How it helps us
This approach keeps TimeLens stable and reliable, ensures it runs smoothly even on older devices, and lowers technical barriers for institutions.
It allows us to focus our resources where they matter most: historical accuracy, thoughtful storytelling and close collaboration.
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What became our inspiration
From the beginning, we made deliberate choices about how to build it.
Inspired by the Japanese technology philosophy Kareta Gijutsu no Suihei Shiko (also translated as "Lateral Thinking with Seasoned Technology"), we favour proven and accessible technology over complexity for its own sake.
The story behind TimeLens
Many historic places hold stories that are difficult to imagine today.
Our goal is to help visitors experience these places again by bringing lost buildings, streets and daily life back into historical view.
How TimeLens started
As children, We played knights in the ruins of French castles. In Rome, we walked the Via Appia picturing legions marching past. On Sicilian beaches, we imagined escaping the Cyclops. This fascination with history and mythology stayed with us into adulthood. We continued visiting ancient sites, recalling their stories and imagining what life there once looked like.
Yet as we explored these places with friends and partners, we began to notice something. For many visitors, the past remained hidden. They saw little more than scattered stones, empty spaces or weathered remains. The scale of the buildings, the lives once lived there and the stories they held were no longer visible.
We began to wonder is there a way we could help everyone see these places as they once were.
From that question, TimeLens was born.
Founded by brothers Ilias and Jason Halbgewachs, TimeLens began as a personal commitment to creating the solution we felt was missing.
Rather than waiting for others to build it, we invested our own time and savings into developing TimeLens.
Driven by the conviction that historic places deserve to be experienced in their full context, the idea grew into a tangible project.
Making heritage visible is our goal
Through carefully researched reconstructions and immersive scenes, visitors can see buildings rise again and intuitively understand the life that once unfolded there.
Every scene is developed in collaboration with historians, archaeologists and cultural institutions, ensuring historical accuracy and integrity.
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TimeLens today
That same approach extends beyond the creation of individual scenes. TimeLens works closely with museums and cultural organisations to ensure that each project reflects the specific history and identity of the site.
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Making our digital heritage accessible for everyone
We are aware that many heritage institutions operate with only limited financial and technical resources.
But what did it really look like? How did it feel when the space was alive? TimeLens opens a window to the past. Standing at the site itself, you see the place restored in its full glory, all around you.
Buildings rise again. Spaces fill with life. What was reduced to ruins becomes whole again, grounded in careful historical research.
A structure that supports cultural heritage
Over time, what began as a personal initiative has developed into a structured and long-term special project.
TimeLens is developed and managed through a dedicated company, Ciceroni, which ensures professional execution and reliability.
The foundation supports projects at historically significant sites that may not be commercially viable. This structure allows us to prioritise cultural value while maintaining economic sustainability.
Looking ahead
TimeLens will continue to expand to new locations in close collaboration with the institutions that safeguard our shared heritage.
Our ambition remains simple: to make the invisible visible and to help historic places speak again, as they once used to.
Behind this ambition stands a growing team of committed contributors who bring their expertise alongside their regular professions, united by a shared dedication to history and its responsible presentation.
Ilias Halbgewachs
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Jason Halbgewachs
Jason leads TimeLens and oversees its overall development, including content creation, project coordination, financial management and strategic direction.
Peter Hlavatík
