones and wireless transmission systems, the Sennheiser Group with its headquarters in Wedemark near Hanover, Germany, had total sales of about €300 million in 2005. The export share is 82.5%. Sennheiser has a total workforce of more than 1,650 employees, of whom about 60% are employed in Germany. Sennheiser is active worldwide and, in addition to other partnerships, has its own sales subsidiaries in France, the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, India, Singapore, Canada, Mexico and the USA.
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For further information about Sennheiser please visit us on the Internet at http://www.sennheiser.com/ or contact:
Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG
Pressereferat - Edelgard Marquardt
Am Labor 1 - 30900 Wedemark
Fon: +49 (5130) 600-329
Fax: +49 (5130) 600-295
e-Mail: marquare@sennheiser.com
fischerAppelt Kommunikation
Sandra Hartwig
Waterloohain 5 - 22769 Hamburg
Fon: +49 (40) 899 699-976
Fax: +49 (40) 899 699-30
e-Mail: sah@fischerappelt.de
